Welcome Executive Director Justin Pabalate

Dear NECC Community, 

 

I am thrilled to announce that after a rigorous selection process, the Northeast Community Center Board of Directors has appointed Justin Pabalate as our new Executive Director. With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Justin brings a wealth of knowledge, volunteer experience and connections to NECC. 

Justin’s appointments with Willamette Falls Trust, Oregon Community Foundation, The People’s Nonprofit Accelerator, and Q Center; all required strong community engagement, financial management and fundraising skills. His passion lies in developing staff, broadening resources and focusing on principles of equity, justice and inclusion. With his leadership, we are confident that the NECC will continue to expand and thrive, setting a clear path for our future success. 

I would be remiss if I did not recognize our Interim Executive Director, Bri Slusser, for her incredible compassion, expertise and foundational work that she has contributed to NECC over the past ten months. Bri's experience and collaborative style has been a welcome boost of energy and confidence to the community and staff. Thank you, Bri, for all your important work. It has been an absolute pleasure working with and learning from you. 

Please join me in thanking Bri and welcoming Justin to the NECC! 

Andre Miller  

President 

NECC Board of Directors 

A Message from Justin

I am humbled and thrilled to join the Northeast Community Center community as your new Executive Director. From the moment I walked through the door I was greeted with open arms and made to feel welcome. 

I would first like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to Bri for her leadership in strengthening the foundation and systems of NECC during a time of transition, to the staff and board who have gone above and beyond to safeguard the mission of NECC, to the founding members, who, to this day, stand by our side supporting our work, and to our members and participants for entrusting this invaluable resource to us.  

Early in my career, I worked at a credit union for over a decade where I started as a teller working my way up the ranks to eventually become a branch manager. The credit union is where I received my “financial chops” and learned to think about finances in a way that was affirming and devoid of taboo. As you can imagine, and may have experienced yourself, my background in finance made me particularly vulnerable to various boards that I served on! I was usually tasked with Treasurer and fundraising duties which eventually led to my love of fundraising or what I prefer to call, “resource development.” I believe there are enough resources in the world for all of us to thrive and by being open and transparent about our needs while engaging each other in meaningful ways we can collectively meet the needs of our families and communities. 

It is with this abundance mindset I join NECC as your newest team member. My duties as ED are threefold: to take care of our staff’s needs so they may ensure our community members have what they need to thrive; to develop and streamline our systems so that community members can be meaningfully engaged; and to ensure we have the resources and funding that are needed to take care of our people and our beloved building. 

Our staff, volunteers, and community members are resilient, compassionate, and extremely talented. Together, in the spirit of how NECC was founded, we will overcome any challenge and forge a world where we can all thrive.  

As we approach NECC’s 20th anniversary and the building’s 100th it would be my honor to meet you and celebrate with you at our open house on Saturday, February 1st from 10:00-2:00 pm.  

We welcome you to bring your friends and family to enjoy some birthday cake, good company, and good cheer. We will be waiving drop-in fees all day so it’s the perfect time to bring a friend, family member or neighbor along for the fun. Staff will be giving tours, art activities will be available for all ages, and the gym will be open for basketball along with regularly scheduled pool and fitness activities.  

Thank you to everyone for your warm welcome, and I look forward to meeting many more of you in the coming days.  

In Solidarity and Community,  

Justin Pabalate  

Executive Director 

NECC

PS Special shoutout to our wonderful Northeast Village volunteers and members for the incredible impact you have in our northeast neighborhoods! Visit our program page for more information about the incredible services offered by our community of volunteers and Village Manager, Teri!