Last month we spoke with three female leaders of nonprofits in our region about the rewards and challenges of this meaningful work. As Pittsburgh is rich with nonprofits, we are highlighting three additional female leaders this month.
Angela Garcia, Executive Director, Global Links
When Pittsburgh native Angela Garcia was living in Europe after college, working in tourism and then the senior care industries, she volunteered for an 18-month placement in rural Mexico, working alongside a doctor who had a mobile clinic. “I was the person designated to work with the female patients, teaching literacy and math skills to help them earn their elementary school diplomas. I was working in rural development and women’s empowerment but didn’t know those words at the time,” she said. Still, that experience was life-changing. When she married and moved back to Pittsburgh, she wanted to stay in the areas of international development, so in 2000, she began working with Global Links, achieving the title of executive director in 2018.
Founded in 1989 by three Pittsburgh women, Garcia said that its mission has remained true. “We work to improve health for vulnerable communities. We do that through partnering with US healthcare facilities, which includes hospitals, senior care facilities, hospice, home care, physician’s practices, universities, and all of us as consumers,” said Garcia. Specifically, Global Links rescues medical supplies to be distributed to hospital partners in Bolivia, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Caribbean; these are countries that frequently lack sufficient basic essentials such as mattresses, bandages, IV poles and much more.
“Our surplus rescue has expanded beyond hospitals to multiple sectors of the healthcare system. One newer initiative is a domestic program, which focuses on matching homecare equipment (and supplies) to agencies who are serving lower income communities,” said Garcia.
Since Garcia stepped into the executive director role in 2018, the nonprofit has doubled in size. They rely on 3,000-4,000 volunteers each year to help sort and pack 250 tons of high-quality surplus materials for donation. Last year, their program impacted two million people, locally and globally.
Garcia is responsible for many aspects of the nonprofit’s operations, from strategic planning to finances to HR to fundraising, something she especially enjoys. “I love working with folks interested in supporting our work,” she said. And she is especially proud how, during Covid, no one was laid off, and in fact, they’ve added 12 employees since then.
“The need is so great. There has always been and will always be local and global neighbors who don’t have as many resources, nor the same opportunities that we do, so we are very empathetic and motivated to expand our programs. We can only do as much as our fundraising and revenue generation allows,” said Garcia.
Kristin Ioannou, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Women Work
When she was still working in the corporate sector, Kristin Ioannou discovered and began volunteering with Pennsylvania Women Work, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower women to be able to advance in their own careers and to achieve economic self-sufficiency and financial security.
While volunteering, Ioannou worked on fundraising and client-facing events and was always moved by the stories of the women she met. “Hearing and seeing the true impact of programs that Pennsylvania Women Work was providing, free of charge to the community, I fell in love and never left,” she said, adding that although she has been the executive director for three years, she’s really been involved with the nonprofit for 20 years.
The woman-centric nonprofit primarily helps women, who are experiencing some type of job transition, with the tools they need to find meaningful employment, from workforce development training, career coaching, mentorship programs, and connections to employers. Ioannou said that her original career in the corporate sector prepared her for this role. “I feel like I have the unique perspective to really understand the needs of employers. I used to do a lot of volunteer work with employees with other nonprofits, and the importance of those relationships from the corporate sector has been really informative,” she said.
Annually, Pennsylvania Women Work sees about 1,500 individuals, and as of last year’s 30th anniversary, the nonprofit has helped 71,000 Pennsylvanians find meaningful employment.
As executive director, Ioannou is responsible for the day-to-day operations in the organization, which she calls ‘small and mighty,’ with a staff of 16. She does everything from overseeing staff, ensuring that they have the resources to do their jobs well, setting strategy, making sure that the programs are meeting the needs of those they serve, and meeting today’s and tomorrow’s talent needs of local employers.
Though Ioannou recognizes the challenges inherent in nonprofit work—especially with continual fundraising concerns—the rewards balance those out. “I think what is most rewarding is the impact of our work and hearing the individual stories from people; I’ve been doing this work for over 20 years, and still, it’s my favorite part of my job. We see the true transformation and the empowerment of women, which many times goes beyond their individual achievements, but it often helps transform their families,” she said.
Amy Haralson Kienle, President and CEO, YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh
When Amy Haralson Kienle attended college in her native Florida, she thought she was going to be a high school math teacher, until junior year when she realized that was not the path she wanted to take. After meeting with a career consultant, she was advised that she would be a perfect fit for nonprofit work. That resonated with her, as she grew up with a father who had a career as a YMCA professional. Kienle worked in both Florida and Georgia in a few different roles at various YMCAs, ultimately becoming the CEO at the Georgia Mountains YMCA. But when she was approached to take over the CEO position in Pittsburgh, which she accepted two years ago, she became the first woman in the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh’s 168-year history to hold that role.
Kienle said that the YMCA’s goals fall into three categories: youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. “Our mission really is to support our communities, which is what I love about the YMCA. Every YMCA I’ve worked at is a little bit different. The reason for that is because the YMCA’s intention is to meet the needs of the community, and each community is unique and different, so the programs and services vary,” said Kienle. For example, the YMCA is the number one childcare provider in Pennsylvania, something that became an emerging need in the 1980s.
Kienle arrived in Pittsburgh on the heels of the pandemic. “The last couple of years have been challenging coming out of Covid, so I’m trying to get the organization in a financially sustainable situation. Over the last two years, that work was underway but we made a lot of progress, and I think we’re there,” she said. Her vision for the YMCA is to continue its growth and its impact in the community. For example, soon they will be launching a program at the Baierl Family YMCA in Franklin Park called Livestrong at the YMCA, a holistic wellness program geared toward adult cancer survivors.
For Kienle, one of the greatest rewards of her position is hearing how the YMCA impacts people’s lives, along with working with staff and the board. “The people I get to interact with are personally motivating, every single day. That is one of the really fun things about being a CEO, that balance between internal leadership and external exposure and networking.”