Debbie grew up in Monroeville, took piano lessons in Squirrel Hill, and ended up in Mt. Lebanon.  After graduating from Allegheny College with a degree in German and Music, she joined Mellon Financial Corporation.  Her 30+ year career there included corporate and international lending, risk management, internal audit, and managing the company’s credit training program for lending officers.

Debbie’s passions are sharing music with others, reading, and being involved in projects that bring together people of different faiths and/or circumstances, matching resources and needs.  She has served several terms on the board of South Hills Interfaith Movement.  In non-pandemic times, Debbie and her husband Ron enjoy organizing concerts in their home to raise funds for, and awareness of, important causes.  Their two daughters and one son-in-law currently live in other states–but the dogs are still around!

Jean grew up in a small town in southwestern Montana. After graduating from the University of Montana with a degree in Applied Mathematics, she put her husband through Medical School at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. They moved to Pittsburgh in 1983 where he did his residency in Psychiatry at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and where Jean started working in 1984 as a data manager for psychiatric research. He is long gone. She is still here. She semi-retired from Western Psych in January of 2023 and hopes to be fully retired when her replacement is finally hired and trained.

Jean first heard about Giving2Grow from fellow members of Bower Hill Community Church where she has belonged since 1986. She joined Bower Hill because she loves the Choir but since then has also been a deacon, elder, bell-ringer, chair of the worship and mission committees and recently spearheaded a campaign which abolished medical debt for 6537 families living in PA, WV, and southeastern OH. In addition to her responsibilities at Bower Hill, she is the database manager for the Scott Conservancy, tutors English to Spanish speakers through Casa San Jose, and is a foster dog mom through Harmony Dog Rescue.

Sue has been a life long resident of Pittsburgh minus a four year absence to the “far north” for college, Grove City College. She has a degree in Elementary education from GCC and a M.Ed. from Pitt. After teaching for 5 years, Sue decided to stay home to raise 4 children. She and her husband Mark have been residents of Mt. Lebanon for 44 years.

As an active volunteer in school and church activities, while the kids were young, Sue became more interested in getting involved in organizations with an outreach to marginalized communities. This led to volunteer opportunities at Pittsburgh Literacy ESL tutor, Catholic Charities Free Health Care, Crossroads Foundation Mentor, St. Vincent de Paul and Giving to Grow.

Sue and Mark have 10 grandkids that keep them very busy, but there is still time for volunteering, reading, walking, pilates, cooking and spending lots of time with family and friends.

Lynette grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. In 1970, after graduating from the University of Utah, she came to Pittsburgh to visit her brother. She subsequently found a job, apartment and a husband all within a few months, and she now considers herself a true Pittsburgher. While raising her 2 children, she was active in many volunteer opportunities including PTA, tutoring ESL children, Family House, Outreach South, Family Hospice, and Women’s Center and Shelter where she ended up working for 7 years. She currently volunteers 2 days a week at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center where she had spent many hours as a caregiver accompanying friends and family members. She serves on the Patient and Family Advisory Board at Hillman. Lynette enjoys yoga, theatre, reading, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family, especially her 3 year old grandson! For several years, Lynette was coordinator of Giving2Grow’s site visitor committee. After stepping down from that position, she is happy to continue her work with the G2G Board.

Betsy is a retired accountant whose passion lies in her volunteer work. Currently she works as an ESL tutor for two students from Afghanistan and a class of Latino beginners. She is proud to have helped 4 students study for their naturalization tests to become U.S. citizens. She also loves working with kids and volunteered for 10 years at SHIM’s afterschool program, assisting refugee children with their homework.  Through her church, Betsy was part of a ministry to build solar-powered water purification systems in Haiti and loved the chance to meet and learn from Haitian partners during her 5 trips.

In her free time, you will find either a tennis racquet or a book in Betsy’s hands.

Eclectic and varied experience best describes what Amy brings to Giving2Grow. Education took her from NJ, to Boston, to northern CA and culminated in a MA in Physical Anthropology. Working as a government analyst, Amy learned the importance of networking, program conception and evaluation, government, and grants (from grantor and grantee sides). She made Pittsburgh her home in 1993.

Amy has happily filled the roles of board member, committee chair, and worker bee. Primarily as a volunteer, she has worn many hats: reader for Recording for the blind, tutor for ESL, reading and math literacy, homeroom mother, Cubmaster, fundraiser, coordinator of speaker programs, assistant for Carnegie presentations at the Watson Institute, religious school teacher, food drive organizer, and more...

Amy joined Giving2Grow soon after it was founded and loves serving on the grant reading committee. Giving2Grow fits well with her passion to address food insecurity and other safety net issues.