By Francesca Merwin, staff writer

Taino Palermo is a man of connections. He has a unique ability to see natural relationships form in places most people wouldn’t think of. It’s not hard, really – he just sees ways that to interact and “play” with each other.  He sees ways that people can work together to improve the City of Syracuse. Tai Palermo is a mover and shaker, and he’s out to make some big changes in the city of Syracuse-using his many connections of course.  He exemplifies the word “engagement.”

Palermo’s credentials are impressive. On the top of the list is Outliers C & So, Inc., a nonprofit he founded dedicated to reintegrating dropouts into academia through art and education programs and services. Through Outliers, he has coordinated the Breath of Fresh Air teen art gallery, the Next Level College Prep Program, the Wake-Up Campaign and the Maestro Art Academy. He’s currently the Youth Development Coordinator for the YWCA of Syracuse & Onondaga County and the YWCA Program Supervisor for Say Yes to Education. In his free time, Palermo is working towards his doctorate of education in K-12 educational leadership through Jones International University.

While it may seem like Palermo is stretched thin over a million projects, everything he does connects to his end goals and study. And they relate to his personal life too. Palermo moved to Syracuse from a comfortable life in New York City after his wife got accepted to medical school in the city. He immediately saw the bigger picture forming with his wife’s education: She would be the first doctor in her family to immigrant parents and she is the only Latina student in the program. “Statistics say she shouldn’t be there,” Palermo says. “She’s my poster child.” It was a perfect match for the man who seeks to improve education- no matter where he is.

He uses his central role at YWCA to encourage this mission, and supplements this work across Syracuse. In his role at the YWCA, he is committed to starting an educational reform in Syracuse. He’s working on a city Drop-Out Prevention Program and actively working with local high school students to learn what students need from their education. He’s listening to the needs of the people, listening to what tools they need to succeed, and then finding these tools.

When you’re a man who wants to change the city, this is your responsibility. If you want to be an effective leader, you have to utilize the people and resources that you have. “I’m the ‘breath of fresh air’ that can bring Syracuse to the forefront on a different level,” says Palermo. “I know how to use people effectively and point them in the right direction while helping them out as well.”

As Palermo continues his many projects in the city, he’s constantly looking for people who are willing to collaborate and look to address the bigger picture of what’s going on with our city. Luckily, he’s formed a great partnership with the Connective Corridor and is coordinating events for ArtsWeek, the Corridor buses and Breath of Fresh Air Gallery. “Syracuse has a laundry list of issues.  I can’t and I won’t solve them,” Palermo admits. “I handle specific little things. What I can do, I will. If anyone wants to play, I’ll play. “