LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Oct. 6, 2015) – André Bernard has a knack for recalling specific dates. Sept. 29, 1994, for instance, was the day he began working for the City of Little Rock. Almost 21 years later, Bernard has another date to file away: Sept. 17, 2015, the day he was elected president of Neighborhoods U.S.A. (NUSA), the national nonprofit organization committed to strengthening communities.

The path from a general services employee at the City to director of Housing and Neighborhood Programs and now NUSA president has been rewarding for Bernard, and one with a common theme woven throughout: Helping people.

“Everyone on my staff knows, if there is a resident with a problem, send ‘em my way,” laughs Bernard. “Most of the time, these citizens just want someone to hear them out. Being a compassionate person is key – I am always there to listen. That’s what I’m passionate about.”

Compassion and passion are fitting adjectives for Bernard, who takes the helm of NUSA at a time when many municipalities are reaching out to citizens and corporate partners alike to improve relationships and create safer environments in the wake of several tragedies that have left communities reeling. NUSA’s goal is to help neighborhoods better themselves, a task Bernard has been tackling since he became director of Housing and Neighborhood Programs back in 2004.

The department is responsible for many of the City’s initiatives that deal directly with the public, from the land bank and community development to resource centers and animal services.

It’s a wide-ranging department that keeps Bernard busy. Of the hundreds of projects he’s been involved with, one of the most meaningful has included the $8.6 million Neighborhood Stabilization Grant 2 issued in 2010 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That three-year grant allowed his department to acquire and rehab approximately 100 properties and vacant lots in U.S. Census tracts 10 and 11, which includes the Central High neighborhood.

There’s more, of course, including the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Center, the World Changers’ house rehab, Meals on Wheels, and the Wheelchair Ramp Program. Bernard says that while not every homeowners’ request can be fulfilled, the community development division of his department strives to help as many residents as possible.

Another important area for Bernard’s department is staying in touch with the nearly 185 neighborhood associations in the City. Engaging with citizens and empowering them to improve their communities has taken on a greater significance with NUSA. This past year, several Little Rock residents raised funds to be able to attend the national conference in Houston alongside City staff. They came away from the experience with renewed energy and focus to better their neighborhoods, one project at a time.

And that’s what Bernard appreciates most out of the NUSA partnership: The exchange of ideas. Little Rock Animal Village, for instance, came from a plan shared by Sacramento at a NUSA conference.

As the organization’s first Arkansas president, Bernard is encouraged by the “passion into action” approach that NUSA is taking in communities from Alaska to Virginia. He’ll be leading the charge, and the Little Rock delegation, for the next NUSA conference to be held in Memphis in 2016.

It’s another date Bernard is sure to remember. 

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