NNIP Selects Tommy Pearce from Neighborhood Nexus as Network Steward of the Year

The National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership has selected Tommy Pearce, Executive Director of Neighborhood Nexus, as the 2023 winner of the Network Steward of the Year Award. The award was created in 2016 to recognize an NNIP Partner staff member who goes above and beyond expectations to strengthen the connectivity among Partners, increase knowledge sharing, and raise the profile of the network. 

From the moment Tommy joined NNIP, he has been a great contributor to peer learning, asking questions and frequently chiming in on responses from partners and from Urban Institute staff. He shares wisdom with the group and one-on-one on a wide array of the aspects of being an NNIP partner - from data capacity building to data visualization and dashboards to finances and branding. He also seeds thoughtful network conversations, such as how to include disclaimers on imperfect data.

He generously shares his local experiences to help Urban increase NNIP’s impact. As one example, he helped Urban on short notice highlight the work supporting the Atlanta Beltline to Places of Impact, a HUD-sponsored community of practice of place-based practitioners.  Beyond the current partners, Tommy has spoken to potential NNIP organizations to encourage their development and connect them to Urban staff. He has also documented ideas and accomplishments for the network through the formal network calls - sharing the innovative Metro Atlanta Racial Equity Atlas for the Impact Award and applying for the Black Wealth Data Center grant.

The network is much stronger thanks to Tommy’s many contributions.