Mayor Warren Announces Retirement Of Rochester's SE NSC Administrator Nancy Johns Price; Appoints Kelvin Knight As New Administrator

Press release from the City of Rochester:

January 4 2020

Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that Nancy Johns-Price, the City’s administrator of the Southeast Quadrant Neighborhood Service Center (NSC), is retiring Jan. 29 after a more than 36-year career with the City of Rochester and County of Monroe.

“Nancy Johns-Price has been the living embodiment of a true public servant with an energy level that awe inspiring,” said Mayor Warren. “She has always brought the highest levels of accessibility, dedication and diligence to her work, and her ever present enthusiasm and optimism will be greatly missed in City Hall and Southeast Rochester. I wish Nancy and her family the absolute best in her well-deserved retirement.” The Mayor has appointed Kelvin Knight, who has been the Southeast NSC’s assistant to the administrator since 2010, as the new administrator.

“Kelvin Knight is truly committed to helping the people of Rochester live their best lives and achieve their full potential,” said Mayor Warren. “His appointment creates a nearly seamless transition that will keep our Neighborhood Service Centers on their trajectory of continuous improvement. I have no doubt he will put his own unique stamp on this important function and I look forward to working with him.”

The City’s four NSC’s seek to preserve and improve the quality of life and level of opportunity in Rochester by delivering City services directly to neighborhoods and establishing grassroots community partnerships that empower residents and businesses to maximize the benefits of living and working in Rochester. Ms. Johns-Price was appointed as the Southeast NSC administrator in 2009 after a long and successful career in youth development in the Department of Recreation and Human Services. In her role as NSC Administrator she earned a reputation for her seemingly unlimited accessibility and ability to improve the delivery of City services through customer engagement. She helped develop the Rochester Police Department’s Positive Ticket program and played a direct role in initiatives to improve the business permit process and reform the Nuisance Point Abatement program.

As a recreation leader and youth development specialist, Ms. Johns-Price helped create several programs that are now staples of youth services, including Biz Kids, Art Smart Camp, Flower City AmeriCorps and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council. Ms. Johns-Price joined the City government in 1985, and worked for the County of Monroe from 1993 to 1998 as a Youth Participation Project Coordinator.

In retirement, she intends to spend more time with her husband of 40 years and her grandchildren and assist her two daughters and son-in-law in the development of their private businesses. She will also spend more time in her volunteer activities, particularly with I am Isiah, Inc., a youth-suicide prevention organization named for Isiah Thomas, who was one of the youth Ms. Johns Price worked with. Mr. Knight been the NSC’s assistant to the administrator since 2015 after a five-year stint in Inspection and Compliance as a lead paint inspector and code enforcement officer. In the NSC, he coordinated neighborhood and business outreach programs; supported business and neighborhood associations; and engaged neighborhood youth through such programs as Flower City AmeriCorps and internships. A native of Rochester, Mr. Knight is an alumni of the University of Rochester and holds a master’s degree in public health. He is a doctoral candidate at UR’s Warner School of Education. He is an active volunteer in the community, including as coach of an award-winning student STEM team; and he personally sponsors the Wilbur L. Knight college scholarship in the name of his father.

News Media: for more information, contact Bridgette Burch White at 428-6064 or Bridgette.Burchwhite@cityofrochester.gov.

This press release was produced by the City of Rochester. The views expressed here are the author’s own.