Mt. Airy USA just named its new ED, Brad Copeland

Community development nonprofit Mt. Airy USA has named Brad Copeland as its new executive director, following the departure of Anuj Gupta to Reading Terminal Market in June.

Previously Mt. Airy USA’s Director of Real Estate Development, Copeland served as interim executive director for the past two months.

“We’re thrilled that Brad will be stepping into this role on a permanent basis,” said Howard Treatman, Board President of Mt. Airy USA. “Brad’s skill and experience will allow us to advance our mission of transformative neighborhood development. We are looking forward to the work ahead and to accomplishing great things for Mt. Airy.”

A member of the Mt. Airy USA team since 2008, Copeland has already had an impact in Philadelphia. In 2013, he spearheaded the development and financing of the new Wissahickon Charter School campus at Chew Avenue and Washington Lane — a $18 million project that is one of Mt. Airy USA’s largest and most impactful projects to date.

Copeland has also directed Mt. Airy USA’s work to eliminate blight throughout the community, including numerous renovations that have transformed vacant, blighted buildings into active mixed-use properties and residences.

Following the Pennsylvania Act 135 of 2008, which authorized the use of conservatorship, a new anti-blight strategy, Copeland has been working with the Mt. Airy USA team to use a database that they created of neighborhood properties that meet the criteria delineated in the Act to target higher blight areas within the neighborhood.  

Among Copeland’s current projects is the Philadelphia Immigrant Innovation Hub, funded by the Knight Foundation’s Cities Challenge. It slated to launch in the fall of 2015 on Germantown Avenue. Mt. Airy USA is working with The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians and Finanta to test its theory that encouraging and supporting immigrant entrepreneurship in Mt. Airy will positively impact the long term economic growth and population trends of Mt. Airy in particular, as well as northwest Philadelphia at large.  

“This is an exciting time for Mt. Airy USA,” Copeland said. “We have such a strong team on our staff with an extraordinary number of high-impact projects in the pipeline. I’m tremendously grateful for the opportunity to take on this role and help our organization continue moving forward.”

Image via Mt. Airy USA