Ilyssa Manspeizer: Combining Land Conservation and Workforce Readiness

With the sudden demand to build parks, remove invasive plants and clear lots, Manspeizer realized she needed to carefully consider the program’s mission. ETC had successfully built Emerald View Park, but crew members still faced barriers to employment. “I naively thought that having something on their résumé would help them find a job,” Manspeizer says.

She and her team went back to the drawing board, studying similar workforce programs in 40 cities. They relaunched in 2015 as the Pittsburgh Conservation Corps — and then later became known as Landforce.

The new nonprofit would have two equal missions: land conservation and workforce development.

Proving their mettle

When people enter the Landforce program, they come up with a series of goals they want to accomplish during their six-to-eight-month stint. Once goals are set, each person is assigned a work readiness manager, and crew members meet with that person weekly to go over progress made toward their goals.

They may want to get into an HVAC technician program or get a driver’s license to pursue jobs in an area with sparse public transportation. But some have other objectives — such as securing housing or family therapy.

“It’s not just about connecting people to the right job, but it’s about enabling them to stabilize their own lives,” Manspeizer says.

About 60 to 70 percent of Landforce crews are formerly incarcerated individuals, but everyone who comes through the doors has faced challenges such as being unhoused or struggles with substance abuse or . Crews tell Landforce they like the camaraderie and having jobs outside, Manspeizer says. “We’ve had people [say], ‘I love coming to work because the birds are always singing.’ ”

Building bigger

Since its start, Landforce has worked on 237 projects such as building park trails, habitat restoration and green infrastructure in 80 communities across Allegheny County. At the At the same time the group has helped 207 people identify careers and pathways to better lives. More than 90 percent of graduates are placed in jobs. Some continue in environmental work as landscapers or arborists. Some work in construction, join master plumbing programs or get nursing degrees.

“What we’re doing is kind of setting the table. We’re providing tools,” Manspeizer says. “And it’s up to them what tools they pick up. But when they pick up tools, it just seems that they are really running with it.”

Graduates of the program sometimes come by the office, Manspeizer says. They bring their children or show the 15-member Landforce team the keys to a new car or house.

As the nonprofit celebrates its 10th anniversary, the organization is opening a zero-waste mill with the potential to offer year-round employment instead of seasonal work. The facility will keep trees out of landfills while offering training in manufacturing, machinery and carpentry.

Manspeizer says she’s grateful to be recognized as part of the AARP Purpose Prize, “but all the kudos go to the people who have to work … six times as hard to be able to get their lives on track again, because the changes that they make are really incredible.”

The AARP Purpose Prize supports AARP’s mission by honoring extraordinary people ages 50 and over who tap into the power of life experience to build a better future for us all. To read more about this year’s winners, click here.