Ariam Ford-Graver Pronouns: she/her/hers Ariam is a City Planner by trade and self-driven by choice. She is deeply passionate about equitable development, community planning, and land-use policy. Her professional work has focused on community-led land use interventions, resident empowerment, civic education programs, geospatial statistics, and GIS mapping. Ariam holds a Master of City Planning from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Virginia and currently serves on the Board of Propel Schools.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
Shequaya Bailey Pronouns: she/her/hers She is passionate about community, health, and youth! She endeavors to work and live a life that supports these. Shequaya is a native of Pittsburgh who graduated from Peabody High School; attended Pennsylvania State University to study Health Policy and Administration and earned her Bachelor of Science degree; she has her Master in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. In her spare time, Shequaya is the President of the Pittsburgh Major Taylor Cycling Club (PMTCC), MajorForce Youth…Read More
Becca Simon pronouns: she/her/hers Becca was born and raised in Hillsboro, OR. She received her undergraduate degree in International Political Economy and Environmental Policy & Decision Making from the University of Puget Sound in 2019. Post undergrad, Becca served as a FoodCorps AmeriCorps Service Member in Ronan, MT doing nutrition, gardening, and food justice education with Kindergarten-5th grade students. After FoodCorps, Becca moved to Pittsburgh to serve as a Fellow with Repair the World Pittsburgh where she was committed to helping engage…Read More
Skylar McGinley Pronouns: he/him/his Skylar strives to be a part of the change that he wants to see in the world. He says "a part of" because we can't always do everything on our own. It often takes a united group of people to begin to see the changes we desire. Skylar has a Bachelor of Science in English from the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH. After graduating, he took part in the Photography Intensive course at Pittsburgh Filmmakers (now part…Read More
Masoud Sayles Pronouns: he/him/his Masoud is a lifelong resident of the Pittsburgh Area. A graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Geobiology, Masoud passionately pursues his interest in permaculture design. Prior to joining Grounded, Masoud worked joyfully alongside gardeners at his local community garden, as well as finding employment propagating plants for a local neighborhood nursery. During this time, he worked alongside members of his community in creating various gardens and on trash cleanups, engendering within him an interest in…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
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
Jenna Ruggiero Pronouns: she/her/hers Originally from western Maryland, Jenna moved to Pittsburgh to study at the University of Pittsburgh, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies with a minor in Studio Arts. From a young age, Jenna wanted to study architecture to create tangible change, and she is passionate about intersectionality within the design of the built environment. She is excited to work with Grounded as a Design and Placemaking Intern to continue to expand her community-based design knowledge…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
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