Greg McAuliffe Pronouns: he/him/his Greg was born and raised in Albany, NY, and received a B.S. in Environmental Science from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Shortly after graduation he joined the Peace Corps and served in the mountains of Peru. The experience with the Peace Corps instilled a sense of purpose when working in conservation at a community level. He has returned to Peru multiple times to work on projects such as small scale community wind power projects, conservation of monkey habitat,…Read More
Paige Johnson Pronouns: she/her/hers Paige Johnson is a rising senior from Ohio attending the University of Michigan and majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience with a minor in the History of Medicine and Health. She plans to pursue a Master’s in Public Health. Through the CDC Lewis Scholars Program, Paige is interning with Grounded to research the impact of Grounded on communities from a public health perspective. She is excited to experience Pittsburgh for a couple months and work with others at…Read More
Alexis Kennedy Pronouns: she/her/hers Alexis Kennedy is a rising fourth year student at Penn State University Park majoring in Geosciences. Through Penn State's City Semester Pittsburgh program, Alexis is interning with Grounded to learn how to sustainably repurpose vacant land in Pittsburgh. Alexis is also earning a certificate in Earth Sustainability, where she has been able to learn about global sustainability efforts, and has even got the chance to apply these tools hands on in Belize completing a capstone project designed around…Read More
Claire Sullivan Pronouns: she/they Growing up just outside of Washington, D.C., Claire was immersed in the dynamic urban environment from a young age. The early exposure inspired Claire’s current educational pursuit; a B.A. in Architectural Studies and a B.A. in Urban Studies with a minor in Studio Arts. With a focus on sustainable design, Claire is dedicated to creating projects that foster community engagement and prioritize environmental justice. Claire enjoys pursuing her interests through various avenues, including design work, research and the…Read More
Kelly Henderson Pronouns: she/they Kelly Henderson is a sustainability, equity, education and community engagement professional who prioritizes relational and heart-centered leadership in her work. She is also an engaged community member and part of the Planning Commission where she lives in Homestead. Before coming to Grounded, she spent time as the Program Director for Sustainable Pittsburgh, the K-12 Education Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty for Chatham University’s sustainable Eden Hall Campus, the Sustainability and Communications Coordinator for The Efficiency Network and a Building…Read More
Wise Allen Pronouns: he/him/his Wise is joins Grounded as a fellow from Repair the World in fighting for social justice and facilitating growth in overlooked places. He is a University of Pittsburgh graduate with a B.A in History and an unabashed nerd! As a staff member of the City Clerk's Office in downtown Pittsburgh, Wise has spent countless hours pouring over forgotten city records and ordinances. A lover of all things outdoors you can often find Wise on the trails and bike…Read More
Ruby Velasco Pronouns: she/her/hers Ruby grew up in Santa Ana, California – a vibrant but underinvested community in drastically segregated Orange County. She is passionate about equity, inclusivity, and being an active member of your community. In the past, she was an assistant volunteer coordinator at The Frida Cinema, an independent arthouse theater, a camp counselor in Eastern Kentucky, and a VISTA at PCRG doing capacity building in Allegheny County. Her professional experience is in community development, resource building, and coalition management. …Read More
Shreya Mathur Pronouns: she/her/hers Having been born and raised in various cities in India, cities and people were something that she was surrounded by. Pursuing Architecture in her undergraduate, she quickly found that she wanted to focus on the Urban Design realm which led her to Pittsburgh to pursue her Masters at Carnegie Mellon University. She found herself interested in the role that people played in the cities and the way people use and live in cities. To further study and understand…Read More
Jai Shah Pronouns: he/him/his Jai Shah is from Palo Alto, California studying Statistics and Machine Learning at Carnegie Mellon University. He is very excited to be working as an intern here at Grounded and is really passionate about utilizing and repurposing the land in Pittsburgh and finding ways to make Pittsburgh a better community.Read More
Kayla Brennan Pronouns: she/her/hers Kayla Brennan was born and raised in Calvert County, Maryland. Having an interest in research, she attended Duquesne University and joined a microbiology lab studying bacteria in abandoned mine drainage. During her time at Duquesne, she realized she was mainly interested in environmental science and joined volunteer organizations that allowed her to garden and help clean the Allegheny River. After graduating with a major in biology and minor in environmental science, Kayla continues to pursue her passion for…Read More
Sophie Smith Pronouns: she/her/hers Raised outside of Philadelphia, Sophie moved to St. Louis for college, where she spent time with environmental activist groups and learned the value of coalition building. Sophie earned her degree in Anthropology and Educational Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. After graduation, she relocated to Pittsburgh to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA for New Sun Rising, in Millvale. During her service year, Sophie conducted community outreach and engagement, and aided with projects surrounding Millvale's sustainable development plan.…Read More
Riley McGrath Pronouns: they/them/theirs Riley grew up in Norristown, PA and came to Pittsburgh to attend the University of Pittsburgh. They studied Environmental Studies and Urban Studies and earned certificates in Sustainability and Geographic Information Systems. While in Undergrad, Riley spent a lot of time volunteering with different environmental organizations both on and off campus and grew passionate about environmental stewardship and urban sustainability. Prior to joining Grounded, Riley completed a service year with PULSE (Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience) where they…Read More