Reg Crutcher named president of North Avondale Neighborhood Association

The North Avondale Neighborhood Association was founded in 1960 to create a council aimed at promoting community-driven relations in the North Avondale area. The group is tasked with organizing regular meetings with the community, driving engagement and interfacing with city officials. 

Reg Crutcher grew up in North Avondale and still calls the neighborhood home today. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP program, majoring in digital design, and currently works at Procter & Gamble, where he has spent the past 22 years in R&D and design roles. 

He claims his college experience gave him the confidence to be able to step into the new leadership role with NANA. 

“My time at DAAP helped me with the skill of saying, ‘I’m not going to be scared about this thing that I don’t know a lot about, but I am willing to jump in and learn enough to be able to move something forward and get something done,’” Crutcher said.

Crutcher attributes his long residence in North Avondale to a handful of factors, including the neighborhood's architecture and location. He enjoys experiencing a mix of architectural styles and personalities while living in an area that allows for short, convenient trips to many places around the city. 

“You don't feel like you are in the city,” Crutcher said. “There are spacious lawns, and there are a lot of dense trees that kind of surround it, so while you're in the neighborhood, you feel pretty removed from being in an urban area when, in fact, you actually are. You don't have to walk too far before you start encountering a lot of more of the urban aspects that are very near and dear to us. I really enjoy being in a neighborhood where it definitely doesn't feel like you are in the city, but you still get the benefits of living in the city.” 

Above all, Crutcher credits the people of North Avondale for creating a community that he hasn’t wanted to leave. The neighborhood is diverse and offers a welcoming environment for all who live there, and a place that all residents want to continue to strive for the betterment of the neighborhood they live in. 

“There is a huge diversity of not only race, but also in terms of personalities and worldviews you'll run into here,” Crutcher said. “There’s a lot of diversity in terms of occupations as well. There are politicians, there are engineers, there are a lot of professors, and there are at least two filmmakers. It's quite an eclectic, creative bunch that chose to take on one of these larger mansions and try to keep them up.” 

Crutcher was named president of NANA in May, succeeding Dawn Johnson after her term concluded. He’d been a part of the association for more than 17 years as a volunteer at yearly events, but Crutcher saw an opportunity to affect more change by taking a leadership role. He wanted to have more of a say in some of the long-term decisions the community was facing, pushing for the best possible outcomes for the neighborhood he hopes his children will want to be a part of in the future, like himself. 

“I am thinking about this neighborhood for the long term,” Crutcher said. “My house is something that I'd love to be able to pass on to my kids. I grew up in this neighborhood. My father now lives with me. These homes allow for that kind of multi-generational living, which might be harder to do in smaller spaces. 

“I care about the long-term health and success of this neighborhood. There are some new dynamics coming into play that have caused me to say that I probably should get more involved.” 

Those new dynamics are now Crutcher’s main focus. He wants to conserve the neighborhood’s identity and history through historic designation, meaning there would be preservation against the demolition or redevelopment of a property or structure due to its historical, cultural or architectural significance to the district. 

On top of that, Crutcher wants to look to improve safety measures and increase social connection among the residents of North Avondale. He’s also looking at creating what he calls a third space — a place where people can congregate and have meaningful conversations with their neighbors. With that, social connection and collaboration should improve. 

“We don't really have what most people would call a third space,” Crutcher said. “The idea of a coffee shop or an ice cream parlor or an art gallery or simply a common place where people can come and have a sense of belonging and have those kinds of natural interactions with their neighbors. We have a business district, but it definitely needs some additional development to create something like that as we move forward.” 

“It can be a tricky thing to navigate, but there absolutely is an enormous amount of civic passion with a lot of really smart people and a lot of creative ideas inside NANA. The work is figuring out how to combine those ideas and establish joint partnerships so that we can do things as a cohesive group, rather than individuals that are going after their personal projects.”

Featured image at top of Reg Crutcher (second from right) posing for a group photo with NANA. Photos/provided