Ian Beniston is the Executive Director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) and reports to YNDC’s Board of Directors. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Ian spent five years as YNDC’s Deputy Director. Ian is responsible for the organization’s consistent achievement of its mission and financial objectives. He is also responsible for the day to day operations of the organization. His duties include management of program staff, development of innovative programming, resource development, budgeting and finance, marketing and communication strategies, development of strong partnerships and relationships among diverse stakeholders, and organizational development.
Ian has fifteen years of urban planning and neighborhood development experience in the private, non-profit, and public sectors. Ian holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Youngstown State University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and has obtained Housing Development Finance Professional certification from the National Development Council.
Ian’s community involvement includes serving on the Board of Directors of the Community Corrections Association, ACTION, and the Ohio Poverty Law Center. Ian was selected as a 40 under 40 award recipient in 2009, a 25 under 35 award recipient in 2013, a Next City Vanguard, 40 under 40 making an impact in cities across America, in 2014, OCDCA CDC Staff Member of the Year in 2015, and a 25 under 35 MVP award recipient in 2018. Ian resides in Youngstown with his wife, Krista and retired racing Greyhound, Bird.