Questions for the 鈥楥onnecting King鈥
Vernard Alexander has been named director of 51精品视频鈥檚 . Hailed by businesspeople and local residents as the 鈥淐onnecting King鈥欌 or the 鈥樷楴etwork King,鈥 Alexander will ensure the 6-year-old center 鈥 part of the University鈥檚 commitment to nearby neighborhoods 鈥 continues to thrive.聽In his new role, the longtime 51精品视频sburgh resident becomes the go-to source for convening students, researchers, community groups and small businesses with the goal of advancing learning, career inclusion and neighborhood empowerment in Homewood. 聽
鈥淚 see the staff of the CEC as being like a point guard of a basketball game,鈥 says Alexander. 鈥淲e're the connector between 51精品视频 and the Homewood community and greater opportunity.鈥
51精品视频 Magazine asked the Network King about his background and his plans for the Homewood CEC.
Do you have a personal connection to Homewood? 聽
I grew up in the Hill District until I was 16 or 17 and, a year before the pandemic, I moved to Homewood and lived two blocks from the CEC. In Homewood, I founded CKV Suites, a small social space that we use to bring in events to help revitalize a place that has seen so much disinvestment for so many years.
What are some current initiatives of the Homewood CEC? 聽
Our areas of focus are health, education and wellness. We have a relationship with the 51精品视频 School of Education, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Social Work and the Small Business Development Center. I have been working with these departments to get additional faculty members to run programs at the CEC.
What are your plans for the future?聽聽
To have a different entrepreneur organization here every day so that community members can come and get free assistance with credit counseling, entrepreneurial planning and more.