From:
Pittsburgh Born & Raised
Foundation:
Michigan State University, B.A. Journalism
Maryland Department of Education, Standard Professional Teaching Certificate English 7-12
Leadership Pittsburgh, Leadership Development Initiative XXIV
Fave:
Kidsburgh! Taking daughter everywhere from the Children’s Museum and the science center to Kennywood and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Fact:
Received Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh Award from The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments, which later led to the growth of DiaryofaFirstTimeMom.com and an invitation to the White House
Bringing 20+ years of experience at communications and marketing firms, nonprofits, school districts and television stations across the country and overseas, Heather Hopson uses traditional and modern media to develop and implement large-scale, proven strategies. Connect with Heather on LinkedIn
From:
Pittsburgh Born & Raised
Foundation:
University of Pittsburgh, B.A. Communications
Fave:
Family! Grandparents celebrated 65 years of marriage and welcomed 15 children and more than 30 grandchildren into their home.
Fact:
Founded The Cupcake Crew, a mother and sons baking business and home of the original Strawberry Moscato cupcake
Bringing 20+ years of exceeding sales goals at Fortune 500 companies, including Coca Cola, Verizon and Yellow Pages, Farah Middleton serves as the sales and marketing director. Connect with Farah on LinkedIn. Connect with Farah on LinkedIn
From:
Pittsburgh Born & Raised
Foundation:
Carnegie Mellon University (Expected 2020), M.A. of Public Management
University of Pittsburgh, B.S. Psychology and Japanese
Fave:
Next generation of regional leadership doing transformational work.
Fact:
Served five years as president of Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP), a membership organization with a mission to make Pittsburgh the most dynamic and diverse place by engaging, educating and mobilizing all young people to effect change in the community, and appointed commissioner for the City of Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations
Bringing more than a decade of experience, including serving as the director of Professional Development and Racial Equity Affiliate and Professional Development project manager
at Pittsburgh Public Schools, Allyce Pinchback provides consultation and support for organizational management and strategic planning. Connect with Allyce on LinkedIn
From:
Pittsburgh Born & Raised
Foundation:
Western School of Health and Business Careers
Fave:
Garfield Gallery Crawls
Fact:
Free Store Penn Hills Co-Founder
Bringing 20+ years of accounts payable and client and office management experience at Thermal Industries and Kerotest Manufacturing, Fawn Washington ensures operations run smoothly. Connect with Fawn on LinkedIn.
From:
DC Metro Area Native, Pittsburgh Transplant
Foundation:
Duquesne University, M.A. Social & Public Policy
University of the District of Columbia, B.A. Mass Communications
CORO PITTSBURGH, CORO Women in Leadership XVII
Fave:
Diverse Circle of Friends
Fact:
Event Coordinator, 20th Annual Summit Against Racism
Bringing 20+ years of experience, including stints as projects director at an award-winning creative agency in Pittsburgh and co-founder and social justice facilitator at Walk the Talk PGH, Yvette Shipman keeps the peace and the projects on track.
Connect with Yvette on LinkedIn.
From:
Pittsburgh Born & Raised
Foundation:
Point Park College, M.A. Curriculum and Instruction Education
B.A. Secondary/Social Studies Education
Community College of Allegheny County, A.A. Teacher Education
Fave:
Hiking local trails with my Boy Scout troop
Fact:
BMe Community Leader, an award-winning network of community-builders known for defining people by their positive contributions to society and enlisting incredible black men who inspire us to be Better Together
Bringing a lifetime of community engagement experience, including serving as the president of the Homewood Brushton Business Association and founder of the Minority Networking Exchange, Vernard Alexander shares diverse stories and mobilizes communities to engage in client campaigns Connect with Vernard on LinkedIn.
From:
Pittsburgh Born & Raised
Foundation:
Point Park University, B.A. Journalism
Fave:
City skyline and biking trails
Fact:
Founded Pittsburgh Brown Mamas, a 2,000+ member online and in-person organization
Bringing 20+ years of journalism experience, including local media companies Sheridan Broadcasting Network and the New Pittsburgh Courier, Cindy Mendoza shares diverse stories and mobilizes communities to engage in client campaigns. Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn.
From:
Pittsburgh Born & Raised
Foundation:
Art Institutes of Pittsburgh
Fave:
Capturing scenic shots from the West End Overlook
Fact:
Worked as photographer for Pittsburgh Steelers
Kesha Silver is making a name for herself working for organizations, such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Soul Pitt Magazine, The Pittsburgh Passion, NAACP Pittsburgh Chapter, State Representative Jake Wheatley and Young Black Pittsburgh Founder Brian Burley. Earlier this year, Kesha started a pilot a program at Environmental Charter School in Point Breeze. Connect with Kesha on LinkedIn.
From:
East Liverpool Native, Pittsburgh Transplant (Married a native!)
Foundation:
The Art Institutes of Pittsburgh
Fave:
Hilly Landscape
Fact:
Selected as featured RAW Artists Pittsburgh
Bringing more than a decade of multimedia production experience, including technical support and analyst positions at Comcast, EDMC and Verizon he is also an owner of a media production business, Robert Waters has mastered the art of photography and videography. Connect with Robert on LinkedIn.
From:
Pittsburgh Born & Raised
Foundation:
CCAC, Studied Computer Science
Fave:
Potato Patch Fries at Kennywood
Fact:
Serve as Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church videographer and web developer
Bringing a modern, millennial perspective to the team, Jac Wynn serves as a website and app developer for Motormouth Multimedia. Jac also developed and designed websites for an award-winning creative agency in Pittsburgh. In addition to development, Jac strategically devises an effective user experience for clients and configures servers for best performance and security. Connect with Jac on LinkedIn.