Cait Lee, who has been our Executive Assistant and Office Manager at Neighborhood Allies, has been promoted to the position of Program Manager for Community Trauma.

Due to the departure of our Community Trauma Fellow, Cait will be stepping into the re-envisioned role as the Program Manager for Community Trauma, where she will continue to research and address historical trauma that has occurred in several city neighborhoods. She will also examine how mental health intersects with physical health and social determinants to foster quality of life in a community.

Cait holds a Master of Social Work with a COSA (Community Organizing and Social Action) emphasis, a Human Services Management Certificate in addition to earning a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh.

“Cait’s Social Work background has provided her the knowledge and tools to thoughtfully work in vulnerable communities that have experienced trauma” says Neighborhood Allies President, Presley Gillespie. “Additionally, her prior work at the Birmingham Foundation has afforded her a solid understanding of the inner-workings of the Hilltop communities, where the Community Trauma pilot is currently based, and has allowed her to establish invaluable connections related to this work. We’re really excited to deploy this additional capacity into our neighborhoods.”

In this new role, Cait hopes to engender a greater understanding of the collective trauma experienced by local neighborhoods to all stakeholders in the community development space and develop best practices to avoid further re-traumatization.

“Historically disenfranchised communities deserve an opportunity to heal from the wrong-doings of the past, on their terms. That’s why it is so important for current community development practitioners to not only acknowledge these long-standing wounds, but find ways to prevent further harm and amplify community voice in all future decision-making.”

-Cait Lee

Please join us in congratulating Cait on her new position!