Dr. Kathi Elliott
For Dr. Kathi Elliott, family and community are everything. That's why her passion has been to carry on the vision and legacy of her late mother, Gwen Elliott, Pittsburgh Police Commander and founder of Gwen's Girls. Dr. Elliott earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Chatham University in 2014 after earning dual master's degrees in Nursing and Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. She began as a victim advocate at the Center for Victims, working mainly with the juvenile justice system.
In 2015, Dr. Elliott became the Executive Director of Gwen's Girls, moving from the role of board member to help carry on her mother's legacy. Gwen's Girls' mission is to empower girls and young women to have productive lives through exposure to holistic, gender-specific programs, education, and experiences. Dr. Elliott has helped Gwen's Girls become a well-recognized forerunner in the integration of evidence-based clinical prevention and intervention policies and practices that enhance the child and social welfare system. She has a strong sense of the mission that her mother had for Gwen's Girls, which includes advocacy and education for at-risk girls with programs that promote social and emotional learning, academics, and professional skills.
Dr. Elliott also serves on the board of trustees at Chatham University, as well as Robert Morris University's Sociology/Criminal Justice Advisory Board and Slippery Rock University's Criminology Advisory Board.