Paul Morack Starbucks Paul is the district manager for Starbucks, who is dedicated to making a difference in Pittsburgh communities. He has served on the board of directions for an environmental group in Beaver County and S.T.O.P. (Stand Tough on Pollution). Presently he sits on the board of the Pittsburgh branch of the Delta Foundation.Read More
Eric Meyer Wigle Whiskey Eric has always been interested in history, urban economic development and alcohol. He currently combines all of these interests at the whiskey distillery, which he co-owns with his family.Read More
Kimberly Olivito FedEx Ground Kimberly Olivito is the Sustainability Specialist at FedEx Ground. Before starting at FedEx Ground, she most recently served as a Green Cities Sustainability Fellow for the Student Conservation Association where she helped to launch the Pittsburgh Green Workplace Challenge at Sustainable Pittsburgh.Read More
Shad Henderson Neighborhood Allies Shad serves as the Community Partnerships and Investments Program Manager at Neighborhood Allies where he oversees and manages programs and investments related to neighborhood advocacy, capacity-building, system alignment and strategic integration of community development activities, including comprehensive community planning and development. Prior to joining the Neighborhood Allies team, Shad served as an Educator of 4-H Youth Development for the Penn State Center in Pittsburgh. There he piloted a leadership initiative for young African-American males of the East End…Read More
Julia Thrower EQT Corporation Julia Thrower is a Business Analyst in Treasury at EQT Corporation. She brings nearly a decade of experience in financial modeling, quantitative analysis and information design working for companies including General Electric, Boeing, and Bombardier. Julia has a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, and she is currently pursuing an MBA at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business.Read More
Grace Braxton Grace comes to Grounded as a first-year student in the University of Pittsburgh’s Master of Social Work program and is excited about learning the ins and outs of a community-oriented nonprofit with a powerful mission. As a 2016 college graduate from the University of Vermont, Grace has a background in global studies and culture. Since graduating college, Grace has worked at a day habilitation center with adults with intellectual disabilities and as a care manager at a psychiatric clinic in…Read More
Yidan Gong Yidan Gong recently joined Grounded Strategies as a design intern for summer 2018, who has already made herself a valuable member of the team! Her primary focus is the new Green Playce at the Manchester Academic Charter School. This new outdoor classroom and play space will utilize a stretch of vacant lots directly behind the school, transforming unused space into a sensory-rich environment for developing young minds and bodies. In addition to contributing to the design process, she looks forward to…Read More
Megan McElhaney Megan joined Grounded as a third-year graduate student from the University of Pittsburgh. She is pursuing joint master’s degrees in social work and public administration, with concentrations in community organizing and nonprofit management. Before grad school, Megan was an AmeriCorps member working with various youth programs in the Hilltop neighborhoods. In fact, she first learned about Grounded when she helped build a Green Playce at the Allentown Learning and Engagement Center! She has been a trip leader specialist with Venture…Read More
Ariana Allen Ariana Allen is a recent graduate of Oakland Catholic High School who is now entering her first year at Chatham University’s Falk School of Sustainability and Environment. Since she was a child, Ariana has always had a love and appreciation for animals and the environment. As a kid, she’d almost always be outside playing in the dirt with her two younger brothers or going fishing with her dad. Seeing the impact humans are having on the environment inspired her to…Read More
Katy Pietragallo Pronouns: she/her/hers Katy is a third-year law student at the University of Pittsburgh, where she focuses on public interest law. She has held internships with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the Democratic staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Prior to law school, she received her BA in Political Science from West Chester University of PA and interned as an ESL teacher, as well as with the Democratic Committee of Chester County. Katy is excited to work with the Policy team to…Read More
Kristin Hughes Fitwits & Carnegie Mellon University Kristin Hughes is an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Design, where she has designed and taught interdisciplinary courses that blend design with informal learning, cognitive psychology and public policy. Outside of academia, Kristin is also a social entrepreneur. She is the creator of Fitwits, a health improvement program designed for young patients, their families and their doctors. Using game design, Fitwits has character-based agents and health-inspired activities to motivate children to engage…Read More
Philip Lawson Pronouns: he/him/his Philip Lawson is now in year two of the Master of Social Work program at The University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. While pursuing this degree, he is opting to concentrate on Community, Organizing and Social Action curriculum. He is also earning a certificate in Human Service Management from the school. Prior to being a student intern for Grounded Strategies, he has been a fellow for Pitt’s Center on Race and Social Problems. This allowed him to…Read More