A Warren County native Tataboline Brant has been named the first Pennsylvania Wilds ombudswoman, the state’s top economic development official said today.

Brant will travel through the 12-county region in north central Pennsylvania, known as the Pennsylvania Wilds, helping small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to develop services that will encourage the growth of tourism in the region and provide information about financial and technical assistance available from the Commonwealth.

Prior to her appointment, Brant managed two canoe and kayak liveries along the Allegheny River, doubling the revenue at each business and creating new jobs.

She published a waterproof guidebook, “The Allegheny River Paddling Guide,” highlighting businesses and communities along the first 45 miles of the river.

Brant also has been a journalist, most notably at the Anchorage Daily News, where she served as senior breaking news and military reporter for the paper, the second largest daily in Alaska.

Brant is also a Medill War Course Fellow, one of only 13 journalists nationwide selected to attend the Washington D.C. symposium, which teaches reporters how to handle war zone hazards, including gunfire, kidnappers, mines, and security checkpoints.

She is also a multiple recipient of several Alaska Press Club awards, including best general news story for her Indonesia tsunami coverage. She was also named Alaska Press Woman in 1998 and in 2004.

Brant has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public communications from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She also studied at the University of Montana and Carlow College in Pittsburgh.

7/25/2008