We recently turned the tables on a woman known for her interviews with the ‘who’s who’ of Centre County found each month in “Town and Gown”.

Mimi Barash Coppersmith was and is a woman who breaks boundaries.

“State College and Penn State are the secrets to my success,” said Mimi. “The word hope and dream come to mind.  You know we had no right to do what we did.  We did it on a wing and a prayer.”

In her professional life, Mimi was chairperson and co-founder, along with her late husband, Sy, of the Barash Group.  She says they started with ‘very little money’ and quickly learned those Nittany Lions  would become a great partner.

“Nuzzle up to Penn State Athletics.  They’re going someplace and they’re going now,” she continued. “That was the era. The start of the era of Joe Paterno”

A 1953 Penn State Communication graduate, Mimi bleeds blue and white.

She said, “as a simple soul in a complex world, I found myself here”

She served seven terms as a Penn State alumna trustee, from 1976 to 1997, including two years as the first woman board chair. Named a distinguished alumna by Penn State, which is the highest honor,  Mimi continues to give back in very big ways: financially and by connecting people with projects — building relationships.

Mimi advised, “you don’t need to be the richest person in the cemetery.  It doesn’t work.”

She sits on or has raised money for just about every area board — including Mount Nittany Medical Center, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, Centre Lifelink, Palmer Museum of Art, Women’s Resource Center, the Pink Zone at Penn State, and Hemlock Girl Scout Council.

She went on to say, “the influence, the synergy, that is possible to create and nurture in a small college town with a huge award winning university that synergy is unmatchable. It’s a gem. We all have such incredible opportunity in Happy Valley, USA!”