WGF Staff
Heather Arnet is Executive Director of the Women and Girls Foundation (WGF). The mission of WGF is to achieve equality for women and girls in Southwest Pennsylvania. At WGF, Arnet has spearheaded efforts to increase women’s representation on the public and corporate boards of Pittsburgh and in elected office. Heather and the Foundation recently received National and International media attention for their successful “Girlcott” of Abercrombie & Fitch appearing on NBC’s Today Show, CNN, Fox News, ABC and CBS News as well as National Public Radio, and the BBC. In 2006 Arnet and the Foundation received awards from the National Organization of Women and the International Women’s Funding Network for their triumphant youth-led Girlcott and for their work in energizing a new generation of women leaders.
Arnet has been identified as one of Pittsburgh’s “Top 40 under 40” by Pittsburgh Magazine, as one of the “Top Twelve Noteworthy Business Leaders of 2006” by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and received the Diamond Award, for “Outstanding CEO Leadership” by the Pittsburgh Business Times in April 2008.
In addition to her work with the Foundation, Arnet serves as a Board Member of Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, and on the Advisory Boards of WQED Multimedia and The Forbes Funds. She is an active member of NOW, The Women’s Funding Network and Women in Philanthropy and former Regional Vice President of the Pennsylvania Women’s Campaign Fund.
Arnet has her BA degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Literary and Cultural Studies and Drama. In addition to her activist and philanthropy work, Arnet also writes and directs feminist theatre. Most recently Arnet’s play "Yo’Mama!" (about the challenges and joys of modern motherhood) was awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts and the Sprout Fund and has been produced in Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Alaska.
Adriana Dobrzycka, Program Officer. As a Program Officer, Adriana assists the Foundation with its grantmaking and outreach efforts. Adriana graduated from St. Cloud State University with a B.A. in Anthropology and Political Science, and has recently completed a joint-degree Master’s program at the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). Adriana is from Florence, Italy and comes to the Women and Girls Foundation with a background of human rights research and advocacy.
Contact Adriana for any grantmaking related questions.
Tara Simmons, Director of Operations and Programs.
As Director of Operations and Programs for WGF, Tara administers the organization’s business systems, financial compliance, employee benefits, and technology. She also oversees WGF’s regional outreach efforts, cultivating community relationships to increase visibility and awareness and to ensure the advancement of the Foundation’s mission throughout the region. Additionally, Tara is responsible for managing WGF’s programs and evaluating programmatic effectiveness.
Tara brings extensive experience working with regional strategic initiatives and grantmaking to the organization. Prior to joining WGF, she served as Director of Member Services for Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania. In this capacity, Simmons managed the organization’s member relationships with grantmakers throughout the region, and organized regional non-profit events such as the annual Non-Profit Summit. In addition, she served on a national team of grantmaker associations that developed the first national web-based Knowledgebase for grantmakers.
Tara also serves on the board of the Three Rivers Community Foundation. A native of Washington County, Tara and her husband Greg reside in Cecil Township, and share their home with two Clumber Spaniels and four rescued cats.
Contact Tara for any WGF program related questions.
