The State College Borough Council unanimously appointed Katherine Oh Yeaple to fill a vacant position Wednesday night.

Yeaple will serve through December 31, 2021, when former Councilman Dan Murphy’s elected term would’ve ended. Murphy resigned in August, citing the physical and mental toll serving the position had on his well-being.

Yeaple is a registered nurse who specializes in infection control for Penn State. She also earned a master’s degree in urban planning, previously worked for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Amtrak, and volunteered for Remote Area Medical and Penn State’s Palmer Museum of Art.

During presentations to Council, Yeaple repeatedly stressed her desiree to promote “health and wellness, balanced growth, and transportation alternatives” within the borough. She also said she supported initiatives to promote mental health awareness and police reform.

“I think the quality of life here is very good. We need to maintain the quality of life,” Yeaple told Council. “The future is going to be challenging but I think that we live in a very promising area which has a lot of strengths, and we just need to work on those strengths.”

Yeaple added she believes State College must address the environmental impacts and infrastructure needs of the borough when planning for the future.

Eleven candidates applied for Murphy’s vacant seat, including a mix of longtime borough residents and Penn State students. Yeaple successfully earned the seat after a handful of votes from Council, which remained deadlocked through a few different votes.

According to Council President Jesse Barlow, Yeaple will be officially sworn in “as soon as possible.”

Council had until October 1 to name a replacement. Should it have passed the deadline, the appointment would’ve been turned over to Centre County President Judge Pamela Ruest.