Zach Reizes

Zach Reizes brings grant writing, organizing capacity and community engagement experience to the Sunday Creek Horizons team. Zach attended Ohio University on full ride scholarship, with an academic specialization in international development. While at Ohio University, Zach’s studies dovetailed into a broader focus on regional economic and community development in Appalachia. He became deeply involved in state and federal campaign work, spending one full political cycle working with various campaigns in Southeast Ohio to ensure that they engaged on issues of high importance to the region. Through this work, Zach has built personal friendships with many local elected officials, community leaders, and regional advocates.

Zach has received awards and recognition around the Athens area for his commitment to community leadership, including the Rudy Award for Outstanding Community Leadership in 2018. He serves on the boards of two non-profits, acting as vice-treasurer of one and overseeing long-term financial planning for the entity. Before joining Sunday Creek Horizons, Zach served as Community Development Specialist at Hocking Athens Perry Community Action. In this role, Zach built capacity for the local county land bank, helping manage hundreds of thousands of grant dollars used to eliminate slum and blight in struggling Ohio communities.

While Zach has been out of school for only a short time, he has opted to remain in Southeast Ohio in order to combat brain drain and jump-start many of the exciting developments in the region. He knows how to interact with and bring local stakeholders to the table to build coalitions around issues that matter.