Your Newest Selectman: Meet Vineeth and the Hemavathi Family
Written by Seth Stutman
Photos by Lanae Photo
Sponsored by East Village Place
Published in Longmeadow Neighbors (August 2023)
“Longmeadow is full of amazing, smart, and fun individuals. We also love Longmeadow’s green spaces, its walkability, and overall friendliness,” said Longmeadow resident Vineeth Hemavathi. “We often joke that we feel that Longmeadow is like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls – the ideal town!”
Whether you liken Longmeadow to Stars Hollow, Mayfield, Mayberry, or Agrestic, it is certainly some version of paradise for the Hemavathi-Stevens family.
Vineeth Hemavathi and Elise Stevens have two children Ravi, 3, and Zadie, who recently turned 1. Arguably more well known in town is their eleven-year old boxer / hound mix, Olive. Olive was rescued more than a decade ago when Elise fell in love with her during her time at Penn State. In the past decade, Olive has moved around with the family, and now is back celebrating her golden years on the spacious sidewalks of Longmeadow.
“We moved to Longmeadow when we started our family. Elise grew up in Westfield and we have family in Longmeadow and all over the area. It was important for us to raise our children in a place where they would be surrounded by their family,” said Vineeth.
Vineeth and Elise met through friends during graduate school at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Vineeth was in law school and Elise was pursuing her PhD. Eventually they made their way back to the Pioneer Valley, getting married in Hartford at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
The path to Longmeadow was winding, dotted with educational experiences along the way. Vineeth’s parents immigrated from India. Both Elise’s parents of Lebanese and Greek descent were both born and raised in Springfield before moving to Westfield to raise their family.
Vineeth went to the University of Kansas and majored in Political Science and English. While at Kansas, Vineeth studied abroad in Sweden. He then got his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. During undergraduate studes, Vineeth took a leave of absence for a semester to work as a field organizer on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. After graduating from undergraduate, he enjoyed Teach for America in Charlotte, NC for two years, teaching middle school language arts. After law school, Vineeth worked as an analyst for the FBI before deciding to practice public interest law. Since then, he represented indigent victims of domestic violence in Oklahoma City, and now represents victims of housing discrimination in the Pioneer Valley.
Elise went to undergraduate at Ithaca College and majored in Integrated Marketing Communications. While at Ithaca, Elise studied abroad in London. Elise then got her masters at Penn State in Media Studies and her PhD at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in Mass Communications. Afterwards, she completed fellowships at the University of Oklahoma and Harvard University.
Today, Elise is an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she conducts research on how messages about health (e.g., public education campaigns about vaping, e-cigarette advertising) affect young adults’ use of vapes and e-cigarettes. Her work informs large-scale public education campaigns as well as regulations for tobacco advertising.
“It was important for both of us to have careers that felt meaningful and where we could have an impact in making our communities better,” said Vineeth. “This has meant sacrificing for each other in so many ways, like moving or taking on larger shares in childcare. We feel so lucky to be at impactful institutions and to be back living near our friends and family.”
The drive to better their community led Vineeth to pursue positions in Longmeadow, and this spring, Vineeth won an election in a landslide (garnering 80% of the vote) and is proud to serve Longmeadow on the Select Board.
“[Servicing your town and pursuing meaningful careers] means everything to us,” said Vineeth. “We want our kids to see that a career can have meaning and can bring fulfillment and purpose to their lives. There is no better way to have pride in your community than to be part of what makes it work better or live healthier. We feel lucky to have the opportunity to do so.”
As their family grows, Vineeth and his family are excited to get involved in more facets of town. Between sports, clubs, and pursuing further positions in town, this family is excited to leave their mark on Longmeadow and continue the positive energy that this town provides to its residents.
“The sense of community here makes Longmeadow stand out to us. Wherever you go, you always feel a warm hello,” they said. “We feel as if we have hit the jackpot with our neighbors and our community … If you see us around town, say hello!”
