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Gillespie to Leave YNDC for Post in Pittsburgh
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Presley Gillespie, hired as the first executive director of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. more than four years ago, will depart the organization in Mid-May to take the reins of a Pittsburgh organization.
YNDC’s board of directors announced Wednesday that Gillespie, a former bank executive, is leaving YNDC to become president of Neighborhood Allies, a new community development intermediary in Pittsburgh. The mission of Neighborhood Allies is to support the people, organizations and partnerships committed to creating and maintaining thriving neighborhoods, the announcement stated.
The board also announced that Ian J. Beniston, who has served as deputy director since January 2010, has been named interim executive director.
“I will always care deeply about YNDC, its people and its mission.” said Gillespie, who was named YNDC’s executive director in 2009.
“The opportunity to lead Neighborhood Allies is an outstanding opportunity for me to continue to leverage my abilities and life-long commitment to improving the quality of life of people affected by blight and disinvestment. I look forward to this exciting new journey in the city of Pittsburgh," he said in a statement.
Gillespie thanked YNDC’s board of directors for its “tremendous confidence and trust” in him. “The opportunity to launch and lead YNDC and work with our incredible team has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my life. I believe the best is yet to come for YNDC and our neighborhoods,” he remarked.
Lisa Metzinger, president of YNDC’s board, thanked Gillespie for his “strong and dynamic leadership” as executive director. “He has helped to build a stable foundation for the organization since its inception, and we have achieved transformative results in our neighborhoods,” she said. “We wish him great success in his new role.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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