Darnell Moses Secretary Pronouns: he/him/his Darnell is the Vice President of Development Finance at The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) where he is responsible for administering all contracts for the department and fiscal compliance of those contracts. His expertise enhances the work in Research and Technical Assistance, including working on CDFA Publications; Government Affairs including participating in the Federal Financing Webinar; and Programming with a focus on Course Advising all areas; but specifically Tax Credit financing. Mr. Moses will play a…Read More
Brittany Griffith Pronouns: she/her/hers Brittany, a Pittsburgh native, graduated from The Neighborhood Academy in 2015 and is currently a student at Penn State University- where she will graduate in December with a bachelor's degree in Marketing. Growing up in Homewood she witnessed first hand the negative effects of vacant lots on the neighborhood. After learning of the work Grounded does in communities throughout the city she was eager to join the team. Her passion for marketing and her love for the city…Read More
Kathy Zhang Kathy is a rising junior at Carnegie Mellon University studying environmental and sustainability studies and art through the Bachelor of Humanities and Arts intercollege degree program. Through Grounded’s community-based approach and the intersection the organization provides between art and the environment, she became interested in Grounded’s mission. At CMU she is involved in Strong Women, Strong Girls and acts as a Housing Sustainability Assistant (HSA), where she serves as a sustainability representation for a neighborhood of CMU’s housing. As an…Read More
Dr. Danielle Andrews-Brown Pronouns: she/her/hers Dr. Andrews received her Ph.D. (Soil Science) in 2011 at The Pennsylvania State University. She remained at Penn State as a post-doctoral scholar and research associate. Dr. Andrews came to the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 as a lecturer and the advisor and coordinator of the Environmental Studies program. For over 14 years, she has conducted lab and field scale research as it pertains to water and soil quality. Presently, specific research has focused on carbon, nitrogen and emerging…Read More
Kelsey Small Pronouns: she/her/hers Kelsey Small is the shared Chief Financial Officer for the Environmental Finance Collaborative with financial responsibilities for five organizations: Allegheny County Conservation District, Construction Junction, Grounded Strategies, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association and Tree Pittsburgh. Kelsey is responsible for providing operational financial expertise and oversight, budgeting and business planning, and adoption of best practices in financial management. Most recently Kelsey was the Interim Director of Finance and Administration for the Carnegie Museum of Art, where she oversaw financial,…Read More
Kufere Laing Kufere is a native of Pittsburgh's Hill District. After graduating from Central Catholic High School in 2011, Kufere studied Economics and African American studies at Temple University. Kufere then moved to Detroit and taught 7th and 8th grade United States History. After teaching for two years in Detroit, Kufere moved to Jackson, Mississippi to work as a Community Advocate at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Kufere is a firm believer and advocate for a community's ability to determine their destiny through…Read More
Charmaine McDonald Charmaine is a part of the CommunityCare: Homewood cohort, and everyone calls her Ms. Cookie. She loves her community, and helps others see the beauty in it whenever she can. Ms. Cookie takes care of vacant lots because you just never know when the president might drive down your street!Read More
Michelle Jackson Michelle is part of the CommunityCare: Homewood cohort! She is a dedicated steward who takes care of lots along N. Lang Avenue. Michelle is a CommunityCare steward because she knows that vacancy has an impact on mental health, and it improves community morale when you turn vacant lots into attractive spaces.Read More