Lawrenceville Corporation Names Lauren Byrne Connelly as Executive Director
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2019
Contact:
Rachel Webber, Business District Manager
Lawrenceville Corporation
rachel@lawrencevillecorp.com
412-621-1616 x102
PITTSBURGH, PA – Lawrenceville Corporation announced today that Lauren Byrne Connelly has been named executive director of the nonprofit community development organization that, driven by the Lawrenceville community, acts as the catalyst and conduit for responsible and sustainable growth.
She succeeds Matthew Galluzzo, who served the organization for nearly a decade. During his time at the Lawrenceville Corporation, Galluzzo facilitated over $200 million in public and private investment in Lawrenceville and oversaw the creation and implementation of the first Community Land Trust in Western Pennsylvania. Mr. Galluzzo is now moving on to lead Riverlife, a regional nonprofit that works to implement a community vision for Pittsburgh’s riverfront.
Inspired to pursue a career in community development at a young age, Lauren has spent her 13 + year community development career working in local government and non-profits to build vibrant communities that offer all opportunities to live, work, and play. Lauren has most recently worked as an Assistant Director of Business Innovation and Technology in Allegheny County’s Department of Economic Development (ACED), overseeing community development loan and grant programs, Main Street revitalization programs, real estate development projects, and business development programs and projects throughout the 130 municipalities within Allegheny County.
Prior to joining Allegheny County Economic Development, Lauren served as the Executive Director of Lawrenceville United, Lawrenceville Corporation’s partner and community-based organization focused on improving the quality of life of Lawrenceville residents and stakeholders through community engagement and advocacy, community programs, and community planning and development.
Under Lauren’s leadership, Lawrenceville United created engagement programs, and robust community-driven planning processes and projects that have become regional models for community planning, school-based parent-engagement programs, entertainment and hospitality district planning and development, workforce development, public safety, and community health and wellness programs.
“We are thrilled to announce Lauren as the new Executive Director. Lauren’s past experience working for Lawrenceville United, the City of Pittsburgh, and Allegheny County give her a unique perspective on development both locally and regionally. We are looking forward to working with her and Lawrenceville’s residents and business owners to define the next generation of the Lawrenceville Corporation,” said Nina Chase, Vice President of the Lawrenceville Corporation’s board of directors.
Byrne Connelly’s hiring comes as the Lawrenceville Corporation begins to implement a robust strategic plan for 2020, including planning for permanent affordable housing, responsible hospitality, accessibility and mobility, and commercial development and business district repositioning.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to return to Lawrenceville to join the LC team in building on the organization’s long history of collaboration with partner organizations, residents, and all stakeholders to catalyze and steward responsible and community-driven growth and development in Lawrenceville, “ said Byrne Connelly. “I look forward to deepening LC’s impact within the community and regionally as we build on a great foundation established under Matt’s leadership. I am also looking forward to working with current and former colleagues in new ways on important issues facing the Lawrenceville community as it continues to grow. I know that through hard work and strong partnerships Lawrenceville can be a community for all that offers all the opportunity to thrive and I’m excited to get to work in realizing that vision.“
The Lawrenceville Corporation was formed in January 2000 as a merger of the Lawrenceville Development Corporation (LDC) and the Lawrenceville Business Association (LBA). Both the LBA and LDC had been in existence since the mid-1980s and were formed in response to neighborhood decline stemming from Pittsburgh’s economic crisis during the 1970s and 1980s. The merger yielded a new organization with a strong combined board of directors: the Lawrenceville Corporation. The organizational mission, membership, and much of the programming trace back to the original two entities. Since the merger, the LC has gained local and national recognition for its innovative niche marketing programs like the 16:62 Design Zone and the Doughboy branding campaign, recruitment efforts that have yielded destination-type retail and restaurant businesses, and the first Community Land Trust in Western Pennsylvania.
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Lawrenceville Corporation is a non-profit community development corporation that acts as the catalyst and conduit for responsible growth and reinvestment in the Lawrenceville community. Learn more at: www.lvpgh.com.
