Facebook-f Linkedin-in Instagram Sms
Annual report
Donate

About

Making lives work better.

Our Mission
Life’sWork of Western PA is a nonprofit organization empowering people to live the life they choose. We partner with people with disabilities, people with other barriers, young adults, children, and families to pursue their hopes and dreams through strengthening workplace abilities, building life skills, and developing meaningful relationships.

Since our founding in 1927, more than 100,000 individuals of all ages with disabilities, other employment barriers, children, and families in crisis have utilized the services of Life’sWork to achieve independence and self-sufficiency.

We serve over 2,000 clients a year, ranging from youth as young as 14 to adults as well as people with other barriers to employment, including at-risk youth, single parents, people transitioning off public assistance, and families facing economic crises.

There are two things all the people we serve have in common: 1) They want to work; meaningful employment is as important to these individuals as to all of us. 2) Most importantly, our clients are very proud of their accomplishments, and so are we! We take pride in our efforts day in and day out to achieve our goal of making lives work better for the benefit of our clients and, ultimately, for the benefit of our Western Pennsylvania community.

Our Vision

At Life’sWork, we believe everyone has a right to share in opportunities for meaningful employment.

Our vision is to be one of the foremost resources in Western PA and recognized for our high-quality and innovative community rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities or other barriers to employment.

We envision compassionate, inclusive, and equitable communities where all individuals have an opportunity to thrive.

Life’sWork Core Values (CARE)

Compassion – We are a caring organization that recognizes the unique challenges faced by our community and provides support with kindness and empathy. We accept all people, listen carefully without judgment, and with encouragement.

Awareness – We strive to raise awareness of the needs and challenges faced by the people we serve, the mission of Life’sWork, and all of the programs that we offer to the community.

Respect – We root ourselves in our shared humanity and treat each other with kindness and empathy. We honor the equal dignity and worth of all people—even in the face of conflict.

Engagement – We embrace engagement, reflection and developing competencies central to our work. As part of that growth process, we acknowledge our missteps and shortcomings with humility and lean into our responsibility to learn and evolve.

History​

Founded in 1927, Life’sWork and its predecessor organizations (United Vocational and Employment Service and the Vocational Rehabilitation Center of Allegheny County) has been driven by a commitment to helping individuals facing barriers to employment find the same opportunities as others with the willingness to work.

For nearly a century, Life’sWork has embraced a broad range of individuals seeking assistance in securing meaningful work—from immigrants wanting to become part of the economic life of their new country to veterans seeking to rejoin the workforce, and increasingly, we have focused our efforts on serving individuals with intellectual development and physical disabilities as well as other mental health challenges. In recent years, we’ve expanded our reach to help those dealing with other barriers to securing work, including economic and social disadvantages that can make finding employment challenging.

Through these initiatives, we serve single parents, individuals seeking to transition off public assistance, families in crisis, and at-risk youth seeking to find a new direction through work. Life’sWork empowers individuals of differing abilities to transform their own lives through unique opportunities. Throughout our history and to this day, our mission remains focused on increasing the quality of life of persons with disabilities and others with barriers to employment, enabling them to gain the self-esteem that comes with having a meaningful job.

Our Leadership Team

Life’sWork of Western PA is committed to its mission of enhancing the quality of life of individuals with disabilities and those facing other barriers to employment. We do so with a relentless and unwavering commitment to achieving and sustaining the highest standards of excellence in our services, and we can do that only with a talented team of professionals who share our commitment to those ideals. 

Executive Director
Phone: (412) 471-2600 ext. 312
Email: mbittner@lifesworkwpa.org

 

Chair of Board

George Robinson II
UPMC

George is Director of Supplier Opportunity & Inclusion for UPMC. He joined UPMC in April 2018 to enhance strategic planning and execution in the UPMC Supplier Diversity Program.  To this position, George brings over 20 years of experience in Business and Engineering Administration, Government Management, and Diverse Business Development.  George presently serves on several local boards, including Life’s Work (Board Chair), Riverside Center of Innovation, Women’s Business Entrepreneurship Council (WBEC)-East (Chairman Emeritus), Laurel Highlands Boy Scouts of America, and the Pittsburgh Historical Landmarks Foundation, among others. Mr. Robinson is a graduate of the inaugural cohort of The Advanced Leadership Initiative (TALI) Executive Leadership Academy held in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), with undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. studies completed at The University of Toledo (OH), and additional Executive Education completed at Georgetown University.

VICE CHAIR

Lori E. McMaster, Esq

Immediate Past Chair

Amanda Beaman
Amanda Beaman is the assistant general counsel for Viatris, a global healthcare company “bridging the traditional divide between generics and brands, to more holistically address healthcare needs globally.” She is a past chair of the Life’sWork Board of Directors and still brings her networking skills and experience to promote the Life’sWork mission.

Directors

Andrew Fee currently serves as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Special Olympics of Pennsylvania. Andrew manages key relationships for Special Olympics of Pennsylvania to support programming and funding. Previously, Andrew served as the Assistant Director of Athletics & Head Men’s & Women’s Golf Coach at Geneva College.  As a Life’sWork of Western PA board director, Andrew brings his passion for service and endurance, which strengthens the board. Andrew enjoys challenges and uses them as an opportunity to persevere, a life skill that Life’sWork strives to teach its clients. Andrew received his bachelor’s degree in Business & Sports Management from Geneva College. He received his master’s degree in sports management studies and intercollegiate athletic administration from California University of Pennsylvania and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from
Geneva College.

John Fowler is the Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. (MEPPI). John has worked at MEPPI for almost 30 years and is a graduate of Penn State University. John’s focus at MEPPI is to focus on adapting financial strategies to constant change/market growth, utilizing new tools and technology in the power industry and other infrastructure areas.

MEPPI delivers high value to its customers through solutions, products, and services in North America, Australia, and select European countries for the following areas: Electric Power, Data Center, Mobility & Rail Transportation, and Large-Scale Video Displays.

George Manos is a Canton, Ohio native, earning his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Ohio Northern University in 1973. He immediately began working for U.S. Steel in the commercial department in Cleveland. He played a significant role in the formation of U.S. Steel’s joint venture with Kobe Steel of Japan, the USS/Kobe Steel Company, and in 1996, he was named vice president of business processes and public affairs for USS/Kobe. In 1999, he was named administrative director of governmental and legal affairs for Republic Technologies International. After holding various positions in management, operations, and human resources, he retired in June 2014 from U.S. Steel after serving as President of the company’s real estate department, where he was responsible for managing over 190,000 acres of developed and undeveloped land. In January 2015, George was appointed the President of SheerWind, a wind technology company, a position he held until March 2015. George has served as board chair of the Industrial Management Council and served on the board of the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council. He joined the Familylinks board in 2017 and has served on the Development & Outreach Committee and as the chair of the ad hoc Human Resources committee.

Will is a retired banking executive and resides in Peters Township. He is a graduate of Penn State and served three years in the US Army during the Vietnam War. After his discharge from the Army, he embarked on an almost 40-year career in the financial services industry, where he had a wide variety of roles. His employers included the FDIC, Mellon Bank, Citizens Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank. Will initially joined Familylinks as a foundation board member in 2013. In 2017, he joined the Familylinks Board and in his 13 years with the agency, has served as a member of the finance committee, ad hoc pension committee, and chair of the foundation board/investment committee. Will has been an integral part of the board’s oversight of the agency’s investment portfolio and financial management through the years. Before his involvement with the Familylinks board, he served on the Literacy Pittsburgh board, where he was a member of the finance and strategy planning committees, along with serving a term as their board treasurer.

Lori retired in 2024 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  In addition to being an alumna of Pitt Law, Lori worked from 2019 to 2024 as the law school’s Executive Director of External Relations, where she interfaced regularly with alumni, legal employers, and external stakeholders seeking to collaborate with Pitt Law.  From 2011 to 2019, Lori served as Executive Director of Pitt Law’s Professional Development Office, where she oversaw all career-related functions on behalf of students and alumni.  Lori served as President of the Allegheny County Bar Association from 2019 – 2020.  She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1986 and practiced for nearly 20 years as a trial attorney specializing in complex corporate litigation in state, federal, and appellate courts in large and medium-sized law firms in Pittsburgh, PA and Cleveland, OH. She graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science from Allegheny College, where she was an Alden Scholar and the recipient of Departmental Honors in Political Science.  Lori and her husband Dave have an adult son with special needs, who works in the South Side facility of Life’sWork.

Kaia is the Controller at KaliVir Immunotherapeutics and has been with the company since 2021. KaliVir
Immunotherapeutics was founded in 2019 to pioneer a unique and novel approach to cancer treatment that
engages a virus’ natural ability to replicate in and kill cancer cells. This modality is known as oncolytic viral
immunotherapy. Before working at KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, Kaia worked as the VP of Finance at
FarmaceuticalRX, and the CFO and Chief Compliance Officer of Rinovum Women’s Health. Kaia received her BA degree in Economics from the College of Wooster and her Master of Science in Management (MSM) in Finance from Purdue University Daniels School of Business. Kaia has been a member of the Kalivir board since 2013 and has served as the chair of their Audit and Finance Committee.

Jenna joined the Familylinks team as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) in February 2025. Jenna holds a Master of Business Administration from Waynesburg University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. She brings extensive management experience to Familylinks’ executive and leadership teams. She leads the development, implementation, and oversight of programs in terms of process, enhancement, financial success, and efficiency as Familylinks continues to grow as a service provider in Pennsylvania. Before joining Familylinks, Jenna was the Senior Vice President of Program Operations at PathWays of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Prior experience includes positions at The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services as ODP Program Representative and the Executive Director at Supernova Services.

Peggy received her BA in Math from Carnegie Mellon University and her MA in counseling from Duquesne
University. She worked for BNY Mellon for 20 years in various management positions and retired as the Vice
President, Manager of Information Technology. Peggy currently serves on the Birthright of Charleston Board and served on the Familylinks Board from 2013 to 2022. As a Familylinks board member, Peggy served as the
chairperson of the governance committee and was a member of the executive board committee. As the governance committee chair, she worked with the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management to restructure the board committees and conducted numerous board surveys to improve board participation in meetings. Peggy also participated in the board CEO search committee in 2020 and helped with the recruitment of our current CEO, Stacey Vaccaro.

Legal Counsel

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy outlines how LifesWork of Western Pennsylvania collects, uses, and discloses information via the https://www.lifesworkwpa.org website (the “Site”). By using the site, you agree to this policy. Information collected includes personal details you provide, and data automatically sent by your devices. This may cover name, email, address, browser data, IP address, and site interactions (Log Data, Cookies). We use cookies to improve your experience. The Information gathered is used for website operation, personalization, analysis, communication (including marketing), security, fraud prevention, and legal compliance. Data may be shared with service providers, for legal reasons, or during business transfers. We use advanced security measures but cannot guarantee full security. Data is retained as needed for purposes and legal requirements. You may have rights regarding your data. Our site may link to external sites, for which we are not responsible. This policy may be updated, with changes posted on this page. For questions, contact us via the provided details provided on the Site.