MANSFIELD — Deanna West-Torrence will always be the founder of the North End Community Improvement Collaborative, an organization she created 18 years ago.
But six months after moving to San Diego, Calif., to be with her family, she is stepping down as the CEO.
The NECIC Board of Directors on Tuesday announced Tony Chinni, the NECIC research and development manager and the organization’s longest-serving staff member, will become the interim CEO.
A Mansfield native who graduated from Mansfield Senior High School in 1994, Chinni joined NECIC in 2007 as its first intern, even before the doors were officially open.
“He has played a critical role in helping Deanna establish the organization and has been at the forefront of our community development planning efforts ever since. Tony has served as the community development manager, housing coordinator, and most recently, its research and development manager,” the NECIC board said in an emailed press release.
Chinni, who earned a bachelor’s degree in European History from The Ohio State University in 2007, has been the primary author of the North End’s Community
Economic Development Plans, the key documents that have guided NECIC’s work in the community, according to the board.
Chinni is currently leading the latest update to this plan, working to ensure NECIC efforts continue to reflect needs and aspirations of north end residents, the board said.
Chinni said he is “deeply honored and humbled to continue the incredible work that
Deanna and I dedicated ourselves to over the past seventeen years.”
“Deanna has not only been a mentor but also a dear friend, whose leadership and vision have profoundly shaped this organization, this community, and me personally,” he said.
“Together with our incredible team, we’ve worked tirelessly to strengthen our community, and I am committed to upholding the values and progress we’ve achieved.
“I look forward to leading this agency with the same passion and dedication that Deanna has instilled in me, as we continue to foster economic growth and opportunity for the North End and beyond,” Chinni said.
The nonprofit’s mission is to engage residents in shaping the neighborhood’s future for sustainable development. The organization serves residents from Park Avenue West north to Poth Road and Bowman Street.
West-Torrence, who will retain the title of “founder,” said her work with NECIC “has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.”
“I am deeply grateful for all we’ve achieved and excited for the future. From our committed investors and donors, strategic partners, amazing staff and boards since 2007, we have been able be incredibly impactful in our work,” West-Torrence said.
West-Torrence previously served on Mansfield City Council, Mansfield City Schools board of education, Neighborhood Youth Corps, the Community Health Access Project and Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center.
West-Torrence started NECIC when she was 37 years old.
When she announced her move this spring, he said the organization has always been dedicated to asset-based training, which focuses on the strengths communities and individuals have to invest in social benefits.
“The youth hold the key to optimism,” she said. “No one wants to hear the world’s going to hell in a handbasket when it’s your start.
“We old folks still have a lot of value. I definitely know there’s value I still bring, but I don’t need to sit in the room to bring it.
“People need to see that it’s more than Deanna. I think that’s really important,” she told Richland Source at the time.
On Tuesday, West-Torrence praised Chinni’s work with NECIC.
“Tony has always been a critical part of our success since his days as NECIC’s first intern. Supporting him during his tenure as interim CEO will be an honor. I am grateful to remain on board to continue working for him with the same level of dedication and commitment that he has demonstrated for me since the first day he walked through the door,” West-Torrence said.
“I am thrilled to see him share his incredible institutional knowledge and talent in this new way, and I am confident in his leadership to keep advancing our mission. I also appreciate our board’s leadership during this process and applaud their foresight in selecting Tony and ensuring a strong transition plan to support our amazing team,” she said.
The board announced it was forming a transition committee with the goal of having a new permanent CEO in place by July 1, 2025.
The board said it will engage a consultant specializing in nonprofit executive searches and capacity building that will also support its development.
Board President Phil Mazzocco said NECIC remains committed to its mission and the community it serves.
“We are confident that with Tony’s leadership as interim CEO and Deanna’s continued
involvement as founder, NECIC will continue to be a beacon of hope and progress for the north end,” he said.
“Deanna’s vision laid the foundation for NECIC’s transformative work and we are incredibly grateful for her leadership. We look forward to continuing her legacy with Tony at the helm as interim CEO. We look forward to the continued growth and impact of NECIC under Tony’s leadership,” Mazzocco said.
A former member of Mansfield City Council, West-Torrence launched NECIC after she recognized there was no comprehensive plan that addressed the issues residents wanted solved.
As early as 2005, after her council service, West-Torrence was hired by former Mayor Lydia Reid to be the director of the city’s department of regional community advancement, formerly the Neighborhood Youth Corps.
It was then that she began conversations with the then Fran and Warren Rupp Foundation and they suggested convening a group of residents and community leaders to address the challenges faced by the neighborhood.
“Under her leadership, NECIC has become a cornerstone of community development, empowering residents and fostering sustainable growth,” the board said.
“The Community Economic Development plan was the first of its kind, laying the groundwork for future community planning efforts, such as Mansfield Rising that also encompassed parts of the north end,” it said.
“Under Deanna’s leadership, the organization has delivered three iterations of the
Community Economic Development Plan and has accomplished many of the goals of the program through its programming that has grown to include the African American Leadership Initiative; neighborhood small grants; blight elimination projects; elder and youth programming; civic engagement programs; housing related services; small and minority business development; an alternative staffing agency; community garden grants program; a teaching garden, and urban farming,” the board said.
“Most recently, the organization launched an effort to build a Community Impact Center which is a long-term goal that will provide healthcare, mental health, arts, education, recreation, and office space to several partner agencies who have come together to impact the community, even beyond the neighborhood,” the board said.
The board said West-Torrence will continue to help NECIC in her role as founder, focusing on strategic mentorship of the incoming CEO, program development and innovation,
managing special projects, and supporting grant writing and fund development efforts.
“This role allows Deanna to leverage her deep institutional knowledge and community connections to ensure NECIC’s ongoing growth and success while empowering the new CEO to lead independently,” the board said.