The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council is pleased to announce that Ellen Fishman has been elected as Chair of the organization. She succeeds Danae Oratowski, who served as PHNDC Chair since 2007. 

Ms. Fishman, a native New Yorker, is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Brooklyn Law School. She has been a resident of Prospect Heights with her family for 13 years. During that time she transitioned from working as an attorney in private practice to operating with her husband Albano Ballerini the authentic pizza and pasta restaurant Amorina Cucina Rustica, on Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights. Ms. Fishman is also the President of the Vanderbilt Avenue Merchants District and continues to represent it on the PHNDC board. As both as both a resident and merchant she brings a unique perspective to our organization. 

"I would like to see PHNDC's actions give expression to the extraordinary character of Prospect Heights; a neighborhood that strikes a unique, and sometimes tenuous balance as the cultural heart of Brooklyn," said Ms. Fishman. "It's a socioeconomically diverse residential area with skyrocketing real estate values; an emerging bar and restaurant destination; home to the City's newest entertainment venue; and home to one, and soon to be two, major league sports teams. At the same time, we're anticipating massive construction of mixed residential and commercial development over several years on 16 acres. It's our challenge to navigate the powerful winds that have made Prospect Heights the center of such pressing change, so that the healthy, vibrant elements thrive while keeping sight of potentially threatening turns to this remarkable community."