Please join us in welcoming Diamonte Walker, Mamadou Balde, and Henry Horn-Pyatt to the Neighborhood Allies Board of Directors. We are thrilled to welcome their unique perspectives, skill sets, and passions to our organization!
Diamonte Walker is the Deputy Director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA), where she provides strategy, vision, operations management, team development, and leadership. Ms. Walker quickly became the driving force behind URA’s MWBE strategy. Her commitment to the advancement of equitable development is demonstrated through the administration of the URA’s MWBE Program, compliance monitoring, reporting functions, and other economic inclusion focused initiatives. Ms. Walker has a career span of more than 15 years in the for-profit sector and having recently served as a business development program manager in the non-profit sector. Diamonte holds an MBA and Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University.
Mamadou Balde is the Development Fellow for ACTION-Housing, Inc. Mr. Balde develops business plans to create MBE entity’s, contributes to development team activities related to Affordable Housing Development and takes development projects from conception to completion. Prior to ACTION-Housing Mr. Balde worked as the Vice President of Office Brokerage and In-House Counsel for Colliers International. There he provided financial and analytical data to potential leasing corporations, developed real estate solutions, advise on and negotiate leases as well as compile and analyze market data. He has also held other progressive positions as an attorney. Most recently, Mr. Balde founded Fulani Development Group, a full-service real estate development company based in Pittsburgh, PA. He also has served on Neighborhood Allies Investment Advisory Committee for the past three years. Mamadou holds a Juris Doctor from Liberty University School of Law.
Henry Horn-Pyatt is the Small Business and Redevelopment Manager for Mayor William Peduto. Working in the City of Pittsburgh’s Mayor’s Office, Mr. Horn-Pyatt works to help Pittsburgh Neighborhoods use all the tools at their disposal to increase neighborhood economic activity, safety, amenities, community cohesion, and access to the rest of the region. Prior to joining the Peduto administration Mr. Horn-Pyatt worked in the River Wards of Philadelphia for New Kensington Community Development Corp helping to revitalize the traditional commercial corridors in that section of Philadelphia, as well as helping to implement bike infrastructure, improve streetscapes, directly assist business owners and associations, and planning and managing events like the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby. He has also worked in neighborhood revitalization in East Stroudsburg Pennsylvania, and the Bloomfield, Garfield, and Friendship neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. Mr. Pyatt has served on Neighborhood Allies’ Investment Advisory Committee for the past three years. Henry is a 2005 graduate of the Urban Studies – Planning program at the University of Pittsburgh and holds a GIS certificate.
