A Familiar Face
“It had been a running joke among my family and friends that I was the ‘unofficial mayor,’ ” says Alvarez who immigrated to the area from Trinidad at age 5. “They’d kid that if you need something, just call Kendy — she’ll make it happen.”
After running unopposed in the 2021 mayoral race, Alvarez’s status as the community’s go-to resident is no longer unofficial. In January, she was sworn in as the new Lewisburg borough mayor, succeeding Judy Wagner M’71. Alvarez is Lewisburg’s second woman and first woman of color to hold the position and is among the youngest to lead a Susquehanna Valley town.
One of Alvarez’s priorities is re-establishing a Town and Gown committee to strengthen the relationship between Lewisburg and Bucknell, where she earned an English degree. Ensuring that communication is open and consistent is essential to everyone’s success, says the former president of Bucknell’s Black Alumni Association.
“So many aspects of downtown — from the Small Business Development Center to the Bucknell bookstore — have come about because people recognized the intersectionality of the town and the University,” Alvarez says. “Both have to work together to truly thrive.”