Oswaldo Mestre, Jr.
City of Buffalo, NY
Director of the Division of Citizen Services
Inspirational, Change Maker, Innovative
Oswaldo Mestre Jr. is the Chief Service Officer and Director of the Citizen Services for the City of Buffalo and serves as the City’s ombudsman. Appointed by Mayor Byron W. Brown in January 2006, Director Mestre has been tasked with the administration of the Mayor’s Call & Resolution Center and various special programs designed to address the needs of Buffalo’s neighborhoods, such as the implementation of the city’s new 3-1-1 Call & Resolution center recently awarded and designated as a “Citizen–Engaged Community” by the Public Technology Institute, Inc. for 2010-2012 and 2012-2014.
Mr. Mestre has also been charged with the ongoing development, implementation and assessment of neighborhood revitalization and quality-of-life programs such as the Mayor’s Citizens’ Participation Academy; the Save Our Streets Program, and its nationally acclaimed “Clean Sweeps Initiative” from the American City & County Magazine 2007 America’s Crown Communities;
As former director of the Buffalo Weed and Seed program, Mr. Mestre was instrumental in establishing the Buffalo program to be one of only eight Weed and Seed programs in the nation to establish an effective gun abatement program. His work with the Justice Department led the Community Action Organization to honor Mr. Mestre with the “Outstanding Crime Prevention Advocate” award.
Mr. Mestre also directed an AmeriCorps/VISTA program “Buffalo Urban/Suburban Corps”, which offers post-secondary scholarships to those that, are interested in serving their community. Mr. Mestre serves on the executive committee of Buffalo’s Workforce Investment Board and is the chairperson of its Youth Council. He is the former president of the Board of Directors of C.R.U.C.I.A.L Community center, Inc., and current member of Leadership Buffalo, (class of ’97).
The 2021 Top 100 Influencers List is made possible by ELGL’s partnership with CivicPlus.
