Board of Directors:
Sr. Barbara Finch, President - Sister Barb is active in myriad organizations in the Pittsburgh area that work for peace and justice, including Pax Christi, the Thomas Merton Center, Pennsylvanians Against the Death Penalty, and Association of Pittsburgh Priests. Sr. Barb works as a registered nurse and is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
DeWitt Walton, Vice President - DeWitt works as Special Assistant to the President of the United Steelworkers. He is an activist in his church and with several community-based organizations, including the A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
Mary Elizabeth McCarthy, Secretary - Mary Elizabeth serves in many capacities with Just Harvest. For the city budget campaign, she advocates for funds for food pantries at City Council meetings. She is on several Just Harvest committees. She received a Golden Eagle award for her volunteerism as an interviewer for Dollar Energy and a Jefferson Community Champions Award for her volunteer work at Just Harvest. She is on the Council of Congregations of the East End Cooperative Ministries, the St. Charles Lwanga Pastoral Council and the Central Deanery of the Diocese of Pgh for religious education. Her cerebral palsy has given her direct experience with struggle. A former teacher, Mary Elizabeth teaches religious education for inner city grade school children.
Kenneth Munz, Treasurer - Ken had extensive experience working with Homeless and Housing organizations in the San Francisco area. He arranged a partnership with San Francisco Redevelopment to purchase housing for non-profit ownership and orchestrated neighborhood approval of two housing program sites. Ken’s advocacy experience includes input into legislation at all levels. For 6 years he was Vice President and Administrator for the Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Incline in Mt. Washington.
John Becker - John has been part of Just Harvest since he testified at a welfare hearing we organized in 1993. Since then he has become one of our most reliable volunteers. He worked in parking lots, as an assembly technician and as a bicycle messenger, until he got hurt. Now on disability, John lives on the Southside and volunteers regularly at Just Harvest. John has direct personal experience with the public benefits system, including welfare, food stamps and disability.
Sara Bennett - Sara works as a community organizer at Hilltop Alliance in the South Hilltop communities. She is a former intern at Just Harvest and has been a tax preparer for three years. Sara has experience in event planning and in grant writing.
Alex Carlisle - Alex works as Marketing Representative with First Health Coventry. Alex is also on the Boards of the Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund of Western PA and the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc, East Central Province.
Barbara Coffee - Barbara works as Community Program Liaison at the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh. She is a lifetime member of the NAACP and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Her volunteer activities include a long-term involvement with the March of Dimes.
Maureen Coyne - Maureen is a health care administrator. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the American College of Health Care Administrators. She is active in her Hazelwood community and in her son's Parent Teachers Group.
Fran Gruden - Currently a sales and marketing consultant and member of MoveOn political action group, Fran has been active in the civil rights and civil justice movement since his college days at Duquesne University. He has been active in local and national political campaigns, voter registration drives, and voter awareness campaigns. Fran works with Just Harvest’s Honorary Advisory Council to utilize their skills and public status to make them better ambassadors and advocates for Just Harvest’s programs.
Theresa Orlando - Theresa is retired from a job as Shelter Director at Miryam’s Women’s Shelter. She belongs to the North Hills Anti-Racism coalition, Call to Action Pittsburgh and Call to Action National Anti-Racism Team. She is an active member of a multi-cultural church, and participates in anti-war demonstrations, the black and White Reunion and the Thomas Merton Center for Peace and Justice.
Anna Redmond - Anna brings a determination and commitment to help alleviate hunger in our society. A housewife, she has available time to commit to working on community projects. She belongs to the A. Phillip Randolph Institute and has coordinated phone banks for the United Steelworkers and developed Kwanzaa programs for Christian Missionary Baptist Church.
Ann Sanders - Ann’s enthusiasm for social action has led her to volunteer with such national organizations as Amnesty International, Oxfam and the International Labor Rights Forum. She joined up with the Obama campaign very early and she enjoys telling elected officials what is on her mind. She is a regular member of Allegheny Center Alliance Church. While a student at Pitt School of Social Work and Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, Ann interned at Just Harvest. She has been a tax preparer with Just Harvest for several years.
Kathleen Sheehan - Kathleen has been a tax preparer at Just Harvest for five years. As an attorney she volunteers avidly for Neighborhood Legal Services as well as donating more than 500 hours of pro bono services annually. She belongs to the Allegheny County & PA Bar Associations, the Bar Leadership Initiative, St. James Parish and the Air & Waste Management Association.
Mike Stout - Mike has been a labor activist and organizer for 37 years. He is also a community advocate and Board member of the Steel Valley Authority. Mike serves on the Boards of PUSH, Battle of Homestead Foundation and the PA Labor History Society. He is the principal owner and business manager of Steel Valley Printers, an employee-owned union print shop that does business with and supports many unions, non-profits and progressive groups in the Pittsburgh and Allegheny County area.
Staff:
Joni Rabinowitz, Co-DirectorJoni has been with Just Harvest since our founding in 1986, leading our public policy advocacy and organizing efforts. She also served as Public Policy Advocate for Hunger Action Coalition for four years prior to Just Harvest’s creation. She was a volunteer with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Georgia during the civil rights movement, and has been a dedicated activist on social and economic justice issues all her life. Joni graduated from Antioch College and earned a Masters of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a board member of the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center and lives in Park Place with her husband.
Ken Regal, Co-Director Ken has been with Just Harvest since our founding in 1986, with primary responsibility for Just Harvest’s fundraising and financial management. Before working for Just Harvest, he was a community organizer with several grassroots groups, including Just Harvest’s predecessor organization (Hunger Action Coalition), where he led the organizing campaign which persuaded the Pittsburgh Public Schools to join the national School Breakfast Program. He is a graduate of Brandeis University and lives in Highland Park with his wife and son.
Rochelle Jackson, Welfare Client Advocate/Organizer Rochelle joined Just Harvest in 2001 and is an advocate and organizer for our Welfare Justice Project. She also supervises our Food Stamps Make a Difference campaign. Rochelle serves on the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Income Maintenance Advisory Committee and is the chairperson of the Allegheny County Family Support Policy Board. She has an Associate’s Degree from Community College of Allegheny County and is currently working on a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology at Carlow University. She is the proud (single) mother of four beautiful children.
Eugenia Mosby, Food Stamp Specialist Eugenia is a single mother of two from the Mon Valley. She joined our staff in August 2007, but has been involved with Just Harvest as a grassroots activist and leader for about eight years. She has also been active in the local Family Support Center system, and previously worked for Consumer Health Coalition, Head Start, and the Center for Minority Health at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health.
Shauna Ponton, Child Nutrition Advocate Shauna has been with Just Harvest since 2001. In the past she has utilized many of the public safety net programs she works on (WIC, School Meals, Summer Food), which allows her to approach her job with dedication, understanding and empathy for the population we serve. She recently graduated from Carlow University with a degree in Social Work.
Kristie Weiland Stagno, Tax Campaign Organizer Kristie is from Butler, PA and completed her Masters in Social Work at the University of Michigan before coming to Just Harvest in 2003. She currently lives in Bloomfield with her husband and coordinates our "Give Paychecks a Boost" campaign as well as helping with a variety of other projects at Just Harvest.
Heather Seiders, Administrative Assistant As Just Harvest's first full-time Administrative Assistant, Heather manages the day-to-day office operations at Just Harvest. From answering phones to managing the Just Harvest blog to food stamp outreach, Heather works on an array of projects at Just Harvest.
Noah is a graduate from the University of Pittsburgh with dual degrees in Creative Nonfiction and United States History. He hopes to embark on a career in non-profit management. Noah hopes to address issues surrounding hunger, domestic cooperation, and international peace throughout his future career. While away from work he enjoys studying American Civil War History, playing and watching soccer, and spending time with family and friends.
Anne is a senior at Pitt majoring in social work, and is completing her year long field placement at Just Harvest. She's currently working on applying to the Peace Corps, which is her after-graduation plan. After that, she's considering law school. Anne loves a good book, a good movie, and Pittsburgh-- though Pittsburgh winter, not so much.
Dawn Wallhausen, Volunteer Webmaster