Occupation: My business is Linda Burhance Apparel Consultation. I do product development and apparel consulting. I design, I do patterns and tech packs for sizing so that the manufacturer has a standard to go by. I specialize in designing knits. Right now, I’m involved in compression knitware.

Family: I’m married to Frank, for 25 years this next May. We have one son, Noah, who is almost 16 and a sophomore at Kent School.

Pets: None right now. We had two Himalayan Persians, but they’re gone now.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We have been here since 2004. We moved here from New Hartford, and lived off of Boggs Hill Road. We just moved near Main Street last year, during Hurricane Sandy.

What do you like to do in your free time? I paint. I mostly work in gouache. I knit, and I love to read. I cook all the time, and even post it on Facebook! I love to watch films with subtitles. I have an affinity for language. Volunteering is how I spend most of my free time. I am the Connecticut Chapter president the Marist College Alumni Association and a member of the executive board at Marist, my undergrad alma mater. I am a project leader for Emory Cares, the service outreach of Emory University, my grad school alma mater. I have worked on coordinating volunteers for the Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play project playgrounds, and I am on the Kent School Parent Committee. My favorite thing to do, though, is watching my son’s sporting events. He’s a swimmer, and on the crew and cross country teams.

Do you have a favorite movie? My favorite movie is Jackie Brown. It’s a little harsh, but I like it because it’s about a woman who overcomes a lot of obstacles, and she really relies on herself. My other favorite film is I Am Love. It’s an Italian film with Tilda Swinton. She does an amazing job. I watch it over and over.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? I’ll go anywhere! We tend to spend our family vacations in Narragansett, R.I. I’ve been all over the world. I used to travel twice a year for fashion shows in Europe, so I’ve been there a lot. My very favorite place is Barcelona.

What is the best thing about Newtown? The people and the sense of community. I love the school system and the Parks and Rec Department is awesome. I love Main Street, and Halloween and the tree lighting in Ram Pasture. It’s all of those traditional things here that are best.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? There are two people I can think of. One is my grandmother, who was in the apparel business, as well. She taught me to knit and to sew when I was only 4 years old. The other is a college professor, E. Ramai Fischer. She was my painting teacher.

Do you have a personal philosophy? I have two. The first is “Do or do not. There is no try.” That’s a Yoda thing! The other is “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

Do you have a guilty pleasure? It would have to be watching foreign films. No one else in my household is into that. I like to go to the quirky, independent films at Bethel Cinema.