Uptown United Announces New Executive Director

Sad news for those who have enjoyed the talents and enthusiasm of Sara Dinges! We wish her well and look forward to meeting Martin Sorge.

From Uptown United:

"We are writing to announce the departure of our current Executive Director, Sara Dinges. Sara will be relocating to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA in mid-July to begin a new job opportunity and live closer to family.

In the past year and a half, Sara has been dedicated to strengthening our organizations and serving the Uptown community. From the launch of Uptown Saturday Nights, to the growth of the Argyle Night Market, to working closely with business and property owners to bring new investment to Uptown, we are thankful for Sara's contribution and impact throughout Uptown. We wish Sara and her family the absolute best as they begin a new chapter in Pittsburgh.

We are also excited to share the announcement of our new Executive Director, Martin Sorge. Martin joins Uptown United and Business Partners by way of the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce.

As the Director of Community Development, Martin oversaw LPCC's economic development and business attraction efforts, administered two Special Service Areas, collaborated on an organizational rebranding and strategic planning process, and has led the effort to launch a Lincoln Avenue Corridor Plan - all in addition to working alongside hundreds of business owners, neighborhood institutions and community stakeholders.

We believe Martin's skill set and experience is a great match for Uptown. He will start as Executive Director on Monday, July 25th.

As always, the Uptown United and Business Partners staff is available to help and serve! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to anyone on our team:

• Ally Brisbin, Director of Business Services - member services, business technical assistance, marketing and communications, small business advocacy.  
• Greg Carroll, Director of Partnerships and Events - special events production and coordination; liaison to community partners, schools, police districts and resident councils. 
• Justin Weidl, Business District Manager - administrator of SSA #34 and manager of business district activities such as street cleaning, public art, landscaping and infrastructure projects. 
• Vitaliy Vladimirov, Program Manager - neighborhood planning projects, vacancy database and communications. 
• Jan Graves, Program Assistant - office management and invoicing/billing."