826MICHIGAN HIRES NEW STAFF TO EXPAND CURRENT WORK IN DETROIT
Ann Arbor, Michigan (August 15, 2014) – Ann Arbor nonprofit 826michigan recently added two new staff members, Nancy L. Sizer and Chris Brudzynski, to the organization.
Sizer joins 826michigan as its first ever Fund Development Director. She brings her extensive experience from a distinguished career of nonprofit leadership primarily in fund development, community building, arts, and culture. During her seven-year tenure as Director of the Detroit Artists Market, the 82-year-old gallery was reestablished as one of the leading nonprofit arts organizations in Metro Detroit, selling and placing more than $1 million of original artwork and providing opportunities for hundreds of Detroit area artists. Ms. Sizer positioned DAM as an active and engaged part of Detroit’s creative community. Prior to the Detroit Artists Market, Ms. Sizer worked for 11 years as Fund Development Director for the Southwest Detroit Business Association. During that time, she led initiatives that raised more than $35 million in public, corporate, foundation and individual gifts, as well as private investments and financing, to support community development-based initiatives in Southwest Detroit. Her previous work in Kalamazoo, Coldwater, and Chicago added to the diversity and depth of her experience.
Chris Brudzynski is 826michigan’s new AmeriCorps member, charged with volunteer coordination and leading capacity building projects. A lifelong resident of Metro Detroit, Brudzynski is passionate about community and economic development and also brings a variety of nonprofit experience. Most recently, he has worked with Focus Hope, Detroit’s Eastern Market, and Michigan State’s Community Music School. He is a 2013 graduate of Michigan State University and is now pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration from Wayne State University.
To further leverage the impact of 826michigan’s newest hires, and continue program development in the City of Detroit, Program Assistant Brandan Pierce will transition his current responsibilities from a focus in Washtenaw County to full-time work on Detroit projects. He began as an intern and served in that capacity for several years, before joining the programs staff in 2013. Pierce holds a degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from Eastern Michigan University and has extensive experience with students and classrooms, across all ages, in Washtenaw County. In his capacity as Program Assistant in the 2013-2014 school year, he oversaw 826michigan’s most recent publication, Enjoy!: Recipies for Building Community, featuring the work of students from Ypsilanti Community High School and Adams STEM Academy.
“We are thrilled to welcome two new individuals to our staff. Nancy’s rich background and tremendous experience will surely enable 826michigan to increase its impact as we continue to expand in Detroit,” said 826michigan Executive Director Amanda Uhle. “Further, Chris brings an energy and passion that will add to our talented pool of volunteers, and in the years that we have known him, Brandan has proven himself an exemplary representative of our work and an invaluable part of our student programs, our volunteer efforts and our organization as a whole. We are deeply impressed with each of them, and look forward to the work they will do to support an expansion that will allow 826michigan to engage more volunteers, leverage more community partnerships and serve more students with high-quality literacy education.”
About 826michigan
826michigan, located inside downtown Ann Arbor’s Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair, is a volunteer-driven program providing free creative writing and tutoring services to students ages 6 to 18 in southeast Michigan, specifically Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Detroit. Established in 2005, 826michigan is based on the successful model of 826 National, founded in San Francisco by award-winning writer and philanthropist Dave Eggers.
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For more information on 826michigan and its free creative writing and tutoring programs for youth ages 6-18, visit https://www.826michigan.org, call 761-3463, or stop by Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair, 115 East Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor.