Nonprofit network names new director
Colleen Young was named director of the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, effective March 1.
The position was vacant for more than two years after the GPNP’s last director, Samantha Balbier, left in late 2018 to become director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics and the Elsie Hillman Civic Forum.
The GPNP went through a “strategic alignment process” before naming a new director, according to The Forbes Funds, a nonprofit under which the GPNP operates.
The GPNP provides advocacy and public policy efforts for a network of nearly 500 nonprofit organizations in a 10-county area of Western Pennsylvania.
Ms. Young was formerly director of community programs at the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development and is currently the board secretary for Just Harvest.
In a statement, she said, “My vision is for GPNP to continue to be a catalyst to unite the sector, leverage much needed resources, advocate for just and equitable policies, and generate cross-sector collaborations that will lead to the revitalization of organizations and communities across the region.”
Fred Brown, president and chief executive of The Forbes Funds, said the COVID-19 pandemic has “had a profound impact on the sector, with many nonprofits facing tough new realities and challenges.”
“With Colleen joining The Forbes Funds to lead the GPNP network, we are confident that we have the right person in place to fight for public policies, convene stakeholders and position the sector to be more collaborative and innovative,” he said.
The Forbes Funds is an affiliate of The Pittsburgh Foundation.