Eleanor Zinszer Coleman

Eleanor has been a master at keeping the Community and its various organizations connected and working together for the betterment of all. She is the go-to person if you need to find out who is working on what, and who to collaborate with.

Eleanor received an Associate's degree in Business Administration from Monroe Community College which she attended 1977-1979.

She then attended State University of New York Empire College from 1980-1983, where she received a Bachelor in Business, Management & Economics.

From 1991 to 1994 she worked as a Consultant and Parent Liaison at the Rochester City School District where she provided drug and substance abuse education for youth and families.

From 1994-1996 she was Program Director and Outreach Coordinator for the Learning Disabilities Association where she developed and managed a recreational program for teens with learning disabilities.

She then was Director of Community Partnerships, Student and Family Support Center Coordinator, and Community Asset Manager at SWAN from 1996-2013. Here she established and maintained a strong and diverse network of partnerships that supported the agency’s mission and vision. She was coordinator for youth and family support services for middle school and high school students. She also maintained a database identifying a wide variety of "community assets" (Churches, Service and Resource Providers, Natural Helpers, etc.).

In March 2013 Eleanor became Executive Director of Prosper Rochester, Inc.

Here she:

• Incorporated the new organization and began process for non-profit status.
• Successfully certified our kitchen via the Department of Health
• Operated a summer youth employment program for twelve inner city youth.
• Secured funding to hire nine youth to learn business skills and to promote urban agriculture.
• Established community services based on resident needs (food cupboard, free and low-cost health care enrollment, Medicaid re-certifications, substance abuse recovery support, etc.)

Since 2014 she is also an English Second Language Teacher at the Office of Adult & Career Education Services (OACES) and has developed job opportunities for OACES graduates.

Eleanor has been involved in numerous volunteer organizations. She served as Secretary to the SouthWest Common Council (SWCC) from 2000 to present and has documented the activities of the SWCC and its subcommittees throughout this period. She is the communications glue that bonds this organization together and to other community associations. She is a champion of transparency in all community undertakings and promoted using www.Location19.org (www.LocationSW.org) for the organizations and people of the SW Quadrant.

From 2008 to present Eleanor has been Mentor & Team Leader for Empowered Girl Alliance. The Empowered Girl Alliance inspires adolescent girls to identify themselves as valuable, powerful, and beautiful young women.