Public Allies Appoints New Leaders to Help Guide Its Future

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Allies, a 27 year-old, national service organization working in partnership with 24 communities across the country to create a more just and equitable society and the leadership to sustain it, has recently strengthened its own leadership team to support its evolution toward broader and more transformative impact throughout the country. Joining as COO, Elodie Baquerot Lavery, will lead the build-out of the organization's core operations, as well as the diversification of its programs to better serve current and reach new stakeholders. As VP of Growth Strategy and Development, Tonya Mantilla will further develop the group's revenue infrastructure to support its transformation.

"The social, political, and economic landscape is changing at historic pace and scale, and the next 10 years will disproportionately shape the next 100," said Public Allies CEO, Jaime Uzeta. "Public Allies must meet the demands of this moment by building on our rich history and our respected national network of nonprofit partners, systems-change leaders, and alumni to ensure the future is designed by and for everyone. I'm thrilled and honored to welcome Elodie and Tonya to the Public Allies leadership team to help us do just that. Elodie's track record in leading the transformation of organizations, plus her deep belief in our values of diversity, inclusion, and asset-based community development, make her the perfect choice to lead our operations moving forward. In Tonya, we have a distinguished and seasoned development executive who directed Public Allies Milwaukee in its early days, and has now returned to guide our national fundraising efforts into their next version."

"I've long admired Public Allies from afar for its values-driven approach to leadership, deep roots in the communities it serves, and national reach. Given these incredible assets and its proven track record over the last 27 years, I truly believe the organization is uniquely positioned for even greater systemic impact.  I'm thrilled to join the team to help build on this strong foundation and evolve into an innovative equity-focused organization of the future," said Baquerot Lavery.

Elodie Baquerot Lavery is an experienced senior executive and champion for economic and social justice with a demonstrated history of working across sectors to design, drive, and collaborate on large-scale change efforts. She joins Public Allies after nine years at Living Cities, a leading racial economic justice organization that harnesses the collective power of 18 of the world's largest foundations and financial institutions and partners with cities across the country to close their racial income and wealth gaps. As COO of the organization,  she led operations and strategic planning efforts. Prior to joining Living Cities, President Obama appointed Baquerot to serve at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  She went to HUD from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where she served as a Housing Fellow. She has also worked as a Research Associate at Monash University, and at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Baquerot holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and a BA from the University of Michigan. She will serve Public Allies from the New York City office. 

"I have personally witnessed the transformation of individuals, communities and systems as a result of Public Allies' core commitment to social justice and equity. Our organization has always been grounded in recognizing and building on the assets and natural leadership of everyone to benefit communities. We know there's growing interest in investing in the people who are closest to the challenges—and I am excited to identify the partners and develop our supporters to accelerate our work and expand our impact," Mantilla said.

Tonya Mantilla returns to Public Allies having previously served as Program Manager, Associate Director and Executive Director of Public Allies Milwaukee. In the interim, Mantilla served as Vice President of University Advancement with Cardinal Stritch University where she led a comprehensive development team focused on alumni engagement, communications, marketing, major gifts, corporate and foundation relations and annual fund.   Mantilla holds an MS in Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University, where she is also pursuing a doctorate, and earned a BS from Alverno College. Additionally, Mantilla graduated from the African American Leadership Program, African American Fund Development Institute and studied at The Fund Raising School at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.  Mantilla will work from the Milwaukee national office. 

Baquerot Lavery and Mantilla join an impressive and growing executive leadership team that includes CEO Uzeta, Chief of Staff Stephen Bauer and VP of Programs Jenise Terrell.

About Public Allies

Public Allies develops and activates systems-change leaders from often-overlooked communities nationwide to ensure the future is being designed by and for everyone. Its signature AmeriCorps program operates in 24 cities across the country. Annually, 600 young adults graduate from the program, with over 75% continuing careers in community and public service. There are more than 7,000 alumni of the program.

SOURCE Public Allies, Inc.