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Below is a listing of the dedicated staff at NEED, followed by a listing of our Board of Trustees.
 Sylvester Pace, President and CEO
Sylvester joined NEED in 2000 with a
dedication for educational excellence. In his leadership role,
he strategically transferred the organization into a nationally
recognized college access program by following NEED's mission
“providing career and college access services which empower all youth
from the Pittsburgh
region to aspire to, learn about, prepare for and complete higher
education”. He uses
innovative programs and services by implementing and executing college
preparedness and college readiness; financial support and resources;
and workforce development.
Sylvester received his undergraduate
degree from
Cheyney University.
He then earned a Master's degree in Counselor Education and a
Certificate in Marketing from the University of Pittsburgh.
He graduated from a Leadership Pittsburgh Class VIII and an
educational advocate for public policy through the Institute for
Community Leadership in Education.
He currently is a candidate for the Interdisciplinary Doctoral
Program for Educational Leaders at Duquesne University.
Being committed to the spirit of a learning environment, Sylvester is involved in the following board and advisory committees: A+ Schools; the Pennsylvania ACT State Advisory Council; The Center for Family Excellence; California University of Pennsylvania's President's Advisory Board; Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise Advisory Board; Spiritan Division of Academic Programs at Duquesne University; Technology Leadership Institute; Diversity Advisory Board for the School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh; and West Penn Minority Junior Golf Association.
 Arlene Tyler Holland, Student Services Manager
Arlene is a symbol of commitment and service as she has
been affiliated with the organization for over 30 years. She is
a 1973 NEED reciepient, joined the staff as a student employee and
became a full-time employee in 1975. As the student services
coordinator, her duties are many, including counseling students in
matters of application and financial aid paperwork, visiting various
regional schools to discuss college and NEED's services, maintaing the
student database, tracking and matching all grants and respective
recipients, assisting in financial aid workshops and being NEED's
primary point of contract for approximately 1,700 students annually.
Arlene is pursuing her undergraduate degree in information technology
from Carlow University. She received her associate's degree
fromt he Community of Allegheny County. She serves as
secretary/treasurer for Financial and Moral Supporters, a charitable
organization providing support and encouragement to Allegheny County
youth.
 Gloria Brown, Controller
Gloria joined the NEED staff in 2003 as an independent
contractor providing services in the area of accounting and fiscal
management. She is responsible for all accounting activities,
including policies/procedures, cash management, and budgeting and
financial reporting. She works directly with the president and
chief executive officer in developing and monitoring statistical and
financial reports to provide high-quality management information.
Gloria has an undergraduate degree in accounting and business
administration from Alabama A&M University and a master's degree in
public policy and management and a certificate in Non-Profit
Management from the University of Pittsburgh. She serves as a
memeber of the board of directors of Working Women with Disabilities
and held the treasurer position for seven years. Gloria is also
the financial consultant to Addison Behavioral Care and UMOJA African
Arts Company.
Anthony R. Johnson, College and Career Advisor/Consultant
Anthony has been a NEED college access advisor since 2006. In
this role, he is responsible for assisting and guiding high-school
students at Oliver High School and University Prep with planning and
preparing for college education and career opportunities. He
also directs NEED's African-American Male Mentoring Initiative.
He has a broad skill set that encompasses many disciplines, such
as leadership, fund raising, development, training and marketing.
He was the administrative assistant and district liaison to the late
Honorable K. Leroy Irvis, Speaker of the House, the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania's House of Representatives. Mr. Johnson's
accomplishments included raising $2.5 million for the UNCF's training,
education and scholarship planning for numerous organizations
throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Anthony received his bachelor's degree in political science from West
Virginia Wesleyan College and is a master's degree candidate at Geneva
College in organizational leadership.
Talisa Reed, College and Career Advisor/Consultant
Talisa is responsible for college and career advising at Brashear and
Langley High Schools. As a former guidance counselor for the
Pittsburgh Board of Education, she understands first-hand how NEED's
college and career services help to circumvent many of the problems
that students and families encounter when preparing for college.
She earned a Bachelor's of Art in Liberal Arts and a Master's of
Education in School Counseling from Duquesne University where she
currently utilizes her counseling expertise in treatment modalities
and assessments for crisis intervention. In addition to being an
academic advisor and graduate assistant at the university, Talisa was
a subsitute teacher at many elementary schools within Pittsburgh
Public Schools.
Talisa is a member of the American School Counselors Association, the
Pennsylvania Counseling Association and Chi Sigma Iota, an
international counseling, academic and professional honor society.
Mary Pat Ware, College and Career Advisor/Consultant
Mary Pat is a former assistant principal and administrator
practitioner at Peabody High School. She has been a NEED college
and career advisor for one year at the Creative and Performing Arts
and Schenley High School.
She has an extensive career in education spanning 35 years including
academic counselor, pupil affairs specialist, lead teacher/teacher on
special assignment to the superintendent of schools. Other areas
of expertise are facilitation training, conflict resolution, crisis
intervention and educational problem solving.
Mary Pat received her bachelor's degree in elementary education from
West Viginia University and her master's degree in K-12 counseling
education from the University of Pittsburgh. She also earned an
elementary and secondary principal certification in administrative and
policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh. Her
professional affiliations include the National Counselors Association,
Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School
Principals, Phi Delta Kappa and Alpha Kappa Alph Sorority, Inc.
Loretta Ellis, College and Career Advisor/Consultant
Received an Associates' Degree from CCAC in General Studies and is
currently working on receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Teachers
Education as a part of CCAC's transfer program with Slippery Rock.
Before joining the NEED staff, Loretta worked with the Pittsburgh
Public School District for four years as the Program Coordinator for the
Science and Math Academy that was located at Westinghouse High School.
She is currently serving the students of Imani Christain Academy as
the NEED Advisor where she is helping students to reach their goals of
attending either a post secondary college or vocational school upon
graduation.
Jackie Dandridge, College and Career Advisor/Consultant
Jackie is a graduate of Westinghouse High School. She holds a
Bachelor's Degree from Chatham University and a Masters in Curriculum
and Supervision from the University of Pittsburgh. Jackie is a former
Pittsburgh Public School teacher. Before retiring in 2008, she had a
rewarding career that included classroom teacher, Instructional
Teacher Leader, director of federal a gifted grant and Gifted Resource
Teacher.
Jackie has been the coordinator of the School Home Communication
Course for teachers with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers for
several years and is also a National Trainer for Family Involvement.
Jackie is presently the College/Career Advisor at Pittsburgh Carrick
and Perry High Schools.
Adrienne Walkow, Administrative Support Specialist
For two years, Adrienne has been an important part in NEED's
administration. Her duties as a support specialist has allowed her the
capability of being versatile within the organization. Her
responsibilities consist of maintaining the efficiency of information
through databases, relaying information to program directors, as well
as providing support and information to NEED's candidates, recipients,
and related parties.
Adrienne's affinity towards community and educational improvement,
through non-profit organizations, have contributed to her enjoyment
working for NEED.
Deidre Lesesne, Project Coordinator
Deidre Lesesne is a native of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from the east end area. She graduated in 2003 with a BA in Communications and a minor in Speech Communication from Clarion University. She also is a NEED recipient.
In January 2004 she obtained her first job as a temporary employee at the UPMC Health Plan as an Administrative Assistant. Deidre moved within the UPMC system from 2004 to 2006 working throughout a wide range of departments such as medical records, employee health, medical billing, resident anesthesiology, and human resources. It was in 2007 that she decided she wanted more than temporary employment and decided to explore the non-profit arena. In April 2007, she landed a job in non-profit development.
It was in non-profit where Ms. Lesesne soon discovered how much her college degree could be maximized. There she learned the raw basics of marketing, advertising, and fundraising. During her tenure, she established on-going relationships with local and corporate businesses and helped maintain many of the functionalities in the Development Department. Her love to help people that experience life-changing results is a constant reward and reminder that “what a difference a day makes.”
Amanda Samko, Executive Assistant
Amanda Samko received her Bachelor’s degrees in International Business and Marketing from Penn State Behrend University. After graduation she put her educational skills to use in the real world through a career that began as an administrative assistant at a small engineering company, and grew to a position as the Director of Administration for a fast-growing non-profit organization. She gained experience along the way in sales, marketing, and human resources, through several positions with start-up technology companies. Amanda is also currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management at Robert Morris University.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Amanda feels a strong connection to the non-profit organizations that exist in this beautiful city. She enjoys the fact that her career allows her to interact with the many faces of Pittsburgh’s non-profit world on a regular basis. When she’s off the clock, Amanda enjoys exercise of all kinds, reading novels, and spending time with friends and family.
NEED Board of Directors
Following are the board members that make up the NEED organization. We would like to thank all of these individuals for their hard work and dedication in making the NEED scholarships and grants possible.
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