PRESS RELEASE
South Side Community Growth Foundation announces three key leadership hires
Hiring announcement solidifies organization’s commitment to neighbor-centered engagement and transformative community investments on Syracuse’s South Side
SYRACUSE, NY (March 26, 2026)—The South Side Community Growth Foundation is entering the spring season ready to plant seeds that will yield big community impact with the announcement it has hired three key new leadership roles. Each new position will hold an important role in shaping the future of Syracuse’s South Side.
Danchell J. Hicks and Sarhia Rahim will serve as the Foundation’s first-ever Housing and Community Development Director and Community Engagement Manager, respectively. Amy Thornton rounds out a strong executive team as the Executive Operations Assistant. Led by Executive Director Deka Eysaman, all three new hires have critical expertise that will help elevate the Foundation’s impact on the neighbors and community it serves through housing stability, community-driven revitalization, and resident-centered engagement.
As Housing and Community development director, Hicks will lead the creation and implementation of the Foundation’s housing and revitalization strategies—quite literally creating the blueprints that the organization will use to address housing stability throughout the blocks surrounding McKinley Park. She will assess existing plans, design comprehensive redevelopment strategies, and oversee project feasibility, while coordinating with public agencies, developers, and lenders to advance initiatives from concept to completion.
Hicks comes to the Foundation with more than a decade of experience working in housing and homeless services. Most recently, she served as program officer of homeless stability services at Catholic Charities of Onondaga County, where she led approximately $12 million in federal, state, and county-funded programs while supervising a team of 30-40 professionals. Hicks has worked directly with integral community partners including the Housing and Homeless Coalition, the Onondaga County Department of Social Services, and the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance, and looks forward to continuing those relationships. A passionate advocate for equity-focused governance, she also serves as a service provider board member and chairs the Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (REDI) Committee for the Housing and Homeless Coalition.
“I’ve learned that the best solutions to solve problems come from listening, collaborating, and bringing people together to work toward a common goal, and joining the South Side Community Growth Foundation provides an opportunity to bring all of that together while working to make a meaningful difference,” said Hicks. “I am looking forward to bringing what I’ve learned in previous roles to helping neighborhoods on the South Side.”
Hicks is deeply committed to addressing housing insecurity through evidence-based strategies and community-centered development. A Syracuse resident, Hicks holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from SUNY Albany and is actively pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Community & Human Services from SUNY Empire State.
As Manager of Community Engagement, Rahim will drive community outreach, leading efforts to strengthen relationships with South Side residents, community-based organizations, and local partners— ensuring that the Foundation’s work is shaped by everyone who lives, works, and invests in the neighborhood. Rahim will be responsible for creating and carrying out comprehensive strategies to engage stakeholders, including organizing town hall style meetings, conducting surveys, and convening a resident advisory council. She will also work internally to design and implement a long-term engagement strategy that builds trust, captures data, and measures impact. She will oversee systems for managing community feedback and data, ensuring that insights are integrated into programs and decision-making.
Rahim is a 2025 graduate of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She majored in policy studies and served as an Inclusive Journalism Fellow at The Daily Orange (2023-2025), where she produced community-focused human-interest stories. She also served as a democratic fellow for the New York State Democratic Party, knocking on doors, canvassing, and event planning ahead of the 2024 election. Most recently she served as community ambassador at the Center for Innovation Justice, representing tenants who live on the North Side of Syracuse. In this role, she was a liaison between tenants and city housing resources, to improve information sharing, services, and communication between tenants and the city.
“I’m thrilled to bring my experience telling stories and serving as a connector to serve the South Side of Syracuse,” said Rahim. “My professional development experience and career have been centered on public policy and community-facing endeavors, which has shown me that I truly love nonprofit work. I’m looking forward to continuing that path with the Foundation and being able to help strengthen opportunities for everyone who’s invested in the South Side.”
Thornton, Executive Operations Assistant, will manage executive and board support, operations and compliance, and office and event management as the Foundation builds its internal infrastructure. Thornton serves as the key administrative and operational partner to Eysaman, ensuring smooth daily functioning and effective communication across the organization.
With a heart for service, Thornton brings more than 20 years of experience fostering community partnerships and managing multidisciplinary teams. Dedicated to advancing equity, inclusion, and collaboration across diverse populations, she is a distinguished graduate of FOCUS Greater Syracuse’s Citizen Academy and currently serves on the City’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. She spent five years in several key operations roles at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City before moving back to Central New York in 2019. For the last six years, Thornton has been leading service and event staff at The Brewster Inn, overseeing events and ensuring standards of service and teamwork have been fulfilled.
“I believe the foundation of any great organization is the people behind the scenes and, when operations run well, people are free to do their best work,” said Thornton. “My goal is to build the kind of infrastructure where every voice is valued, every process serves the mission, and everyone feels seen and supported.”
Thornton holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Le Moyne College.
“I couldn’t be prouder to work alongside this powerhouse group of women,” said Eysaman. “Each person and position represents critical building blocks for our work “and together, we will take community vision and transform it into tangible action, ensuring that neighbors’ voices lead the way in deciding what’s next for our future.”
The South Side Community Growth Foundation focuses on housing and community development, community engagement, and organizational infrastructure to strengthen both the physical and social fabric of the South Side—building a more connected and empowered community.
Founded in 2024 by Syracuse native and philanthropist Chedy Hampson, SSCGF is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing equity, opportunity, and investing in transformative neighborhood initiatives in partnership with South Side neighbors, businesses, community-based organizations and government.
For more information about the South Side Community Growth Foundation, visit southsidegrowth.org
About The South Side Community Growth Foundation
The South Side Community Growth Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit committed to supporting South Side neighbors and making sure they have what they need to live their best lives. It works with neighbors, businesses, community-based organizations, and government on transformative community investments to create meaningful impact for community members. To learn more, visit southsidegrowth.org