Cheryl Ruffin ReClaim South Ambassador, 2014 As a Pastor at St. Paul AME, Cheryl is already dedicated to the enhancement of her neighborhood. She moved back to Pittsburgh from San Francisco with her family to come back to a very vacated Knoxville. Although her neighborhood is a little rough around the edges, she is quick to point out the quality of her neighbors and congregation. Click here to learn more about her project, the Beloved Community Garden of Hope. ReClaim South Sustaining…Read More
Linda Piso ReClaim South Ambassador, 2014 Like a true Pittsburgher, Linda left for a number of years, only to boomerang back to the 'burgh. She is excited to see her Library being more active and plans to partner with them to create a community garden. Her hope is that it will bring together different groups of neighbors (including her newest neighbors from Bhutan) together to socialize, work and eat together. ReClaim South Sustaining Momentum Ambassador, 2015 As a resident of Knoxville, Linda…Read More
Gordon Hodnett ReClaim South Ambassador, 2014 For nearly 50 years, Gordon has lived in Beltzhoover, and he can vividly recount how the community used to be a thriving, active place. Today, there are less people and more vacancy and his favorite spot is his back porch and enjoys walking around McKinley Park. Through the program he wants to grow green things to beautify his block. Click here to learn more about his project, The Garden on Gearing. ReClaim South Sustaining Momentum Ambassador,…Read More
Natalie Thomas ReClaim South Ambassador A lifelong resident of Beltzhoover, Natalie took the initiative to start the "Positive Effect Garden" across the street from her house. During her time in the ReClaim South program, she hopes to learn more about gardening and continue to encourage the creative do-gooding of the neighborhood kids. Click here to learn more about her project, The Beltzhoover Unified Positive Effect Garden.Read More
Cara Jette ReClaim South Ambassador, 2014 A Web Developer by day and future community leader by night. Cara is originally from Haverhill, MA. She joined ReClaim South in order to help improve her current neighborhood. Her favorite part of Allentown is her peaceful street with amazing views of the city. Click here to learn more about her project, The Historic Knoxville Incline Trail Entrance. ReClaim South Sustaining Momentum Ambassador, 2016 Cara is a driven Allentown resident who aims to brighten people's days as they travel…Read More
David Lassman Carnegie Mellon University Treasurer Pronouns: he/him/his David is a Distinguished Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where he teaches courses in organizational behavior, leadership, and strategy. Prior to his role as professor, David spent more than 25 years in private industry, working mostly in operations and engineering management in a variety of industries that included automotive, computer test equipment, high-end custom furniture, food processing, steel fabrication, glass giftware/collectibles, electric drive transmissions and promotional products. David was drawn to the board…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
Matthew Ciccone GTECH Strategies Cofounder & Member Emeritus The Beauty Shoppe Matthew is a partner with The Beauty Shoppe, a regional coworking operator. In addition, he also is a cofounder of GTECH and previous board president. He created Edile, which works on niche real estate projects in Pittsburgh. Matthew likes travel, food, friends, music, sports and business. He is the proud Chairman of the SMF Turkey Bowl, Pittsburgh’s most anticipated and hyped annual event. Read More
Elizabeth Stephens Organizational Development Specialist & Social Entrepreneur Elizabeth Stephens is an organizational development and management consultant with over 25 years experience working for social change both in the U.S. and overseas at Manage For Impact. As Executive Director of Social Venture Partners (SVP) Pittsburgh, Elizabeth worked with over 100 nonprofits to leverage and message their programs to have a greater impact. Prior to SVP, Elizabeth worked in Pittsburgh with Brothers Brother Foundation and the Community College of Allegheny County. Before moving…Read More
Jon Pastor Rent Jungle & Community Elf Board Treasurer Jonathan Pastor is the Division President of the Rent Jungle and Data Insights business units at The Rainmaker Group, a market-leading profit optimization and data analytics solution provider for the hospitality and multifamily real estate industries. Jonathan is the founder of Rent Jungle, a real estate data mining technology and search company. Before his endeavor as an entrepreneur, Jonathan worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and as an operations manager…Read More
Andrew Butcher Andrew is an accomplished social entrepreneur with expertise in the fields of community development, renewable energy, social innovation and environmental justice. Andrew holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, and a Bachelors in Political Science from American University in Washington DC. He participated in the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs in St. Louis, and holds certificates from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and The Massachusetts…Read More