Members of German Village Society: Have you met your new leaders? Almost across the board, a fresh-faced group of individuals is taking the reins.

The German Village Society turns 52 this month. For more than five decades, we’ve been working together to turn dilapidation into vitality; working with police to drive out crime; working with architects to preserve our historic structures; and working with businesses to attract them and then help them prosper.

But 52 is middle age, at least for human beings, and it is often a time to reflect and refocus and take on new challenges or adventures. I believe all of the new people in top roles for the society means age 52 is our perfect moment to do just that.

I began my role as director Oct. 12. I’ve met hundreds of members, reached out to a dozen external organizations, sat in on committee meetings, quizzed people with long roots and hefty knowledge of the past 52 years and listened to volunteers. All the people I’ve spoken with have met my curiosity and engagement with openness and eagerness to help me learn and give me the tools to shape what’s next. Despite all of this, I’ve just scratched the surface of my education.

Society president Bill Case began his tenure 12 days before I did. Bill and I meet every Monday morning to talk shop, share what we’re learning as we meet with our community and strategize about the future. What I know of Bill is that he doesn’t know how to do things halfway: He takes on topics like the litigator he was, deeply researching an issue and making calls and finding solutions. His passion is a boon to our neighborhood.

New board member Nick Cavalaris is also the society’s new treasurer. Nick and his wife have lived in the neighborhood for several years, but Nick represents leadership being pulled from the 30-something set. Did you know that 65 percent of our neighbors (the 2010 census numbers include German Village and the Brewery District together) are ages 20 to 40? That fact — shared with us by a group of Ohio State University city-planning students who did a demographic study of our neighborhood for the long-term planning committee — absolutely astounded me.

That is a huge group of young people who clearly love our contemporary, pedestrian-friendly, historic neighborhood and represent the future of the preservation efforts for which the society has fought for 52 years. Nick is their voice on the executive committee and can help us appeal to the next generation of caretakers of our legacy.

The German Village Business Community has new leadership, too. Greg Gamier and Jeff Lowe — the Village Pet Supply guys — took the top spot on the GVBC committee Jan. 1, and they are full of ideas and energy to unite member businesses, attract new business members and help members work together to prosper. Greg and Jeff are planning quarterly networking events for business owners and visitor center volunteers to better understand what each business does. They also are stepping into the presidency just as the new German Village mobile site is launched (test drive it yourself by visiting germanvillage.com on any smart phone).

To be sure, the dawning of this new year is not that old January saw of “out with the old, in with the new.” We are never “out with the old” in German Village. Not one of our fresh leadership faces is interested in turning his or her backs on the amazing history built here by the blood, sweat and tears of our predecessors.

But each of us brings to the table two important features: fresh eyes on challenges the community faces and a slate of ideas to not only sustain the charm and vitality of our neighborhood, but to propel it forward into an even brighter future. Your ideas are imperative, too. Let’s start a conversation. Email me at todorov@germanvillage.com.

One other note: As I become the new voice of this column, let me thank Jody Graichen. She has such a beautiful way of writing about German Village. One’s mind automatically adds the sepia tones to her poetry and you can picture what it may have been like here when the Germans were building each of our structures by hand. She will be missing from this space, but not from the society as she, too, will keep some roles and apply her elegant writing style to new projects.

Shiloh Todorov is director of the German Village Society.