We are thrilled to know that an alumnus of our Municipal Intern Program (MIP) is the new Marketing and Community Relations Manager for the Steel Rivers Council of Governments (SRCOG) and Tri-COG Land Bank (TCLB). In her role, Emily will support growth and community renewal through strategic marketing and outreach. Meet Emily Woodard, MIP Class of 2019…

As a graduate student studying Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon, I learned a lot about community development in the abstract, but seeing it play out on the ground gave me a new appreciation for the work municipalities do every day. Before I entered the Municipal Internship Program, I knew that I wanted to improve my local community, but I didn’t yet have a picture in my mind of what that meant. My summer internship with Steel Rivers Council of Governments (SRCOG) and Tri-COG Land Bank (TCLB) was a great starting point for fleshing out that vision.

TCLB recovers abandoned, blighted properties and stewards them back to productive use in their community. One of my favorite parts of my internship was visiting some of the properties that TCLB had acquired. I had never been inside of an abandoned house before, and I loved imagining new possibilities for these old houses.

Learning how TCLB is transforming neighborhoods step by step, one home at a time was very exciting, and I was thrilled to be part of an organization creating positive change and rebuilding communities.

I am incredibly grateful to Local Government Academy for giving me the opportunity to get my foot in the door and discover how versatile and engaging working in local government can be. This summer, I will be helping to supervise my own intern from the MIP Class of 2020, giving me the chance to pay forward the support I received from my own experience last year.

I am excited to see what lies ahead and look forward to staying engaged in initiatives that strengthen and support local government in Southwestern PA.

– Emily Woodard, 2019 MIP Intern

About SRCOG and TCVCOG:

Partnerships are nothing new to Council of Governments (COG), and Allegheny County is home to two such organizations, Steel Rivers Council of Governments (SRCOG) and Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments (TCVCOG), both of which are known to develop dynamic strategies to solve community challenges. One of the most successful examples is their partnership to establish TCLB with the goal to transition blighted properties to productive community assets. Both COGS provide the staff support to the Land Bank.

It is this resource sharing that has us most excited. Because the staff members are shared between the COGs and TCLB, it has allowed the organizations to grow and create new positions. One such position is the Marketing and Community Relations Manager, who is charged with developing marketing strategies to enhance communications with SRCOG and TCLB members. This position is essential to strengthening community awareness of the services and support available to local governments.

An example of responsive community empowerment under Emily’s purview is Steel Rivers COG resource page for municipalities facing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those of you who have questions but want to avoid a time-consuming search, check out the wealth of information available on COVID-19 Municipal Resources, or at https://steelriverscog.org/our-programs/covid19resources/.