One of these people is 66-year-old Carl Griffith, who was born and raised about a mile from here. Alexandra Wiggins supports current Network Members and assists new prospects as Vice President for Purpose Built Communities. More than two decades later, the community formerly known as East Lake Meadows is touted as an urban success story an attractive, safe neighborhood with high-quality homes and educational offerings. "What I really wanted was the stability and someplace safe," Hack says, "and that's what I found here.". Michelle Matthews joined Purpose Built Communities in 2016 as Senior Vice President after leading her own consulting company, Matthews Consulting Group (MCG), for more than a decade. In 2007, they and many other longtime residents began to organize and in 2011, they helped create a new vision for the future that led to the founding of Growing Together. Why is early learning a central element of neighborhood revitalization? In this capacity, she plays a central role in building relationships among Purpose Built network members across the country, in order to strengthen the ability of neighborhood revitalization leaders to share best practices and apply effective strategies in their respective communities. Our mental health and our physical health literally depend on being part of strong and capable communities. There are high levels of trust and psychological safety in which people know others will have their backs and will give them not only the benefit of the doubt, but the space to apply their talents and develop new ones. Purpose Built Communities is a non profit organization founded by Tom Cousins, Warren Buffett, and Julian Robertson to replicate Cousin's East Lake model of community redevelopment[1] within other cities and areas throughout the United States. Even everyday contributions matter to the community as a whole. This has included leading professional development programs in aspiring leaders and support for new teachers and principals. Today, a coalition of partners are working with the community to build equity, opportunity and healthy outcomes for families. Cousins is the man behind some of Atlanta's most prominent buildings, and when the city began tearing down public housing in the '90s, he says, he wanted to try something different with East Lake. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and then served as a policy fellow with the Georgia Governors Office of Student Achievement shortly after graduation. He has led planning and development efforts for major projects across the United States, including such diverse cities as Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Birmingham and Charlotte, with a development value of over $2 billion. Catalina is thrilled to be working with Purpose Built Communities and all the education initiatives that will continue to grow across the network. A new charter school, a YMCA and other amenities soon appeared. Eyeing reform, Thomas Cousins, a developer and philanthropist, and his wife, Ann, created the nonprofit East Lake Foundation to overhaul the area. Purpose Built Communities is an Atlanta-based non-profit consulting firm helping local leaders to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by tran See more 3,153 people like this 3,509 people follow this 34 people checked in here http://www.purposebuiltcommunities.org/ (404) 591-1400 info@purposebuiltcommunities.org Closed now He was twice named to the Fortune Magazine Inner City 100 list. Ben is the Special Assistant to the CEO at Purpose Built Communities. Innovation often comes from the edges previously untested, untried or unpopular ideas. What makes it work? In addition, the needs of each member and the needs of the whole organization are fully met. hide caption. April Callen is the Director, Racial Equity Programs at Purpose Built Communities. It was really hard. Katie Delp has committed her career to developing communities into thriving socially, economically and racially equitable neighborhoods. The secret sauce to our work, though, is what we call a community quarterback organization, which works with the community to create a vision of what the community wants their neighborhood to be, then figures out how to get all the public-private partnerships that are necessary to execute upon that vision. The Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation's (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. CLE Purpose Built Communities has strong local community development partners that lead the housing work in each community. Because all-brick buildings are ugly, and you never see them other than affordable housing, But I also came to understand later that bricks stop the bullets. Encourage team members to pull each other in, obtain feedback and work through tough challenges together. She serves as a liaison between the Board of Directors and senior management teams while also organizing and coordinating executive outreach and external relations efforts. During her time at FrameWorks, April co-led a project to reframe intergenerational poverty and race to support Purpose Builts narrative change strategies. Before relocating to Michaels Atlanta office in 2017, Mikki served as Vice President in Michaels Chicago office where she played an integral role in the development of more than 1,500 housing units under the Chicago Housing Authoritys Plan for Transformation. 'Chief Storytellers': The Newest City Trend? When East Lake Meadows Public Housing was torn down, residents were offered the chance to return to the new community, but they had to meet some requirements: no felony record and either employed or in training. Backed by in-depth research and accompanied by news and analysis . As word of East Lake's success spread, other philanthropic civic leaders expressed interest. Prior to working for Michaels, Mikki served as Program Officer for Housing and Economic Development for the Steans Family Foundation, whose mission focused solely on the revitalization of the North Lawndale neighborhood on Chicagos West Side. Omaha will have two. He is the former Deputy Executive Director for Development for the Atlanta Housing Authority, where he helped lead the team that planned Centennial Place and Villages at East Lake, the mixed-income, mixed-use communities that became national models for urban housing development and affordable housing revitalization. Amy formerly spent 17 years working for Starbucks managing several stores and opening new stores in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Evan Jang/Courtesy of WABE The area is comprised of eight neighborhoods: Blacks Bluff, Mt. "That's kind of how we think about our work that if the place supports people, the people are going to thrive," she says. Alexandra is a proud Georgia Bulldawg completing her undergraduate studies at The University of Georgia as both an NCAA Scholar Athlete dancer and HOPE Scholarship recipient. Prior to joining FrameWorks, April was the manager of communications at Chicago Foundation for Women and a frequent on-air contributor to Vocalo, a next-generation radio station part of Chicago Public Media. Despite these challenges, there is a strong sense of pride in the neighborhood. Violent crime is down 95 percent from two decades ago. Katie Delp has committed her career to developing communities into thriving socially, economically and racially equitable neighborhoods. This newsletter provides resources to help engage communities and partners, insights to lessons learned, and proven solutions from Network Members. Lift Orlando is a non-profit organization of business leaders working with residents and community partners towards holistic neighborhood revitalization in the historic Communities of West Lakes. After yoga, invite a new attendee to have a physically-distanced coffee with your core group, or ask for input from a colleague on your project. Melissa is a creative fundraising strategist and loves inviting and engagingRead More. (Getty Images/iStockphoto). Community is critical to our health and wellbeing. Now, it's a PGA destination. "The people who live there have the opportunity to remain there," he says. Previously, she served as Development Director for Hands On Atlanta where she launched the organizations individual giving efforts. July 7, 2022 5 AM PT. However, due to years of disinvestment, this largely immigrant and refugee neighborhood has become an area of concentrated poverty. Ellen started her career with a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and spent several years with AT&T as a Capacity Planner/Manager. The Secret Sauce in Community Transformation, Education, housing and a "community quarterback" organization are key to Purpose Built Communities' model for area transformation. The East Adams Street neighborhood was devastated in the 1950s and 1960s to make space for Interstate 81. It sounds like the start of a bad joke: A billionaire, a city official and a resident get together in Atlanta. Build your community by staying in touch with peopleeven if you have to accomplish it virtually. She has also appeared as a CNN guest on the program Your Money, where she shared her experiences in leadership and change. Purpose Built Communities partners with local leaders to design, direct, and accelerate neighborhood transformation initiatives across the United States with the shared goal to ensure every resident experiences greater racial equity, improved health outcomes, and increased upward mobility. Can Five Generations Coexist In The Workplace? Backed by in-depth research and accompanied by news and analysis, the site features comprehensive rankings drawn from an examination of nearly 3,000 counties and county-equivalents on 89 metrics across 10 categories, informing residents, health care leaders and officials about local policies and practices that drive better health outcomes for all. She began working with Purpose Built Communities in 2015 as a consultant in the California Bay Area, where she advised the Oakland Purpose Built Network Member, Castlemont Renaissance, and was an independent consultant with several other organizations. Before founding MCG, Michelle was a senior manager for IBM, KPMG Consulting and Accenture. Along the way, weve answered some big questions, such as: The Mill District is a defined project area that encompasses four older and historic neighborhoods: City Village, North Highland, Bibb Village, and Anderson Village. Collaborating with media and nonprofit organizations through various platforms across different issue areas, Aprils practice is to support advocates in developing deeper understandings of racial equity, gender justice, and economic mobility and applying those lessons to their own work in purposeful, creative, and engaging ways. She has been a central office administrator, a school principal and a teacher in Atlanta Public Schools, City Schools of Decatur Schools and The Howard School, all in metro Atlanta. How do we eliminate the contributors to toxic stress that lead to negative health outcomes? Once a central hub for many residents, the area has languished over the years from inadequate public infrastructure and lack of economic development. We didn't appreciate that the community development business was, in many ways, the arms and legs of the public health world, the community-level health world. An authority on adapting to changing environments, Michelle has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise and Smart Money. She began as senior vice president of the nonprofit and was elevated to president in 2015, with a goal of replicating East Lake's best practices in other poor neighborhoods. Today the area features a health care center and early childhood learning center, among other neighborhood anchors. She is a recognized expert when it comes to developing strategies to improve business processes, maximize human capital and increase revenues. We met every week and then there were lots of little subcommittee meetings, including tours of nice apartments all around Atlanta so residents could see what the market delivers. [4] Through the East Lake initiative, Cousins helped turn one of the nation's most violent public housing projects into a national model for community redevelopment. When she isnt reflecting on communities of practice, Ashley enjoys exploring near and far places by foot, bike, and public transportation. Ms. Naughton serves as the on the Board of the Directors of the Low Income Investment Fund, and serves on several national advisory boards including Build Healthy Places Network and Fifth Third Banks National Community Advisory Forum. South City is a historic community in Tallahassee, Florida that borders a promising commercial district. Value and Impact of the Purpose Built Community of Practice: 2019-2021 INTRODUCTION Purpose Built Communities (Purpose Built) brings together Network Members (NMs) leaders and staff from organizations representing dozens of efforts to improve neighborhoods across the country in a networked Community of Practice (CoP) structure. In addition, a newly-published study by the University of Houston showed the mental health effects of the pandemic will be both long lasting and potentially devastating. [2] As of 2021, Purpose Built Communities is present in 15 states throughout the United States. She actively gives back to her community by serving on the boards of organizations such as Tapestry Development Group, Carver Cluster Foundation, Wesley International Academy, and Friends of South Atlanta Parks. These traits are the foundation of her ability to quickly grasp the internal and external dynamics of an organization or institution, and successfully facilitate strategic planning retreats and team-building sessions. Melissa currently serves on the Selection Advisory Council of GreenLight Fund Bay Area. In 2011, Michelle received the Atlanta Business Leagues Business Achievement Award, and she was featured in the 2012 November/December issue of Minority Business Entrepreneur magazine. Yet despite the sweeping effects of the pandemic, we can strengthen and sustain community. Research has connected housing to health. In addition to supporting high quality schools, he is energized by the potential to improve conditions in neighborhoods so that all children can reach their full potential. Elly Yu/WABE Prior toRead More. Mikki is a seasoned and passionate community development professional whose career has been intentionally focused on affordable housing development, community engagement and capacity building. Ben is the Special Assistant to the CEO at Purpose Built Communities. She also provided housing-related technical assistance to non-profit, community-based housing developers and Community Development Corporations. "It's just a country club," he says. Our Solution Tackling such complex, deeply-rooted issues as intergenerational poverty, unsafe environments, high crime, and failing schools presents many challenges. All rights reserved. Ben Poston. We work together to honor the history of entrepreneurship and ensure that more equitable outcomes are passed through generations. There, April worked alongside a multi-disciplinary team of social scientists to advance the organizations strategic outreach and engagement initiatives with partners across various advocacy fields, including housing, education, health, and human services. He resides in Albuquerque, NM and enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, hiking, camping, cooking out, and being outside. Prior to entering law school, Alexandra was a Metro Atlanta Teach for America (TFA) corps member where she spent two years as an elementary educator with a Fulton County Charter School. She holds a BA in communications and rhetoric studies from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and an MA in media, culture, and society from DePaul University in Chicago. She helped to launch the Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity and coordinated the publication of Investing in Americas Workforce: Improving Outcomes for Workers and Employers, an anthology of best practices in workforce development written by practitioners and policymakers around the country. Top golfers like Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson will compete for the FedEx Cup. How does geography limit your access to opportunities and what can be done to change that reality? "It's still benefiting the people that were here prior to the gentrification.". Before joining Purpose Built, Ashley was a community and economic development research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, specializing in workforce development policy. Build your community by keeping your purpose in mind and reminding yourself of how your contribution matters. As a leader, encourage career growth and support people if they try something new and fail. A proud product of Georgia public schools, Ashley grew up in Atlanta attending Atlanta Public Schools and then went on to receive a bachelors degree in anthropology and French from the University of Georgia and a masters degree in city and regional planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology. How can we reimagine housing to advance equity? Linda resides in Dawsonville, GA with her husband, their three children, and four dogs. Gov. Michelle brings passion, experience and integrity to her work. Data was gathered and analyzed by the University of Missouri Extension Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES). Dont let perfection get in the way of progress. Michelle Matthews, senior vice president of Purpose Built Communities The forum on October 26 brought out several dozen brave souls (students and faculty) on the night of a powerful, early-season Nor'easter. James Jim Brooks, AICP, is Vice President of Housing and Community Development. While working as a manager in the Teach For America Rio Grande Valley office, he created and championed an alternative goal-setting methodology that was adopted by the other Texas regions. Community is critical to our overall wellbeing and the decline of our connectedness is coming at the same time mental health issues are on the rise. She began the role in 2017, after working as a manager within the organization since 2011. Its supporters also call it a clear demonstration of the link between quality housing and public health. Strong communities are always evolving. Within a strong community, people feel valued and all work has dignity. Prior to this role, Ben served as a principal in Denver, CO, where he led a high school to improve two tiers on the states school accountability system. Within a decade, the old brick-and-mortar housing units were gone, replaced by units that mimicked some of Atlanta's best private-market residences. 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