Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County and Media Sponsor, Kiss 98.5 are excited to honor Amber Small as this week’s Women Who Move the City Wednesday Honoree!
Amber serves as the Executive Director of the Parkside Community Association (PCA). In this role she is an advocate for 2,500 residents, working to enhance their quality of life through crime prevention, traffic calming, fair housing advocacy and more. Amber happily shares that she could not have asked for a better job because everyday she gets to go to work and help her neighbors. Amber and her significant other, Matthew Pelkey, even recently purchased a home in the neighborhood because of the strong sense of community!
Outside of her work with the PCA, Amber serves on the Board of Directors for B-Team Buffalo, where she works with hundreds of volunteers to promote a lasting sense of civic pride in the Greater Buffalo area through high-impact, volunteer-driven events. Through B-Team Buffalo, Amber has an opportunity to assist multiple organizations on various projects and again, do what she enjoys most, helping her neighbors throughout the City of Buffalo.
Amber is also a member of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce Emerging Business Leaders, a group committed to cultivating the next generation of community stewards. As a member of their public policy committee, Amber focuses on legislative initiatives to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for WNY.
With a background in community organizing and municipal finance, Amber has most recently joined community stakeholders in an effort to bring participatory budgeting to the City of Buffalo. Her interest in civic engagement extends beyond the financial realm through Amber’s role as Vice Chair of WEPac, a nonpartisan group focused on increasing female involvement in politics and government; although women make up half the populace, they’re only a small percentage of those holding elected office. In 2013, Amber presented at the TedXBuffalo Women, where she highlighted not only these disparities, but also the work being done to correct this imbalance and strengthen the voice of women voters.
Amber, who is originally from Fredonia, is a graduate of the University at Buffalo. In addition to her work with PCA and in the community as a volunteer, she has a passion for animals. Amber and her significant other, Matthew, enjoy spending time with their three dogs Chewy, Lewis and The News.