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CAREERS IN COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PANEL

Panelists

Nancy Goldenberg (GFA ’80), Center City District (formerly Program Administrator for Natural Lands Restoration and Environmental Education Program, Fairmount Park Commission)
Leslie Mirabeau (WhG), Director, Wharton Small Business Development Center
Blane Fitzgerald Stoddart (Wh ’87), Executive Director, The Partnership Community Development Corporation
Nancy Wagner-Hislip(CAS ’87), Loan Officer, The Reinvestment FundTips and Insight on Careers in Community and Economic Development

Resources on the Web

Nancy Goldenberg: Center City District

Website: www.centercityphila.org

Background and Career Path:

• Received Masters degree in City Planning from Penn Graduate School of Fine Arts
• Got started via one-year contract with Fairmount Park Commission to develop a plan to design the Kelly and West River Drives, and moved to a full-time position with Lower Merion Township. 
• Continued development work at Center City District and as Program Administrator for Natural Lands Restoration and Environmental Education Program, Fairmount Park Commission. 
• Currently at Center City District

Leslie Mirabeau: Wharton Small Business Development Center

Website: whartonsbdc.wharton.upenn.edu

Background and Career Path:

• Began career in Engineering and returned to Wharton for MBA
• Held various positions in Finance, Strategic Planning and Business Development in companies of varying size.
• Currently providing direction to Wharton SBDC’s efforts to provide consulting services to small business owners and training to aspiring and current entrepreneurs in the Philadelphia area.

Blane Fitzgerald Stoddart: The Partnership Community Development Corporation

Website: www.thepartnershipcdc.org

Background and Career Path:

• Received undergraduate degree at Wharton
• Started career as a stock trading clerk on Wall Street and eventually became a Foreign Currency Options Trader as a member of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.
• Moved into the non-profit field via his active involvement in community and neighborhood organizing.
• Currently directs the Partnership CDC, a non-profit organization dedicated to the provision of affordable housing and economic development in West and Southwest Philadelphia.

Nancy Wagner-Hislip: The Reinvestment Fund

Website: www.trfund.com

Background and Career Path:

• Received undergraduate degree in Public Policy and Economics from CAS with a minor in Urban Studies, which was useful in combining her interest in finance and policy issues.
• Started career in U.S. General Accounting office, focusing on social programs in urban areas.
• Moved to Corestates Bank as a community development lender, underwriting  construction and permanent loans as well as the bank’s low-income housing tax credit investments.
• Currently serves as the Program Manager of Affordable Housing at the Reinvestment Fund, which receives funds from commercial banks and reinvests them in community and economic development projects in the Delaware Valley.

Insight:

• Be well-rounded and enjoy your education at Penn. Community development is an interdisciplinary field.  Take advantage of the opportunity to take a variety of classes for a broader perspective.
• Develop a solid set of problem-solving and communication skills that are transferable across all disciplines.   Technical skills (e.g. finance, computer) are also important, but only to the extent that you can effectively work with people from all types of backgrounds.
• Learn to be resourceful. Know what you don’t know and where to find the answer.  Know what resources are needed and where to find them.
• Do your research.  Surf the web for community development sites and talk to people in the field.   Take advantage of the Penn Career Network and set up informational interviews with alums that are in the field. Panelist Nancy Wagner-Hislip was already talking with those in finance and community development before she found a position in the field.
• Get involved in extracurricular activities that are in your area of interest and build relationships with faculty, students, administrators, and local community.  Relationships are key to establishing yourself in development work.
• Be active in civic involvement after graduation, even if your full-time career is not initially in development.  Panelists Blane Stoddart and Nancy Goldenberg got their start in community development because they were already involved in community organizing efforts.
• Follow your passion and seek to make a difference!    

RESOURCES ON THE WEB:

Community Development Society                                                          www.comm-dev.org

Urban Land Institute                                                                             www.uli.org

Trust for Public Land                                                                            www.tpl.org

PECO Energy                                                                                      www.peco.com

Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corps.                 www.pacdc.org

Philadelphia Neighborhood Development Collaborative                         www.pndc.net

Empowerment Zone                                                                             www.ezec.gov

U of P Partners, West Philadelphia                                                        www.penn-partners.org

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)                                        www.liscnet.org

Career Services Networking Resources

Penn Alumni Career Network (PACNet)                        http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/pacnet/                        

Graduate School of Fine Arts (GSFA) Database           www.upenn.edu/careerservices/gsfa/gsfadb/gsfadb.html

(Note: Undergraduates can also search the GSFA database for informational interviewing purposes. It may be helpful to talk to alumni who are in the City Planning field)