Life-long Pittsburgh resident, Center of Life’s CEO, Tim Smith, is affectionately known as “PT” (short for Pastor Tim). Though Center of Life was founded in an official capacity in 2001, his roots in Hazelwood run deep and he’s worked and volunteered in the community since the 1980s. His passion for connecting with kids and families led him to create Center of Life as a nonprofit and community empowerment organization — one founded on his personal philosophies and that guides the organization’s direction and impact to this day.
PT’s philosophy of economics, environment, and empowerment includes giving people the tools they need to not only succeed, but to lead economic revitalization in Hazelwood and similar communities in the face of generational and economic discrimination; providing every person with a sense of belonging, significance, and security; and connecting an individual’s inherent natural talent (which we believe each person possesses) with meaningful opportunity and education.
PT brings a wealth of knowledge, compassion, and creativity to Center of Life and Hazelwood each day. His education from Westinghouse High School, University of Pittsburgh, and the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary as well as his professional experiences as an investment banker and National Youth Network Coordinator allow him to lead the organization on all fronts.
When asked his favorite thing about Hazelwood, PT says, “The people… Because everything is about people. The people [in Hazelwood] are my professors and Hazelwood is the university.”
This cannot be thought of as a conference or a summit. The stakes are simply too high and the data/conversation and methods to drive action more valuable/motivating than any gathering I have attended. I took more than 100 pages of notes and have shared them with my CBS News leadership team, anchors, producers, and correspondents. Nothing about this gathering was easy. The agony around this topic is real. But no one curious about it could ask for a more devoted, rational, or unflinching look into this dark but decipherable world.
