home > about us > people > staff

Staff

Brenda Smith, Executive Director
Brenda Smith joined Nine Mile Run as Executive Director in January 2008. Over the last two decades, she has helped nonprofit groups as diverse as humanitarian aid organizations and arts ensembles with strategic planning, board development, fundraising, and administrative challenges.

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, Brenda travelled around the world four times, working on Pitt’s Semester-at-Sea program. Between trips she studied at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. In 1989 she co-founded Global Links, a nonprofit organization that provides hospitals in Western Pennsylvania and across the U.S. with an environmentally responsible alternative to disposal or incineration of surplus equipment and supplies. Materials recovered here are sent to hospitals and clinics serving the poor around the world, with special emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean. Serving as President of Global Links for ten years, Brenda helped the organization grow to include more than ten paid staff members, hundreds of volunteers, and average annual donations valued at more than $1 million.

Brenda has worked in either a volunteer or consultant capacity with the Three Rivers Community Foundation, the Renaissance City Choirs, the Creative Nonfiction Foundation, and Building New Hope. Most recently, she served for three years as the full time Development Director of Chatham Baroque.

A resident of the watershed, she visits Frick Park daily with her greyhound and has admired the transformation of Nine Mile Run over the last few years. She is delighted to have the opportunity to lead the next phase of NMRWA’s growth and development.

Jeffrey Bergman, Program Director
Jeffrey was hired as the Program Coordinator for the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association in January 2004 and became Program Director in January 2006. He earned a Masters of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002. His background also includes degrees in Applied Anthropology and Social Ecology. Prior to joining NMRWA, he undertook a Public Relations internship at Sustainable Pittsburgh and worked at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for four years doing reference work and program planning. Jeffrey is a native Pittsburgher with strong interests in urban redevelopment, urban ecology, and sustainable development in the region. He continues to focus his efforts on managing the association’s citizen engagement and demonstration programs including the Nine Mile Run Rain Barrel Initiative, GreenLinks, and Urban EcoStewards.

Lisa Brown, Outreach Coordinator
Lisa joined the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association in February of 2006 as Administrative Assistant and was promoted to Outreach Coordinator in January 2008. She is a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh in Administrative and Policy Studies, where she is focusing on environmental education in developing economies. She has an undergraduate degree in Biology and Botany from Chatham College and, as a student, conducted undergraduate research on native plants growing in acid mine drainage and slag environments. Lisa is a native Pittsburgher and has been an active volunteer in many educational and environmental concerns in the region.

Lauren Seiple, Program Assistant
Lauren is a program assistant placed with Nine Mile Run by Public Allies in 2007. After graduating from Syracuse University in 2004, she taught urban youth at an arts non-profit organization in Newark, New Jersey. Lauren moved to Pittsburgh two years ago and has been active in the local arts scene as well as volunteer work at community organizations. She is interested in environmental change through citizen engagement and is currently working on a home composting project. During her 10-month program with Public Allies, she will be managing the Rain Barrel Initiative and coordinating events with NMRWA.

Matthew Bartko, Program Assistant
Matt came to NMRWA in January 2008 through a partnership with the Pittsburgh Public Allies, an Americorps program dedicated to the strengthening of communities and non-profit organizations. Prior to serving with Americorps, Matt worked for two years as an English teaching assistant in two different high schools in western France. A Pittsburgh native, he graduated in 2005 from the University of Pittsburgh with degrees in French and Communication. His interests include urban hiking, geochaching, cooking, and language learning. During his service with Public Allies, he will be managing the Rain Barrel Initiative and coordinating events with NMRWA.

Luke Stamper, Program Assistant
Luke first came to NMRWA in the winter of 2005 as an intern working within the Greenlinks program. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005, he worked with the Student Conservation Association as a crew leader training and leading groups of urban high school students to complete conservation service projects in community parks. Luke's work with NMRWA focuses on rain barrel assembly and distribution as well as ongoing field inspections of installed barrels. He is currently enrolled as a graduate student at Slippery Rock University studying towards a Masters degree in Environmental Education. Any free time he has he plays mandolin in one of Pittsburgh's premiere bluegrass bands, the Mon River Ramblers.