Amy Eisert Nominated for Women Making History

Amy Eisert Nominated for Women Making History

Madeleine Plourde, Staff writer

Amy Eisert, director of the Thomas J. Gamble Civic Institute at Mercyhurst University was nominated for Women Making History 2023. Women Making History is an honor given by the Mercy Center for Women. Eisert is one of 16 women in the Erie area to be nominated for this honor.“It’s exciting to be nominated among 15 other amazing women doing remarkable work in the Erie area,” Eisert said. “It was a surprise and an honor.”For Eisert, this nomination means a lot because it is through an organization that sets an example for collaboration within the community, something that is important to Eisert and her own work. At Mercyhurst, Eisert has worked at the Civic Institute for 21 years now and it is a link to the community as it provides data, evaluation and best practice information to help support social causes that address issues such as criminal justice, child welfare, domestic violence, homelessness and education in Erie. Eisert said she works to provide straightforward research and facts to the organizations she works with. This way the organizations can use that information to create a plan that works for their needs.“Data and science aren’t real popular right now,” Eisert said. Yet through this data she hopes to help organizations optimize the work they are doing and, in turn, make Erie a better place. Erie has always held a special place in Eisert’s heart. “My roots are in Erie. It means a lot to me. It’s my home,” she said. Eisert was born in Erie, partially raised here and then decided to return as an adult and raise her own family here. She truly loves Erie and wants to it be the best place it can be for her family as well as everyone else.“I want it to be a home my family can be proud of,” Eisert said, “and a place they can feel safe in and comfortable in.”Aside from her work at Mercyhurst, Eisert does a lot for the Erie community. She has worked as a Research partner for Unified Erie since 2011. She works toward violence reduction with her department focusing primarily on the domain of prevention.“We look for where there are gaps in resources and work to strengthen those resources organizations have,” Eisert said. She has also worked with the Domestic Violence Action Alliance since 2019 and is currently working to implement a Lethality Assessment Program county-wide. The Lethality Assessment has previously been contingent specific police departments in the area but making it countywide would make a big difference for the safety of the Erie community. Eisert has done and continues to do a lot of work here at Mercyhurst and in the community at large. Her work is something about which she cares deeply. “I love working with other people to solve problems,” Eisert said. Eisert hopes that people know her work is not about politics or agendas. She is not trying to force any opinions. She works with data, research and the facts.“Our only agenda is to do good work that is in the best interest of the community,” Eisert said. The Women Making History honors will be presented on Monday, April 3, at the PAC. It will run from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Attendance is free and no reservation is required. More information can be found at the Mercy Center for Women’s website at mcwerie.org/events/women-making-history-2023