Cathy is the founding executive director of The Sprout Fund, Pittsburgh’s leading nonprofit supporting innovative ideas, catalyzing community change, and making the region a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family. Sprout provides critical support for projects and programs in the early stages of development—when just a small amount of investment has the potential to yield big results in the community. Sprout projects create new initiatives, events, and organizations that help citizens take action on a pressing issue in the Greater Pittsburgh region. Since 2011, Sprout has served as strategic steward for Kids+Creativity, an interdisciplinary network of leading civic, commercial, cultural, and academic organizations and institutions working to create remarkable learning experiences for children and youth—forging a 21st century ecosystem for learning, innovation, and creativity. Over the last decade, Sprout has worked successfully across political and geographic boundaries to make community-decided investments totaling more than $4 million in more than 500 early-stage projects, organizations, innovators, and activities in areas as varied as learning, arts and culture, transportation, biodiversity, and civic engagement. As an active member of many of Pittsburgh’s civic and cultural organizations, Cathy currently serves on the boards of trustees of Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. She is a member of the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the International Women’s Forum. Cathy is a former board member of Artist and Cities, Beginning with Books, the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, The Ellis School, the Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
Carnegie Mellon University
How Remixing Has Helped Revive Pittsburgh
The Rust Belt story you’ve probably heard tells how the cities and towns that once formed the engine of 20th century growth have been left in the dust by the global economy. The decline of domestic manufacturing, mass migrations, and economic stagnation may appear to have paralyzed this once prosperous land of opportunity. But in my hometown of Pittsburgh, we’re seeing communities reinvent themselves from the ground up—increasing opportunities for civic engagement and improving quality of life. It's starting with the education of our youngest citizens. At the same time, digital technology is giving people powerful new access to tools and resources, creating whole high-tech cottage industries.
