Alt. Convocation: Henry Reese - City of Asylum

Henry Reese is the Chairman and co-founder of City of Asylum/Pittsburgh.   Until 2003, he was a principal in Reese Brothers, the largest privately owned call center company in the U.S, where his primary responsibilities included strategic planning, operations, information technology, creative services, contracting, government relations, and international subsidiaries and affiliations.   He was a co-inventor of a patent dealing with call automation, an expert witness for the FTC, and a regular speaker to the National Association of Attorneys General, as well as the author of numerous papers on ethics and telemarketing, nonprofit accounting and cost allocation, and direct marketing. He was also a founder and President of the American Telephone Fundraisers Association, an advisory board member of the National Federation of Nonprofits, and a trustee of Queequeeg Trust.   Since 2003, he has engaged in a variety of civic entrepreneuring projects, focused on diversifying and expanding Pittsburgh’s population and culture.  

City of Asylum/Pittsburgh (COA/P) is part of an international network of cities that provide sanctuary to writers exiled under threat of persecution, so that they can continue to write. .For a minimum of two years COA/P provides a house, a living stipend of $25,000 - $30,000, and medical benefits, as well as developing individualized career management so that the writers gain independence and stability in exile. Pittsburgh is the only grassroots City in the network, relying on citizen participation rather than institutional or government sponsorship to fund and operate its programs. Also uniquely among Cities, Pittsburgh has used the presence of the exiled writers to create an integrated program of economic and cultural development on Pittsburgh’s North Side, which is among the lowest income sections of Pittsburgh.