Sylvester Pace
Sylvester Pace, a former NEED recipient, joined the staff of the Negro Educational Emergency Drive in January 2000 as the associate director. Today, he leads the organization as only the second executive director in over 40 years of service. Since his appointment he has transformed NEED into a nationally recognized college access program that provides financial assistance, counseling, and internships to help young African-Americans learn about, aspire to, prepare for, apply to, finance and complete higher education. He has raised nearly 7 million dollars for the organization and is actively involved in "asset building" to establish an endowment that will ensure a solid financial ground upon which to sustain the organization for another 40 years. His passion is the education of the youth in the region, which is manifested in his 17 years of coordinating and conducting an annual tour of historically black colleges and universities. Pace is an undergraduate degree holder from Cheyney University, with a graduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and a third year student of Duquesne University's Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program for Educational Leaders. He and his wife of 25 years can vouch for the value of education with two daughters, one a fourth-year college student and the youngest in middle school. His board involvements include The Center for Family Excellence, California University of Pennsylvania President's Advisory Board, Diversity Advisory for University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering, Good Schools Pennsylvania, National College Access Network, Nonprofit Leadership Institute, Spiritan Division of Academic Programs at Duquesne University, West Penn Minority Junior Golf Association and numerous scholarship committees.