Photo of Presley L. Gillespie
Presley L. Gillespie is the inaugural president of Neighborhood Allies, a community development intermediary supporting the people, organizations, and partnerships committed to creating and maintaining thriving Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
Presley is a nationally recognized leader in the field of community/economic development and was previously the founding director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC), in Youngstown, OH. Presley came to the non-profit sector after an 18-year banking career focused on community development and commercial real estate for affordable housing, economic development, and job creation.
While in Youngstown, he led YNDC for five years, from a start-up organization with a budget of $200,000 to a large, dynamic entity with a $3.1 million budget. Under Presley’s direction, YNDC
led one of the most comprehensive and successful neighborhood stabilization efforts in Youngstown’s history. They developed the two-acre YNDC Neighborhood Revitalization Campus, including Iron Roots Urban Farm, HMHP Foundation Demonstration Kitchen, and Community Training Workshop. And, YNDC launched a first-of-its-kind Community Loan Fund, a first mortgage product for low-to-moderate income home buyers.
Presley has served on numerous boards locally and nationally, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Center for Community Progress, the Advisory Board of the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, and the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center Advisory Board. In 2015 Presley was selected by Mayor William Peduto as a Daniel Rose Fellow with the Rose Center for Public Leadership, a fellowship established to encourage and support excellence in land use decision making by local governments.
Presley holds a B.A. in organizational communication and management from Youngstown State University. He resided for 18 years in Youngstown, Ohio with his wife Nora and two children, and relocated to Pittsburgh in 2014.