The City of Greenbelt’s Manager, Josué Salmerón, discovered a need when he assumed the job in 2023 – for someone to respond to citizen complaints and going beyond that, coordinate responses on big issues. After posting the new job as “Coordinator of Constituent Services,” he interviewed applicants and chose Gizelle Alvarez for the job.
So who is she and what does she actually DO? Good questions, and I asked.
Gizelle grew up in Silver Spring and majored in public policy at the University of Maryland.
Her work experience is surprisingly extensive and well suited to her new role: three years as a property manager, responding to resident complaints, solving their problems, and conducting training of other employees. Then two years as a mortgage loan officer, which she says was ” not for me,” as she wanted something more hands-on in the community.
And during an internship at Prince George’s County’s Office of Management and Budget, her focus was on which services the county’s municipalities provided, for which they’re reimbursed by the county. In that role she became very familiar with the many municipalities in the county, including Greenbelt, which offers more services than most.
Through those experiences she learned that “I wanted to work for local government, and municipal government is as local as one can get!”
What does a Constituent Services Coordinator DO?
Of course the job includes responding to complaints – “case managing” – but she says, “My goals for this role involve solving problems for constituents. However, I plan on using those solutions as building blocks to build a foundation to solve larger-scale issues.”
Toward that end, she’s conducting monthly town halls with residents, first the topic of utility providers, which attracted 15-20 constituents last month to an in-person meeting, and this month on renters’ rights. April’s topic will probably be “green” issues and, coming soon, a “know your rights” session for immigrants. Gizelle also conducted a “Train the Trainer” event for community leaders, training them in conducting a “Know Your Rights” informational session.
And with the city manager and the Public Information team, she helped create a page on the city’s website for federal employees. A page with resources for immigrants is being finalized and will be uploaded shortly.
During her first month on the job she also attended several introductory meetings with community members and constituents, met all city department directors, hosted a meeting with CASA and local elected officials regarding growing public concerns, issued a survey to constituents that went out via email and to the Greenbelt News Review, and responded to several constituent concerns.
One of those constituent concerns was about dog poop in a Greenbelt park, which she responded to by having dog-poop bag holders installed there. (No problem too large or small!)
Contacting Gizelle
“I would like constituents to know that I am available to them for any issues or questions that they may have regarding the City of Greenbelt. I am in the process of uploading resources under a new “Constituent Services” tab on our website. We are also planning lots of events for the city to participate in.” Just email galvarez@greenbeltmd.gov.
From my chat with Gizelle over breakfast at the New Deal Cafe I can add that she’s delightful – easy to talk to and savvy. So congratulations to Gizelle for her new job and kudos to our City Manager for creating the job and then selecting her!
Off-Hours
Asked about “hobbies,” Gizelle responded that “I like to travel. Even if it’s for a day trip or short weekend trip, I like to visit nearby cities and explore. I’m also a huge foodie, I like to try new foods and new cuisines; I feel like that’s the best way to be introduced to new cultures.” Gizelle currently lives in Laurel, so she’s a Prince George’s girl now!
Melissa
I am happy to learn that Ms. Alvarez is responsible for many worthy efforts I have heard about that help solve problems for Greenbelt residents. Thank you, city, for providing us with a “Constituent Services Coordinator”, and welcome, Ms. Alvarez. Thank you, Susan Harris, for keeping us informed!