Alex Train

Alex Train, AICP, is a creative, thoughtful, and strategic executive with a background in community planning and development. Grounded in a commitment to serving the community of Chelsea, he has exercised a forward looking, adaptive management approach as he’s led diverse teams, effectively marshaled resources, and stewarded leading edge community development initiatives. With over ten years of leadership experience in the realm of community development, Alex has forged coalitions, cultivated emerging leaders, and fostered enduring partnerships to achieve lasting results, with a focus on serving the Latinx immigrant community.

Most recently, Alex served as the Director of Housing & Community Development for the City of Chelsea. In this role, he proactively managed a $100 million portfolio of community and economic development efforts, secured over $140 million in grant funding, and dramatically scaled operations, while revamping the City’s approach to civic engagement to begin building trust with the community. Working closely with La Colaborativa, Alex advanced community-wide emergency COVID-19 response efforts to ensure residents survived the pandemic, as well the local recovery program inChelsea that has been replicated across the State. This included creating the first emergency rental assistance program in the Commonwealth, designing the largest universal basic income program in the country, and leading innovative local models of economic development, childcare assistance, and climate resilience. Notably, Alex earned the Housing Hero Award from Massachusetts Housing Partnership for efforts to prevent displacement, eradicate food insecurity, and strengthen community partnerships, as well as the Rising Star Award from Metro Housing Boston for contributions to housing and economic stability.

Born in Boston, Alex holds a Masters of Regional Planning from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at UMass Amherst, as well as a bachelor’s in history from Suffolk University. Moreover, he earned the American Institute of Certified Planners certification from the American Planning Association. Outside of work, Alex owns a home and resides in Chelsea. He’s an ardent supporter of environmental justice and animal rights causes, while enjoying cooking, art, poetry, and music.