Our Board of Directors is made up of a group of eight dedicated members who set the agenda for the redevelopment of East Liberty. While our staff serves on the front line, our board works behind the scenes to establish policies, create programs, and provide leadership to not only the staff but also to dozens of volunteers who serve on our six standing committees and countless ad-hoc initiatives. These members take pride in their work and take their commitment seriously.
Lenore Williams
President
Lenore Williams is a senior vice president of affiliate operations and compliance at the American Urban Radio Networks. With deep roots in the neighborhood, she takes pride in being an active member of the East End community, serving on East Liberty’s Community Planning Committee since 2014 and joining the board in 2022. From 2014 to 2024, she served as chairperson of the Baum Centre Initiative, now the Baum-Centre Planning Forum, to help guide development along the Baum-Centre corridor. She is also a long-time member of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church where she serves as an elder.
Chad Restori
Vice President
Chad Restori joined the board in 2016. He is a Vice President and a CFP® Practitioner with Hefren-Tillotson, Inc. As a financial advisor, Chad works with individuals and families to provide guidance in the areas of investments, retirement planning, tax, insurance, charitable giving, and estate planning. In addition to his work with individuals, Chad also works with small to mid-sized businesses to establish or improve their company retirement plan, provide employee education, and counsel owners and executives on incentive programs.
Chad and his wife Katie live in East Liberty with their cat Ollie. After moving to East Liberty in 2013, he got involved with ELDI as a way to be actively involved in the growth and positive change happening in the neighborhood.
Jack Pelles
Treasurer
Mr. Pelles has served on the board since 2004. He is currently a senior banker at Citizens Bank where he has gained extensive knowledge and experience in retail and commercial deposits, investments, and lending. His broad knowledge of finance and marketing contribute greatly to East Liberty Development, Inc.
Nora Sullivan
Secretary
Ms. Sullivan has been a resident of East Liberty since 1975 and has served on the board since 2008. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Seton Hill University and a Master’s Equivalent from Duquesne University. Her passion for East Liberty has led her to be the founding member of the Negley Place Neighborhood Alliance. Ms. Sullivan also has over 25 years of real estate experience with Northwood Realty.
LaMarcus Thurman
Board Member
Mr. Thurman joined the board in 2023. He is the new vice president of community lending at United Purpose Mortgage and has more than a decade of experience in the banking and mortgage industry. Originally from Louisiana, LaMarcus Thurman is a graduate with a B.A. in Managerial Economics from Allegheny College. He has held roles at Fifth Third Bank, The Farmers National Bank of Emlenton, Citizens Bank, and his most recent position as assistant vice president in the Southwest Region at Northwest Bank.
LaMarcus has been happily married to his wife, Robin, for 15 years. They have two children, Mia Beatrice and LaMarcus Jr. For many years, LaMarcus has regularly served as a mentor to youth in his community, volunteering his time to support and counsel those in underserved communities. He is also an avid sports fan and enjoys volunteering with youth sports organizations.
Marie Wilkerson
Board Member
Marie Wilkerson is an administrative research assistant at the University of Pittsburgh. East Liberty has been her home since 1971, and she has been a homeowner in East Liberty since 1995. After attending several public community meetings, Ms. Wilkerson desired to become a member of the East Liberty Community Planning Committee in 2014 and subsequently joined the board in 2016.
Becky Gloginer
Board Member
Becky Gloginer joined the ELDI board in 2021. She works as a transition manager for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Grant at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and a senior project manager at Urban Strategies where she directs all aspects of the implementation of the People Program for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhood Initiative grant. She has over 30 years of experience in program management and care coordination in nonprofit, social service, and medical settings. Previously, she worked at The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. In her free time, she serves as an elder and the co-chair of mission board at East Liberty Presbyterian Church.
Rev. Dr. Patrice Fowler-Searcy
ELDI Board President Emeritus
The Reverend Doctor Patrice L. Fowler-Searcy served more than 25 years as the Board President of East Liberty Development, Inc and is the former co-pastor of East Liberty Presbyterian Church (ELPC). Before that, she served for more than 25 years as the Director of Mission Ministries at ELPC and was the liaison to the East Liberty community. She holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate in Ministry from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where she will continue to serve as their board chair in her retirement. She has also served on the boards of the East End Growth Fund, the Western Pennsylvania and the national boards of the Support Association of Oikocredit, among others.
Patrice was honored in 1999 by being accepted as one of 50 individuals from across the country to participate in the second annual Harvard Divinity School Summer Leadership Institute for Church-based Community and Economic Development, chosen as a result of her committed work in the East Liberty community.
Charles Peterson
ELDI Board Vice President Emeritus
Mr. Peterson is a retired banker and ELDI board member who served on the board from 2010 to 2024. He served as an independent community development consultant and worked in community development and community planning for over 30 years. He also served as a program reader for the Community Development Financial Institution Fund.