Business Support

Germantown United CDC is excited to introduce new team member Rhakeim Miller to the Germantown community.

Rhakeim Miller is an experienced grassroots organizer and coalition-builder, with over 10 years of public service as a staffer in city and state government. Rhakeim is a neighborhood resident, raising a young family in the community, and thrilled to have the opportunity to apply his professional expertise in business and housing in Germantown. 

The two join longtime staff members Andrew Trackman, Executive Director, Emaleigh Doley, Corridor Manager, and Administrator Josanne Ford, who began working with GU in the summer of 2018. GU is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of Germantown residents and representatives of local business, educational and service institutions. Learn more about the staff and board.

About

Rhakeim Miller, Neighborhood Advisory Committee Manager

Rhakeim will serve as Germantown United CDC’s first Neighborhood Advisory Committee Manager. The organization is now participating in the Neighborhood Advisory Committees Program, commonly referred to as NAC, an extension of the City of Philadelphia’s Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The NAC Program serves Philadelphia’s low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. NACs provide resources and referrals that address numerous problems that lead to homelessness, and engage residents with activities that support the City’s core objectives, including:

• Promoting neighborhood sustainability through programs addressing homelessness prevention, energy conservation education, housing preservation, neighborhood safety, and health and wellness
• Utilizing referral services for available housing counseling, workforce development and economic opportunities
• Cultivating youth mentoring and civic engagement
• Ensuring resident participation in City planning and development initiatives

The Germantown neighborhood has not had an active NAC for several years, and we are excited to be reviving this much-needed resource under Rhakeim’s leadership.

Throughout his career, Rhakeim has worked with civic leaders, policymakers, and business owners to institute community investment programs and practices his commitment to housing preservation and economic development by advocating for impactful neighborhood improvements that benefit established and new residents. As a small business owner raising his family in Germantown, Rhakeim has a personal commitment to the continued positive change in the community. He is also an avid runner (you can often catch him running down Germantown Ave) and has a love for art museums.

Organizational growth

Germantown United CDC grew out of a grassroots movement to protect Germantown from a shortsighted development. The organization was founded in 2012, hired it’s first executive director in 2014, and will soon be operating with four full-time and one part-time employees as of January 2019.

In 2018, GU adopted a new five-year strategic plan, which sharpened the organization’s mission, assessed program activities, and looked for opportunities to enhance its community building and economic development work through the year 2023. The organization’s mission statement now reads:

The mission of the Germantown United CDC is to promote and facilitate the revitalization of Germantown and its business corridors through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven approach to economic development.

GU has already achieved several of the recommendations set forth in the plan, including increasing its work around housing, from foreclosure prevention to pre-purchase and home-ownership counseling. (For a CliffsNotes version of what’s changed, click here.)

As we enter into the New Year, the board and staff of GU would like to acknowledge and thank our many community partners, stakeholders, and constituents who have shaped the organization, and support our mission and vision for a strong and united Germantown.