Spotlight on Felicia Pierce: A Leader in Community Development

Felicia Pierce, Chief Executive Officer of North Shore CDC, is a nationally recognized non-profit leader with over 15 years of experience in community organizing, planning, and development. She is known for her strategic vision and dedication to uplifting marginalized communities through economic development, affordable housing, and neighborhood growth initiatives. Among her many achievements, she played a key role in developing the innovative service model for Harbor Crossing, providing affordable housing to young adults experiencing homelessness or aging out of foster care. She also launched North Shore CDC’s Community Ambassador Program, which has since been replicated by other organizations due to its success in supporting vulnerable populations.

North Shore Community Development Coalition (North Shore CDC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating thriving, equitable communities across the North Shore of Massachusetts. Through affordable housing development, economic empowerment, and community-driven initiatives, North Shore CDC works to uplift historically marginalized neighborhoods. Their impactful projects include Harbor Crossing, an innovative housing model providing stable, affordable homes for young adults transitioning out of foster care or experiencing homelessness, and the Community Ambassador Program, which empowers local residents to drive change within their own neighborhoods. Additionally, North Shore CDC leads Punto Urban Art Museum, a vibrant outdoor gallery in Salem’s Point neighborhood that uses public art to celebrate cultural diversity and spark community pride. With a commitment to fostering opportunity and resilience, North Shore CDC continues to transform lives and neighborhoods through strategic investment and community engagement.

Felicia Pierce then went on to review the projects coming up in Sale. The most exciting project is the Hawthorne Lofts, part of a Salem Schools project right down the street from the Hawthorne Hotel. This will serve not just as affordable housing, but will also be a community center. The focus of the development is providing housing for artists. They are also close to completing the Residences at St. James on Federal Street, another part of the project providing affordable senior housing. Finally, El Centro will be built in the North Shore Bank building. It will feature 47 affordable housing  for seniors units and community health center. The slides showed a street view of the proposed building from Derby Street where Bill Henning's office used to be, prompting Adria to exclaim that Bill could meet the age requirements for housing there.  

Beyond her leadership at North Shore CDC, Felicia Pierce is deeply involved in the community, serving as Board Vice-Chair for Root N.S., a member of the Essex County Community Foundation’s Racial Equity Committee, and co-founder of the North Women of Color Association. Her impact has been widely recognized, including features in North Shore Magazine and honors from the Peabody Essex Museum and YouthBuild USA. Originally from New York City, she now resides in Lynn, MA, with her husband and pre-adoptive foster daughter. In addition to her professional and community work, she finds joy in mentoring women, strength training, and listening to vinyl records.

Pierce holds a Master of Social Work in community organization and planning from CUNY Hunter School of Social Work, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from SUNY College at Old Westbury, and a nonprofit management certificate from Tufts University. She will also be a Spring 2024 graduate of the LEADS program, furthering her commitment to driving system-wide change. She had very nice things to say about the Rotary Club and our contributions to the community. She was also very complimentary of Jason Consalvo, so a grain of salt must be taken. 

Before our speaker arrived, we welcomed Gary Barrett as our newest Salem Rotarian, bringing the number of new Rotarians this Rotary year to ten with several more in process. Congratulations to Gary and Carolyn!

Prior to our regularly scheduled meeting of the Salem Rotary there was a meeting of the Board of Directors. Funds Allocation proposed approval of a $3,000 donation to Friends Forever, which was approved. A group of Northern Ireland plans to visit us in June. Funds Allocation also proposed a $500 donation to NAGLY for their Red Party on April 20, which was also approved. This is usually a sold out event, but tickets are still available. Get yours here today before they're all gone! Tickets to several events that the Salem Rotary donated to are still available FOR FREE, including:

2 tickets to Spur NorthShore's Fling on April 5   
2 tickets to the Citizens Inn Gala and Auction on April 5
2 tickets to the Phoenix School's Evening at the Gables on April 11
4 tickets to the Salem Academy's Reach for College Gala on May 3

If you are interested, please contact Dakota Russell or Ryan Guilmartin. First come, first serve. Other donations were made to the Salem Pantry by way of the Hawthorne Hotel's fundraising concert for $100, and another $100 in the name of former Salem Rotary president Don Lavender. We did receive a nice thank you note from NorthShore Education Consortium following our donation for our support of their 5k Festivus Run for Autism.  

The Salem Pantry will also be having an event on Wednesday, March 26. Yes, that would be tomorrow or even tonight, depending on when you read this. It's at the Ledger. Get your tickets NOW!

THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION LINK IS LIVE!

Tell your friends! Tell your neighbors! Tell the whole city! The Salem Rotary Club Scholarship Application link is live on the website. You can also access it here. 

SIP AND PAINT NIGHT

District Learning Assembly April 10