“Christy really personifies the core values of ATHENA,” says Brienne Terril, who nominated Christy Uffelman for the 2012 ATHENA Young Professional Award. “She has achieved professional success, she is committed to improving the Pittsburgh community, and most importantly, she is a champion of women.”
Christy Uffelman, Vice President of Employee and Organization Development at Mascaro Construction, joined the SWSG Pittsburgh Advisory Council in 2011 and is also joining the SWSG National Board of Directors this year. In just her first year on the Advisory Council, Christy worked to pilot and develop SWSG’s Strong Leaders program. She was specifically nominated for the Young Professional Award for her outstanding hard work on the Strong Leaders program.

In her acceptance speech, Christy eloquently describes the uniqueness of all-female groups and how they work together. She highlights the importance of female- to-female mentoring relationships in providing a supportive environment for women in the work force, particularly in male-dominated fields. Christy also shares a few kernels of wisdom: the top-five lessons learned from female mentors in the last few years.

“I think it’s easy to talk the talk when it comes to mentoring women. It’s harder to walk the walk, and Christy walks the walk. Usually while wearing fabulous shoes.”  – Brienne Terril
Fellow Advisory Council member, Latasha Wilson-Batch, was also a finalist for the 2012 ATHENA Young Professional Award. Along with Pittsburgh Advisory Council Member Charlie Batch, Latasha has actively supported SWSG for five years. Latasha, as Executive Director of the Best of the Batch Foundation, has provided both financial and programmatic support for SWSG as a member of the Pittsburgh Advisory Council. The Best of the Batch Foundation office is one of 26 Pittsburgh-area SWSG program sites, and it fills a unique niche as a site for 5th-grade girls from two elementary schools in the Steel Valley School District. In all of her work, both with SWSG and the Best of the Batch Foundation, Latasha displays an unending commitment to helping girls, women, and youth throughout Pittsburgh.
“The kids mentor me, too,” says Latasha. “I get energy from them, because I am so proud of them.” Learn more about Latasha and her passion for helping youth work towards a successful future and realize their full potential.

“The program that comes to mind is Strong Women, Strong Girls. [Latasha] is a strong woman herself; she fits the mold of the program’s name.” – Ryan McConnell, Volunteer, Best of the Batch Foundation
SWSG is honored to work with these two extraordinary women. Christy and Latasha, thank you for everything you have contributed to Strong Women, Strong Girls and Pittsburgh!