Friends,
We are pleased to share the exciting news that Michael Partis has joined the South Bronx Rising Together backbone team as SBRT Director! Michael will work closely with the two of us, the other members of the backbone staff, and all of you to continue identifying, creating and connecting opportunities for children and youth in the heart of the South Bronx from cradle through college and career.
Michael is a Bronx-born educator, researcher, and social entrepreneur. Prior to joining South Bronx Rising Together, he was a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at CUNY Brooklyn College and Assistant Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies at LIU Brooklyn. As a member of Fordham University’s Bronx African American History Project, Michael has given over 50 walking tours, presentations, and workshops about the Melrose/Morrisania/Crotona community. He is co-founder and co-director of The Bronx Brotherhood Project, a grassroots, community-based college success program for black and Latino teens.
Since 2010, Michael has led community development programing and policy research for the non-profit organization Young Movement Inc. He’s worked with the Howard Samuels Center for State and Local Policy, the Center for Court Innovation, and NYC's Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Currently, he is co-editing, with Fordham University Professor Mark Naison, a volume of post-1970 oral histories from Bronx residents.
Michael is very interested in and available to meet with any South Bronx residents, partners, and other stakeholders over the next few weeks. (Please feel free to reach out to him at michael@risingtogether.org). Otherwise, you will have an opportunity to meet him at upcoming SBRT events, CAN meetings, Community Board 3 meetings, and visits to schools and other sites throughout the SBRT zone. Please join us in welcoming him to SBRT!
Along with our talented backbone team of facilitators, Deneisha Thompson and Carlos Rosales, and data manager, Veronica Cuellar, the dedicated membership of our Leadership Council, and all the wisdom and energy of our CAN leaders and members, we are poised for greater impact in the years ahead. And – to be clear – we will continue to be with you at every step. Michael will report directly to us, and we will ensure that he will build on the strong relationships and collaborative action that has defined SBRT over the past four years.
We appreciate your continued partnership and thank you for your commitment to the South Bronx.
Best,
Elizabeth Clay Roy and Abe Fernandez