Neighborhood Programs

Friendship Development Associates

FDA Hires New Executive Director


date August 31 2006	Friendship Development Associates, Inc. Appoints New Executive Director PITTSBURGH, PA - August 31, 2006 – Jeffrey Dorsey was recently hired as Executive Director at Friendship Development Associates, Inc. Becky Mingo, who was Executive Director of the organization for eleven years, has stepped down to work part-time as Real Estate Development Specialist. Dorsey, an artist and 1994 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University has been working at Friendship Development Associates as the Penn Avenue Arts District Manager since 1999. During that time, Jeffrey has led the creation and evolution of the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative into a national model for arts-related revitalization. Through the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative (PAAI) Dorsey helped carry out an arts related community vision for Penn Avenue. He has educated artists by providing technical assistance and coordinating annual Artist Homeowner Workshops to support the purchase and renovation of property for sale and for rent to artists; increased the number of artists who own live and workspaces on Penn Avenue while simultaneously decreasing vacancy rates; assisted artists in the renovation of facades through the PAAI Artist Loan and Grant Fund; created a community of artists, arts organizations, and arts-related businesses; worked with neighborhood volunteers, schools and universities; helped change the perception of the neighborhood by marketing the district via the creation of a website, the A-list weekly e-news, a documentary film, appearances in press, a new book and through television appearances. Dorsey has played a large role in the creation of Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn, helped connect artists with youth and their families to create meaningful art projects, and worked with local artists to create public art: the results of all of his work have leveraged new, non-arts related investment on Penn Avenue. Dorsey looks forward to using his former position to shape the vision for Friendship and Penn Avenue via a strong board, staff, and through strengthening collaborations with other local Community Development Corporations and Community Organizations.
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