District 10 administrator Alison Kirgis
District 10’s new administrator, Alison Kirgis, traces her passion for community organizing to watching her parents lead an initiative to get sidewalks placed in her suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, community when she was a kid.
Their success showed her that “when a community works together, great improvements can be made,” said Kirgis, who joined District 10 on Oct. 27. She takes the place of Ted Blank, who took the position of executive director of the Forest Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
Kirgis moved to St. Paul in August from Cincinnati, where she worked for two years in finance, specifically working with small businesses. She is a 2012 graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where she studied international affairs, political science and professional writing. She gained her community organizing experience with Amnesty International as Ohio student coordinator and then Ohio legislative coordinator. In those roles she helped with fundraising initiatives, petitioning campaigns and coordinating meetings with students, community members and their elected officials.
“Como Park is a beautiful and vibrant neighborhood with many amenities,” she said. “I want to work to ensure that Como Park residents of all ages have an opportunity to get involved in the community whether it be through our community garden, Sunday Series, attending our committee meetings or through another event or initiative.”
