Urban League stretches into Mahoning

The president of the expanded organization is no stranger to Youngstown.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The Warren-Trumbull Urban League will officially become the Greater Warren-Youngstown Urban League later this month.
"The Youngstown area needs an Urban League," said Thomas S. Conley, president of the Warren-Trumbull Urban League. "We look at this as a new beginning and as an opportunity to serve the Youngstown and Mahoning County residents, and we will do a good job at it."
Conley will become president of the enlarged organization, which will serve Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
"One of the biggest issues is in the area of employment, so we will be addressing that," Conley said, adding, "I'm really excited about the opportunity. It's a huge challenge. We have been a change agent here in Warren, and we're going to continue to do [in Youngstown] what we've been successful with here."
His background
Conley, a Liberty resident who is also a member of the Liberty Board of Education, grew up in Youngstown, graduated from The Rayen School and received a bachelor's degree in business management from Malone College.
He worked in the Youngstown accounting office of Alvin Hopkins before serving as finance director for the Youngstown Area Urban League from 1986-91.
The new organization, chartered by the National Urban League, is being formed after last year's closing of the financially troubled Youngstown Area Urban League, Conley said. However, he said the new organization won't inherit any debt from the former Youngstown group.
The new organization will have headquarters in Warren, with a satellite office staffed by Youngstown residents to be opened as early as next month in rented quarters at Youngstown's Mill Creek Community Center, 496 Glenwood Ave., Conley said.
Initially, service will focus on the league's main goal of minority empowerment through education, employment and housing opportunities.
"We can't be everything to everybody, but then, we can do a few things well, and that's what we're going to be doing," Conley said.
The Urban League, which doesn't yet have any funding to serve Mahoning County, is applying for foundation and government grants to do so, Conley said.
Twelve members have been appointed to the new organization's board of directors, including Shequela Jones of Youngstown and Dr. Rodney Hill, a gynecologist who resides in Liberty and has a Youngstown office.
The board will be expanded to 15 members with the forthcoming appointment of three more members from Mahoning County, Conley said.
Anniversary dinner
The new organization will be launched at the Warren-Trumbull Urban League's 75th anniversary dinner at 6 p.m. April 28 at the MetroPlex Center in Liberty. The National Urban League's president and chief executive officer, Marc Morial, will be guest speaker.
In 2004, Conley and the Warren-Trumbull Urban League received the National Urban League's top honor -- the Whitney M. Young Jr. Leadership Award for advancing racial equality, named in memory of the late National Urban League executive director.
Most recently, Conley's organization has been in the forefront of advocacy for reform of the Warren Police Department following a series of complaints about police misconduct, including strip searches and use of excessive force.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice, which had been investigating the city police department, issued a series of recommendations for improved police training, complaint handling and community relations.