Peter A. Franzen is CEAM’s associate executive director, a role he took on in 2013 after two years with the organization. In his current role Peter manages day-to-day operations and strategic direction and provides development leadership and support.Peter has dedicated the past 30+ years to improving the quality of life for children, families, and communities in Saint Louis. In 1991 Peter came to Saint Louis from Portland, Oregon to perform a year of voluntary service with a local community agency serving children and families. He developed and implemented social groupwork programs for children and teens including after-school programs, interest groups, teen clubs, day-camps and a summer camps. Most recently Peter served as director of development for the online, regional news organization the St. Louis Beacon where he created a community engagement program called Beacon and Eggs. Before the Beacon, Peter implemented his development program as director of development with The Black Rep.After earning his Master of Social Work degree in 1999 from Saint Louis University Peter was selected to start the St. Louis site of a national mentoring program called The EnvironMentors Project©, a program that targeted at-risk teens and matched them with science professionals to foster student interest in environmental science careers.Peter participated in Leadership St. Louis in 2001/02. In 2002 he was named Executive Director of Mentor St. Louis, a school-based mentoring program in the St. Louis Public Schools that managed over 800 adult volunteers matched with nearly 1,000 children.Peter holds a BA in English literature in addition to his MSW. With family in Oregon, Canada and Germany, Peter has made Saint Louis his home and has twice been recognized by The Organization for Black Struggle with the “Unsung Hero of Human Rights” award.Peter resides in St. Louis in the Tower Grove Park area and previously lived in the College Hill neighborhood until 2004.