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Union County Manager Elected President of National Community Development Association

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that County Manager Alfred J. Faella was elected President of the National Community Development Association (NCDA) during the organization’s annual convention in Washington, D.C. last month.

“Through his long record of successful community development projects, Mr. Faella has made a difference in Union County,” said Freeholder Chairman Linda Carter. “The Freeholder Board is very proud to know that communities across the nation will benefit from his experience and guidance.”

A lifelong resident of Union County, Faella’s early career in public service included the position of Director of Neighborhood Services for the City of Elizabeth. In that capacity he assisted in plans for building the Jersey Gardens Mall, a regional destination that has generated thousands of new jobs.

Another highlight of Faella’s service in Elizabeth was his role in developing the HOPE 6 Project, which leveraged over $130 million funding to help residents of the Elizabethport community transition from public housing to home ownership. Faella also served as Director of Community Development and chaired the city’s innovative Community Policing Program.

Among other recognitions, Faella’s efforts earned Elizabeth three consecutive “Best Practices” awards from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Before Faella was appointed County Manager in August 2011, he was the Director of the Union County Department Parks and Community Renewal, with far ranging responsibilities including the management of thousands of acres of parklands as well as the administration of millions of dollars in federal Community Development Block Grant and Recovery Act funding for community renewal projects.

Faella was also instrumental in the recent decision of Wakefern, one of the largest employers in Union County, to retain and expand its operations in the County rather than relocating elsewhere.

As President of NCDA, where he has previously served as Secretary/Treasurer and Vice President, Faella will head a non-profit organization with a membership of 550 local governments nationwide.

The NCDA mission is to assist local governments in developing high quality, locally responsive programs for making communities better places in which to live, particularly for low-and moderate-income households.

Faella earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Kean University, where he also received his undergraduate degree. He resides in Mountainside with his wife, Mary.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release.   Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook atwww.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.