“I want to have an impact in the community where I live." McCrae Martino in The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County’s Greensburg offices.
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A STRONG FOUNDATION:
New CFWC Leader Reflects On Family and Philanthropy by Cameron Monteith
McCrae Martino takes on the responsibilities of executive director of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.
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cCrae Martino was born and raised in Pittsburgh, but never expected that her journey back home would take her across the country to Los Angeles, California, and Washington, DC. After thousands of miles traveled and countless people met, she reflects on her family values and the community that raised her. Now, as she leads the philanthropic hub of Westmoreland County, McCrae plans to bring to the job what she has learned from 20 years of experience in workforce development and human services, as well as her personal commitment to listen to county residents’ ideas on how community philanthropy can be most effective.
“I want to have an impact in the community where I live,” says McCrae, who in 2014 moved to Murrysville with husband, Jeff, and their three children. “For me, working in nonprofits has always been about helping people and giving back.” As a philanthropy under the umbrella of The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County (CFWC) serves as a matchmaker for nonprofits serving the community and donors who want to help. CFWC tracks community needs and identifies where resources could be invested. “Whether it’s a donor or a nonprofit,” says McCrae, “their end goal is the same: to
18 GOALMagazine: A Publication of Go2Goal | Summer/Fall 2021
make the community a better place — through donating dollars or volunteering or organizing strategic responses to issues. CFWC sits in a unique position where we can engage with all of those who can help guide our investments.” To understand McCrae’s career as a nonprofit leader, it helps to learn more about her parents and the values they imparted to her. “My parents came from nothing — both of them,” says McCrae. ”And the fact that they were able to achieve what they achieved and give so much to my sister and me is really amazing. It was my mom and dad who encouraged me to volunteer, to go to college and help others whenever I am able. If they hadn’t done that, who knows if I’d be in the same place that I am now.” Her father, Jim “Doc” Holliday, grew up with 11 family members in a two-bedroom row house in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. He did not finish high school. Her mother, Dorothy, also came from a workingclass home. She was raised in Penn Hills with a father who didn’t believe women should go to college. Jim became a police officer and was active in the police union during his 37-year career. Dorothy was a hospital receptionist and later worked for the Pittsburgh city government in workforce development from the 1990s to 2010. Jim and Dorothy met at Forbes Hospital when Jim entered with a person who needed urgent medical attention. Jim struck up a conversation with Dorothy, who was working the front desk, and that led to a first date. They were married in 1967.
