City hires community services manager

Position will help Annapolis residents navigate access

The city of Annapolis has hired a new manager for its Office of Community Services, which connects city residents to programs and services like rental assistance, social workers and grants.

Iesha Young was hired Feb. 14 to head the office, according to a city news release.

She comes to the position with more than a decade of experience in the field of community engagement. She graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2012. During her time in college, she started her path in community outreach, volunteering for five years at Planned Parenthood

in Baltimore.

Originally from Prince George’s County, Young moved to Annapolis two years ago. After dealing with mental illness and seeking help, she made it a goal to help others find the same resources.

She then landed a position at a Washington, D.C. nonprofit called Community of Hope that focuses on providing health care and housing for underserved populations. She was hired in 2017 as an outreach specialist for reproductive health and helped educate young girls on the topic of teen pregnancy, birth control and how to access it.

She also ran a monthly program called “Teen Night” that featured discussions on mental health, healthy relationships, birth control and other topics.

“Whatever we thought was important to teach the young people, that’s exactly what we did,”

Young said.

The Office of Community Services was established in 2022 after the City Council approved funding to address issues such as access to food, job training and workforce development, educational supports, rental assistance, mental health resources and substance use disorder. The office grew out of the Take Care

Annapolis program led by former Hispanic Liaison Laura Gutierrez, which provided services to underserved residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Young will oversee a staff of five, including the city’s social worker Erin Lee, who was named acting community services manager after Gutierrez’s departure last fall.

In 2018, Young took a job as an outreach coordinator for the health care nonprofit Young Invincibles.

Young would talk to young people about health care access, and how to use their health insurance to access mental health services. She added that part of the work involved talking to young adults about preventive care.

In 2019, Young was promoted to engagement officer at Young Invincibles, where she worked until accepting the position as the new community services manager.

“What really drew me to [the community services manager position] was just the fact that I get to do the work that I already do in my own community,” she said.

In her new job, her priority is to learn about Annapolis and figure out what is working for the city, and what’s not.

“I don’t really want to change anything if it works, but my goal is to create even more programs where we feel there is a need,” Young said.

Young will earn $102,459 a year.