Sheila Bell is the Quality Assurance Director for the System of Care Initiative at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. She has over 10 years of experience working with social service programs and nonprofit agencies to design and implement process and outcomes evaluations and to analyze and report data results. Sheila is also an adjunct faculty member of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and sociology and a master’s degree in social and public policy.
Don Block is Executive Director of Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) where he has worked since 1984. He has extensive experience in working with Boards and fundraising, including capital campaigns. At GPLC, private giving has increased significantly in the past few years thanks to the close partnership between staff and Board. Under his leadership, GPLC received the Wishart Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, and he was honored as the Outstanding Administrator of Adult Education in the nation. Don holds a master’s degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and has served in the Peace Corps.
Dave Brewton is a native of Pittsburgh with a 25-year career working with faith-based nonprofits. He is the Vice President for Institutional Advancement for the Coalition for Christian Outreach whose mission is “transforming college students to transform the world.” Prior to his position at the CCO, he was Associate Executive Director of the East Liberty Family Health Care Center, a Christian ministry that provides health care for all people without regard to ability to pay, and the first Executive Director of Breachmenders, Inc., an Oakland housing and community development ministry.
Diana Bucco is the President of The Forbes Funds, which supports nonprofit capacity-building, research and leadership development. She has been recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine’s “40 Under 40” and by the state as one of the top ten of the GenX generation, and was recently awarded a German Marshall Fellowship. She serves on numerous Boards and advisory committees, including YouthPlaces, the YWCA, Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors and Advancing Academics, and is a member of the Women’s Funders Roundtable. Nationally, she serves on the Independent Sector Public Policy Advisory Board, National Council of Nonprofit Board of Directors and the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations 2010 planning committee.
Tracy Certo is founding editor and publisher of Pop City. Former editor of AIA Pittsburgh’s Columns magazine with her own writing and marketing business, she has written about topics ranging from architecture and urban design to sustainability and economic development. A two-time boomeranger, she returned to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles where she worked in national media sales, with post-grad studies in writing and photography at UCLA. In June, 2009 she traveled to Turin, Italy and Essen, Germany as part of a German Marshall Fund trip to study the revitalization of the two regions that, like Pittsburgh, were nearly felled by single-industry decline.
Carl Cimini is a seasoned video professional. Before joining PCTV in 2011, Carl was the owner of the Pittsburgh media production company Wobblimind Media. He has produced, directed and edited short and long format documentaries, commercial broadcast productions and private production pieces for over 15 years. He has worked with numerous nonprofit and corporate clients over the course of his career. Carl interviewed the Dalai Lama for “Dancing In Amdo,” his documentary about Tibetan politics.
Sally Griffith Cimini is a partner at Leech Tishman and chairs the firm’s Alternative Dispute Resolution and Employment Practice Groups with over 25 years of experience devoted exclusively to counseling and litigating on behalf of private and public sector employers in all aspects of the employment relationship, from hiring through termination. She has published numerous articles on employment law and is a regular speaker on employment, labor law and human resources issues and has served on the faculty of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Employment Law Institute and other PBI employment programs for many years.
Susan Egmont is Principal of Egmont Associates, a full-service national executive search firm for nonprofits, corporations, foundations and academic centers which includes executive search, leadership transition planning, and coaching. She is a co-author of Managing Leadership Transitions for Nonprofits: Passing the Torch to Sustain Organizational Excellence. Susan was formerly Deputy Director of the Boston Private Industry Council, Executive Director of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ foundation and Associate Director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. She holds an MBA from Emory University and was a founder of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management and Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, the statewide association of nonprofits.
Janet C. Emery, CFRE, brings nearly 30 years of successful development experience to her consulting business, J. Emery Consulting, Inc., which supports nonprofit sustainability through wise and ethical development practices. Services assist volunteers, chief executives and development professionals charged with improving external relationships and philanthropic support for nonprofit organizations. Her experience in the arts, education, healthcare, and human services supports a documented track record of success, most notably in the development, communications, and volunteer management disciplines.
Debbie Foster supervised crisis and issues management worldwide for H.J. Heinz Company. During her 32-year Heinz career, she also was responsible for developing and implementing the company’s crisis management training program. As corporate spokeswoman, Debbie was interviewed by an average of 15-20 journalists weekly, including reporters from The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, AP, Reuters, and many others.
Ray Frankoski joined ESC as a volunteer in 2001 following his retirement as Director of Human Resources at Westinghouse Government & Environmental Services Company. In addition to serving as a Project Manager, Ray has consulted with the Holy Family Institute; ALS Association, Western PA Chapter; Braddock’s Field Historical Society; Gwen’s Girls; The Mattress Factory; Parkinson Chapter of Greater Pittsburgh; and Peer Support and Advocacy Network (PSAN).
Joyce Gannon is a business staff writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette with a diverse range of coverage: chemical companies, law firms, women in business and the business of nonprofits. She joined the Post-Gazette in 1988 after stints at the Wheeling (W. Va.) News-Register, Penn State University’s public information department and the Pittsburgh Business Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State.
Wendy Hardman is an accomplished and versatile training and development professional with extensive experience assisting internal and external clients in improving performance and business results. Her clients have included the Leader to Leader Institute, Center for Practical Management, Ann Taylor, Wireless Generation, Cartus Corporation, Union Aid Society, BELL, the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Federal Home Loan Bank, PNC Bank, and the University of Pittsburgh. Wendy earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her Master’s in Developmental Psychology from Temple University. She has served as adjunct faculty at Duquesne University and Carlow College, and she is a former Peace Corps volunteer.
Alan James was formerly Dean of Student Affairs at California University of Pennsylvania. His areas of expertise are in personnel management, leadership development, and management coaching. He is a certified Stephen Covey Trainer, and has completed the Center for Creative Leadership’s Coaching for Development Program, and coursework in Administration and Leadership Studies from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Karl Jarek is a Managing Director with The Nottingham Group LLC, specializing in fraud investigation and prevention, as well as other forensic accounting matters. Karl advises clients regarding internal accounting controls, fraud prevention techniques and investigations of suspected fraud and theft. He has over 25 years’ experience in these areas and is Certified in Financial Forensics through the American Institute of CPAs. His clients include nonprofit organizations, government entities and private corporations. Karl is a member of the Mount Lebanon Hospital Authority Board and is past Chair of the Young Leaders Group for the United Way of Allegheny County.
Joyce Lewis Andrews is an ESC volunteer and recently served as Chief Marketing Officer of Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania (GSWPA) where she developed and oversaw strategies for public relations, promotions, branding, media, publications, and crisis management in a diverse 27 county area that serves approximately 35,000 girls. As an ESC consultant, she has assisted Northern Area Multi-Services Center, The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Sheraden United Methodist Church, the Open Door, and the Creative Arts Renewal Project of the Emanuel United Methodist Church. A graduate of Point Park University, Joyce lives with her husband, David, in Ben Avon Heights.
Rebecca L. Lucore is Executive Director of the Bayer USA Foundation and Manager of Community Affairs for Bayer Corp. She oversees Bayer’s corporate social responsibility programs including the STEM education partnerships, as well as U.S. donations management for the foundation. Besides chairing the Bayer Center’s advisory Board, Rebecca is on the Board of ASSET Inc., an advisory committee member for the National Governors Association’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Match (STEM) Center grant program, and a member of the Conference Board’s Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Council.
Maureen Mahoney Hill, CFRE, is an independent consultant working with nonprofit organizations to build fundraising, communications and marketing capacity, specializing in planning and strategy development for major and planned gifts. With almost 20 years experience in fundraising, she has held development positions with The Children’s Institute, the Pittsburgh Foundation, Penn State and The Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. Maureen holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Penn State and a master’s from the School of Social Work at Pitt.
Joseph McLaughlin joined ESC in 2009. Retired from the Brentwood School District, Joe was a physics teacher for 25 years and is now a certified A+ Computer Professional. He has helped numerous local organizations with information technology planning and support, and website development, including OASIS of Pittsburgh, Friends of the Lawrenceville Library, and the Carnegie Mellon University/University of Pittsburgh Quality of Life Technology Center.
Bob Moll joined ESC in 2004 after serving as the Manager of IT Security & Policy for PPG Industries for 20 years. He has been a consultant for various organizations for the past 7 years including The Allegheny County Coalition for Recovery, Andrew Carnegie Free Library, Central Northside Neighborhood Council, Focus on Renewal, Peer Support & Advocacy Network, Pittsburgh Cares, POWER, Sewickley Community Center, and the School Performance Network. His expertise is in accounting and finance, information systems, and strategic planning.
Suzi Neft opened Suzi Neft Promotes after spending 20 years in radio and television and ten years in marketing and news media relations. She builds relationships between small and medium size organizations and their audience by telling their stories through connections with the media and has worked with clients such as Pittsburgh City Council, the Jewish Association on Aging, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, WQED Multimedia, HGTV, and PBS. A native Pittsburgher, Suzi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communications from Point Park College and is working on her Master’s in Corporate Communications at Duquesne University.
Jack Owen is an attorney in the Pittsburgh law firm of Rhoades & Wodarczyk, LLC, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of tax-exempt organizations, employee benefits, business law, and tax law. He received the Outstanding Volunteer Attorney award from Executive Service Corps in 2004 and serves on the Advisory Board for the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management and as President of the Pittsburgh Planned Giving Council.
Barbara Pryor is an ESC volunteer and trainer, having trained in the areas of communication, conflict management, supervision, negotiation, decision making and problem solving, customer service and diversity. Her most recent position was as the coordinator of the Management Training Program at Mellon Financial Global Services for selected high potential employees to fast track into management. She also served as a victim services advocate in the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, following a ten-year role as Senior Career Development Specialist at T.J. Maxx. She is actively involved in community organizations, and in the lives of her grandchildren.
Juliana Shayne has years of experience in performance improvement and leadership development. Her specialties include facilitating redesign teams, leadership competency assessment and development planning, and confidential executive coaching. Juliana holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and Master’s degree in Health Services Administration. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at Carlow University and Robert Morris University. She serves on the Baldwin Borough Library Board of Trustees and is President of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing Alumni Society.
Janice Smith is a Director with Cohen & Grigsby, P.C. where she advises tax-exempt and nonprofit organizations regarding tax, corporate, regulatory, and operational matters. Jan’s practice includes evaluating legal issues associated with the formation of new nonprofit corporations and trusts, obtaining recognition of federal tax-exempt status and state property and sales tax-exempt status, and nonprofit organization contracting issues. She also advises clients regarding mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate restructurings, and she counsels clients regarding conflicts of interest, intermediate sanctions matters, IRS “best practice” policies and procedures, and state law fiduciary duties for nonprofit directors and other nonprofit governance matters.
Kevin Sweeney has been working in the Information Technology field for over 20 years. His background encompasses Fortune 100 and 500 companies, retail, manufacturing, government, nonprofit and travel. He has also handled budgets in excess of $43 million. He has a Master’s Degree in Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh and recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh – Katz Business School with a Masters Certificate in Advanced Project Management. Kevin also has a BA in Psychology which has helped him to understand many organizations. He joined ESC in 2010.
Andrew Swensen provides consulting and contracted professional services to nonprofits in the Greater Pittsburgh region. He holds positions as adjunct faculty to the Heinz College of Carnegie Mellon University, the CMU College of Fine Arts, and Point Park University. From 2006 through 2010 Andrew served as the Director of Pittsburgh Filmmakers. His professional career began in academic life, and he has held faculty positions at Brandeis University, Hamilton College, Wellesley College and Western Michigan University, teaching courses in literature and comparative humanities.
Dave Tinker, CFRE, is the Director of Development at ACHIEVA. Involved in fundraising since 1990, he is a past president of the western Pennsylvania chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP WPA). He served on AFP International’s Social Media Committee which is developing social media policy standards for AFP, ASAE, NTEN and the Direct Marketing Association’s Nonprofit Federation as well as the Boards of the Pittsburgh Planned Giving Council, Brewhouse Artists and YNPNPgh. Dave holds an M.P.A. with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from the Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.
Maria Townsend, Ph.D., is the President of Townsend Associates LLC and adjunct faculty at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs where she has taught evaluation, statistics and policy analysis. Over the past ten years, Maria has conducted needs assessments and evaluations across Pennsylvania. She has also trained staff from local and county human service agencies in Western Pennsylvania, county and state Mental Health and Developmental Disability providers, and countrywide child care planning committees across Pennsylvania on evaluation methodology.
Doug Van Haitsma joined the Mon Valley Initiative (MVI) in 2004 to head the Real Estate Development Team. Prior to working with MVI, Doug worked for 12 years in project manager for several community development agencies, both locally and internationally. At MVI, Doug oversees a five person staff and a portfolio of work that includes for sale housing development, both new construction and rehab, multifamily rental development, commercial development in Main Street corridors, and other community development activities. Doug has a Master’s of Science from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University and Bachelor’s degree from Calvin College.
Todd Whiteman is the Vice President of Property/Casualty at Enscoe Long Insurance Group where he specializes in providing programs and consulting to the nonprofit sector. Todd is an active Board member of Association of Fundraising Professionals of Western PA, Pittsburgh Planned Giving Council and is one of the founding members and current Board President of Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Pittsburgh. His personal commitment to the sector also includes Board/committee work at The First Tee of Pittsburgh, Mental Health America Allegheny County, Variety The Children’s Charity, Emmaus and Junior Achievement.
Sheila Hyland Yencik is a familiar face to Pittsburgh TV news viewers. She spent 22 years in broadcast journalism with three network affiliates (ABC, CBS and FOX) as anchor, reporter, managing editor, writer, and producer. Sheila covered all major national crises in the last 20 years and conducted more than 10,000 interviews with business and political leaders including U.S. presidents, entertainers, and national sports legends.
Bill Zlatos covers nonprofits and both basic and higher education for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where he has worked for nearly 10 years. He has also reported for the former Pittsburgh Press, Valparaiso(Ind.) Vidette-Messenger, and Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel, where he was part of a staff that won a Pulitzer Prize for flood coverage. He was an education program officer for The Pittsburgh Foundation and has a bachelor’s in political science from Indiana State University. Bill attended the Indiana University Graduate School of Journalism.