Meet the Power of 32 Staff
Selena Schmidt, Executive Director
Advocate. Entrepreneur. Speaker. Nonprofit and Government Leader. Selena Schmidt brings relevant experience and a passion for community building to the Power of 32. Selena began her career in grassroots advocacy and organizing, working on campaigns in eight states, including electing Allegheny County’s first African-American woman to county office. She founded several small businesses and was Director of Leadership Development at the CORO Center for Civic Leadership. Most recently serving as Chief-of-Staff for Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shields, Selena wrote significant legislation including funding for the Pittsburgh Promise, new police policies on domestic violence, and the City of Pittsburgh's landmark Ethics Code. A graduate of both the Yale Campaign School for Women and Leadership Pittsburgh, she was selected as a 2009 Woman of Achievement in Government and one of Pittsburgh’s 40 under 40.
Maureen Ciarolla, Operations & Project Director
Maureen Ciarolla a senior-level operations and strategic leader is the Operations & Project Director for the Power of 32 initiative. Maureen is the owner and founder of AmeriSource HRO Group, an Employer Human Resource Service organization. Since 2004, AmeriSource has provided small, mid-size and non-profit organizations client specific HR management and operational services to reduce their management cost, improve efficiency, reduce risks, and increase profitability. She also instructs business related and software courses for CCAC. Maureen volunteers and mentors with various organizations, coaches girls softball, serves on boards and is a member of Pittsburgh Magazine's steering committee for Women In Business. She served as President of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter. She was featured in Pittsburgh Magazine’s Women in Business in October 2008.
Maria Lauro, Administration & Relationship Management
Maria Lauro brings extensive communications, event planning, and public relations experience to the Power of 32. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, she has spent her career promoting organizations that enhance the quality of life in the region. She is especially proud of writing a successful grant application to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, which provided $90,000 in band instruments for the Wilkinsburg School District's three elementary schools.
Laura Pollanen, Public Allies Pittsburgh 2nd Year Executive Ally
Laura Pollanen is extremely excited and pleased to be part of this revolutionary visioning project. Originally from Rochester, NY, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2009 with a BA in Political Science. A member of the Public Allies: Pittsburgh class of 2010, she has participated in service projects and missions ranging from restoring houses in Point Breeze, to door-knocking for political campaigns, to creating a neighborhood TV show for the Northside community of Manchester. She is continuing in the Public Allies: Pittsburgh Executive Ally program through 2011, continuing on at the Power of 32 and creating an Outreach and Marketing Plan for the Sarah Heinz House.
Alicia Welsh, Intern
Alicia Welsh is currently a policy research intern for Power of 32. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in May 2010 with a BA in Political Science and French and is currently working towards her MPIA at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs where she is studying Development Planning and Environmental Sustainability as well as Security and Intelligence Studies. She has previously interned at the Allegheny County Democratic Committee and hopes to continue working for local non-profit organizations that focus on local and regional issues.
Eric Horgos, Intern
Although Eric is a native of Westminster, MD and a former student at Frostburg State University in Allegany County MD, he realized his childhood dream to return to his Pittsburgh roots seven years ago where he recently earned a bachelors degree in Urban Studies at University of Pittsburgh. As someone who views his geographic identity as a citizen of a four state swath of the Central Appalachians, he eagerly sought out a role with the Power of 32, where he served as an intern for the past 6 months. Other activities to uplift our place include neighborhood cleanups and participation in public meeting on urban planning initiatives. Eric is an avid reader of maps, books and articles on cities, landscapes, urban design issues, and other items that deal with human geography. He hopes to use his interests and experiences to become an urban planner within the four state region of "Pittsburghshire."