Michele McMurray
Vice President, Program and Community Engagement, The Pittsburgh Foundation
2023
In December of 2020, Michelle McMurray, MSW, was named vice president of Program and Community Engagement and is responsible for the strategic direction, development and management of the Foundation’s core grant-making programs. Michelle joined the Foundation in 2014 and has served in multiple roles of increasing responsibility, including senior program officer and director of grantmaking. Over her tenure, she has led the creation of innovative initiatives, which include Small and Mighty, the Social Justice Fund and the Grantmaking for Racial Justice Fund, all of which increase access to funding for small, community-based nonprofits and Black and Brown-led organizations.
Michelle is a seasoned leader with more than 15 years of professional experience, including academic research, clinical practice, policy advocacy and organizational leadership. Throughout her career, she has been committed to serving low-income communities, working to eliminate racial inequities across systems, and strengthening the capacity of small, community-based nonprofits. Prior to joining the Foundation, Michelle served as the CEO of a Mental Health America Allegheny County, where she oversaw programs and advocacy to ensure delivery of recovery-oriented services, increase awareness and understanding of mental illness, and protect the educational rights of students with mental health needs. She also worked at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in multiple research positions, examining the relationship between race, income, age and mental health. She is the co-author of several book chapters and peer-reviewed articles documenting the findings of this research.
Michelle earned multiple degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, including a master’s of social work, a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a certificate in women’s studies.
Michelle serves on the boards of Allegheny HealthChoices Inc and Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania and is a co-chair of the African American Funders Groups of Southwestern Pennsylvania. In 2020, she was appointed to the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission. That year she was also was recognized for her advocacy for Black communities by the Governor’s Commission on African American Affairs
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.
