Trail Discovery Guide
Welcome to the Allegheny County Parks Foundation’s Trail Discovery Guide Here’s your quick, easy-to-follow snapshot of featured trails in the 9 Allegh...
08 February, 2022
In Allegheny County, our parks are for the people.
We are the people for the parks.
Allegheny County Parks Foundation Mission Statement
The Allegheny County Parks Foundation strengthens the health and vibrancy of our community by improving, conserving and restoring the nine Allegheny County parks. Working in partnership with Allegheny County, the Parks Foundation brings together ideas, leadership and resources to make the parks more sustainable and enjoyable for all.
The Allegheny County Parks Foundation raises public and private funds from foundations, corporations, state and federal grant programs and individuals to design and implement projects in our parks. We commission and conduct surveys, plans and ecological assessments of our individual parks and park system which guide the strategic development of improvements in all nine county parks. All projects are undertaken in partnership with Allegheny County, and the county matches most private and non-county public funds raised by the Parks Foundation.
- Excellence. We promote best practices by enhancing the park experience with improvements that incorporate both high-quality design and respectful conservation of historic park assets.
- Sustainability. We act as stewards of nature and advance sound environmental practices and ecological awareness.
- Healthy Lifestyles. We help provide facilities and spaces that promote health and well-being through exercise and contact with nature.
- Accessibility. We are committed to strategies that enable access to parks and park facilities by all county residents and visitors.
- Collaboration. We build partnerships with citizens and organizations who recognize our network of parks as valued assets for a growing and vibrant community.
Thank you to the following corporations, foundations, government entities and organizations that have generously supported our work.
Alcoa Foundation
Allegheny County
Allegheny County Conservation District
Allegheny Foundation
American Eagle Outfitters Foundation
Anonymous
Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania
Babcock Charitable Trust
Buhl Foundation
Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Colcom Foundation
Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation
Eden Hall Foundation
Emerson
FedEx Ground
Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds
Fox Chapel Garden Club
Friends of South Park
Garden Club of Allegheny County
Grable Foundation
Hillman Family Foundations
Jendoco Construction and Real Estate
Jewish Healthcare Foundation
Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation
La Roche College
Lennon Smith Souleret Engineering, Inc.
Mascaro Family Foundation
OTB Bikeworks Inc.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Pashek + MTR
Patagonia-Pittsburgh
Pennoni
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation
PNC Charitable Trusts
PNC Foundation
Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy, Inc.
Regional Asset District
REI – Pittsburgh
Richard King Mellon Foundation
Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation
The Charity Randall Foundation
The Fine Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
The Pittsburgh Foundation – Peaceable Kingdom Fund
Trout Unlimited
Victor and Anna Mae Beghini Charitable Foundation
Western PA Unit of the Herb Society of America
Contributors of $1,000 or more in a single year since 2015.
Event sponsorships are not included on this list. See events for those donors.
In the News
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Dee Briggs talks art and more*
Dee Briggs is a Wilkinsburg-based sculptor with a national reputation. Yet she has never been commissioned to create an artwork for a local outdoor pu...
28 July, 2021 -
Sculpture Garden gets new sculptor
PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County and the Allegheny County Parks Foundation celebrated the start of the next phase of the Sculpture Garden at Hartwood Acr...
02 June, 2021
Newsletters 2022
Newsletters 2021
Newsletters 2020
Newsletters 2019
Newsletters 2018
Chester R. Babst III, Chair
Chairman, Babst Calland, Founding Shareholder and Chairman of the Firm
Christopher B. Carson, Vice Chair
President & CEO, Dentons, Cohen & Grigsby
Joseph P. Milcoff, Treasurer
Vice President, Litigation and Risk, FedEx Ground Package System Inc.
Maris Bondi Dauer, Secretary
Sr. Director, Marketing Administration and Community Outreach, UPMC Health Plan
Thomas W. Armstrong
Senior Vice President, Harvest Financial Corporation
Andy Baechle, Ex Officio
Director, Allegheny County Parks
Ellen Still Brooks
Community Representative
G. Reynolds Clark
Retired Vice Chancellor for External Relations & Chief of Staff, University of Pittsburgh
Karen Wolk Feinstein
President & CEO, Jewish Healthcare Foundation
The Honorable Rich Fitzgerald, Ex Officio
County Executive, Allegheny County
Pat Getty
Retired President, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Caren Glotfelty, Ex Officio
Executive Director, Allegheny County Parks Foundation
Sean Gray
Principal, Sean Gray International
Duane D. Holloway
Senior VP, General Counsel, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary, United States Steel Corporation
Laura Shapira Karet
CEO, Giant Eagle Inc.
Jonathan Kersting
Vice President of Communications and Media, Pittsburgh Technology Council
Nancy Knauss
State Master Gardener Coordinator, Penn State Extension
John Mascaro, Jr.
President & CEO, Mascaro Construction Company
Sally McCrady
Executive Vice President, Community Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility, PNC Bank
Chair and President, The PNC Foundation
Chair and President, The PNC Foundation
William McKain, Ex Officio
Manager, Allegheny County
James Mitnick
President & CEO, Ironwood Learning
Morgan K. O’Brien
Retired President & CEO, Peoples Natural Gas
Daniel A. Onorato
Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Highmark Health
The Honorable Anita Prizio, Ex Officio
Allegheny County Council
Stephen G. Shanley P.E., Ex Officio
Director, Allegheny County Department of Public Works
David W. Short
Retired Chairman and Co-CEO, American Funds Group
Mark Saunders, Ex Officio
Facilities Management Director
Carol R. Brown, Emeritus
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Founding President/CEO, former Allegheny County Parks Director
John Surma, Emeritus
Retired Chairman and CEO, United States Steel Corporation
Michael J. Tomera
Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Charles R. Toran, Jr.
President, Sci-Tek Consultants, Inc.
Caren Glotfelty
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Since taking the helm of Allegheny County Parks Foundation in 2014, Caren Glotfelty has led the organization through transformative work in Allegheny County’s nine parks thanks to her background as a strong advocate for the natural environment.
Caren came to the Parks Foundation after serving as Senior Program Director of the Heinz Endowments Environment Program for 13 years, where she was responsible for managing a grant portfolio totaling $8-13 million per year, addressing issues such as community revitalization, environmental health, parks, trails and land conservation.
Prior to that, Caren was the Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry & Environmental Resources Conservation at Penn State University, where her work included teaching, research, outreach and leadership on topics and issues related to state and local environmental and natural resources policy.
As Deputy Secretary for water management in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Caren developed and managed state policy and regulatory programs related to water quality, sewage treatment, stormwater management, and stream protection.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Pacific, as well as a master’s degree in regional planning form the University of Pennsylvania.
Ronald C. Schipani, RLA
Project Director
Ron Schipani is a registered landscape architect with more than 25 years of experience in project design and management, business management, and volunteer organization. The native Pittsburgher and Pennsylvania State University graduate has worked on park and recreation projects throughout his career including trails in North Park, South Park and Settlers Cabin Park, as well as Hampton Township Community Park, and Youghiogheny River Trail while in private practice as an owner with GWSM, inc. Landscape Architects and employed by Pennoni Associates Inc.
Ron brings vision and an appreciation for good functional design to the Parks Foundation, along with a commitment to investing in our parks “for future generations to enjoy the legacy.”
Barbara Brewton
Institutional Giving and Project Manager
Barbara Brewton believes in the value of nature, open space and recreation and is enthused that in Allegheny County, there is a park for everyone. She has devoted her career to the non-profit sector in community development, higher education administration and most recently as environment program officer with the Heinz Awards. She earned her undergraduate degree in environmental science from the University of Virginia and holds a master’s degree in public management from Carnegie Mellon University. Barb volunteers with the community garden, is a certified Tree Tender and helped to plant more than 20 street trees in her Oakland neighborhood.
Caitlin Harpster
Development Manager of Individual Giving
Caitlin Harpster is enthusiastic about sustaining the environmental assets that are our shared green spaces and feels strongly that parks are a place to explore, to learn, to recharge and to reconnect with the world around us. Caitlin can oftentimes be found hiking, biking or camping the region’s parks and forests, or visiting a museum on rainy days. Additionally, she is an active member of Brookline Together, a registered community organization. Caitlin joined the Parks Foundation after leading the Mattress Factory’s development team.
Nicole Oeler
Project Manager, RLA, LEED GA
A registered Landscape Architect in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and a LEED Green Associate, Nicole joined the Parks Foundation in 2019. She brings more than 18 years of diverse experience in the field ranging from master planning, botanical garden design, land development, green infrastructure planning, community design, recreation design and teaching. Her love of nature, preservation of natural resources and the care and concern of the environment drive her to provide environmentally responsible design solutions. Nicole loves being a landscape architect and getting to see how the spaces she creates positively impacts the lives of others. Nicole graduated from the University of Kentucky (UK) where she rode on the UK Equestrian Team.
Carole Smith
Communications and Marketing Manager
Carole Patton Smith loves sharing the stories that unfold every day in the Allegheny County Parks and encouraging more folks to come out and enjoy them. A lifelong Pittsburgher, she worked at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for 10 years as a staff writer, where she learned to appreciate the uniqueness of our region and the people who live here. She earned a Master’s in Fine Arts in nonfiction writing and most recently worked with the Heinz Awards program as a program officer in the Arts and Humanities. She “Loves the Loop” around North Park Lake and takes frequent walks there with her Golden Retriever. He’s eager to discover the trails in the other eight County parks with her.
Kait Merry
Development and Marketing Coordinator
Kait Merry believes in the advancement of equity in public spaces and comes to the Parks Foundation with a commitment to ensuring that everyone feels that they belong in our county parks. Kait has been devoted to the nonprofit sector since receiving a Master of Public Administration and Policy, where she focused her studies on women’s representation in the public sector. When she isn’t working, Kait enjoys getting outside and biking with her wife, hiking the South Park trails with their two dogs, and serving as the world’s best assistant for their home renovation projects.
Kathy Yandura
Administrative Manager
Kathy Yandura joined the Foundation in late 2021 and is excited to have an opportunity to play a role in making the Allegheny County Parks more sustainable and enjoyable for the community. She has a diverse background in office administration, communications, event planning, and nonprofit public relations and development, and has also represented both Alcoa Foundation and Emerson Charitable Trust in the local communities. Most recently, Kathy worked in the financial industry. She is eager to provide excellent administrative and customer services to keep the Foundation operating efficiently. Outside of work, Kathy and her family enjoy camping, walking for exercise, and spending time outdoors.
Susan Kernick
Administrative Assistant
Sue’s cheerful voice has answered the phones at the Parks Foundation since 2014, when the organization had just two employees. Over the years, Sue’s responsibilities have grown along with the non-profit. A detail-oriented person with superpowers in organization, Sue is a valuable asset to every facet of our work. Outside of the office, Sue has a long and cherished history with choral troupes, both as a singer and a volunteer and has traveled internationally to perform several times.
Allegheny County Parks Foundation History
In September 2007, then-County Executive Dan Onorato announced the formation of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, the non-profit partner to Allegheny County that would improve, conserve and restore park facilities and open spaces by raising funds, designing projects and supporting educational, recreational and cultural activities in the nine parks. This action was recommended in 2002 by the County’s comprehensive master plan for the parks to address deferred park maintenance and develop new funding opportunities from corporations, foundations and individuals.
In February 2009, ACPF and Allegheny County entered into a formal agreement in which the County pledged $10 million to match private funds for capital projects raised by ACPF. To date, ACPF has raised nearly $6 million, matched by Allegheny County and other sources, for a total project investment of over $10 million in the Allegheny County parks.
The Parks Foundation continues to value its partnership with Allegheny County, now under the leadership of County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. All park improvement projects are undertaken in collaboration with County Parks staff and the County has continued its commitment for project funding matches.
