Ben Emswiler, who has been our Program Associate for Neighborhood Engagement and Community Capacity Building at Neighborhood Allies, has been promoted to the position of Executive Assistant and Office Manager.
As Executive Assistant and Office Manager, Ben is responsible for providing high-level administrative support to the President and running the office in a highly efficient and effective manner. He works closely with all staff on administrative and organizational functions. He also works with senior management and the Board of Directors coordinating Board and committee meetings. In this role, Ben also acts as Program Administrator for our real estate work, supporting the Director of Real Estate Services and the functions of the new Centralized Real Estate Accelerator.
As an organization, Neighborhood Allies has grown in size (over 300% in the last 5 years), scope, and complexity. As such, we have recognized the need to elevate the level of consistency of data, grant reporting and tracking progress, program evaluation, and program support–in his new position, Ben is specifically helping to ensure the health and reputation of the organization.
Ben has also served as a PULSE Fellow at Neighborhood Allies and has recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs with a Master of Public Administration. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious and Intercultural Studies from Eastern Mennonite University.
“Ben has worked tirelessly for the past three years to learn our organization, build remarkable relationships and make a tremendously positive contribution to our mission”, says President, Presley Gillespie. “He possesses an innate curiosity with a passion to learn, and demonstrates tremendous gratitude for the opportunity to do this work. Even while part-time, he has been an integral member of our team, stepping up to provide high-level programmatic and administrative support at very critical times. I am delighted to work directly with Ben in his new full-time role at Neighborhood Allies.”
In his new role, Ben hopes to continue influencing and contributing to the ongoing organizational growth and transformation of Neighborhood Allies.
“Having seen Neighborhood Allies evolve over the past three years and establish itself as the leading community development intermediary in Pittsburgh, it has become imperative that all positions within the organization develop and become innovative. I look forward to working alongside the President to maintain the high standard of operational excellence Neighborhood Allies has created, while becoming a key contributor behind the strategies and initiatives being carried out by our outstanding team.”
-Ben Emswiler
