The Polish Hill Civic Association was founded in 1969 and is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization. Our office is located at 3060 Brereton Street, Pittsburgh PA, 15219. Our phone number (and fax number too) is 412-681-1950. You can email us at phca@phcapgh.org.
“Our mission is to respect and preserve the sense of community in Polish Hill while promoting economic and housing development opportunities and improving the quality of life for our community.”
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2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alexis Miller – President
Myra Falisz – Vice President
Erica Moulinier- Treasurer
Valerie Testa – Secretary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Susan Atkinson – Director
Mark Knobil – Director
Catherine McConnell – Director
Tom Ogden – Director
Josiah Parkinson – Director__________________________________________________
Meet the 2013 Polish Hill Civic Association Executive Board
Alexis Miller, president
Alexis Miller is a dedicated, organized and results-oriented leader who loves food, hiking, traveling and her dog. She is at her best when building informal networks, collaborating with others and implementing change. On the professional front, her experience includes freelance, education, non-profit, public and private sector work, using skills that range from writing and event planning to program evaluation and financial management. Alexis’ first full time job was teaching English to elementary and middle-school students in Takasago, Japan. Alexis’ current role at UPMC Health Plan keeps her busy with project management, process improvement and program evaluation reports. On the personal front, she is most proud of recently hiking the Inca Trail in Peru and renovating her 100-year old Polish Hill home. She has served 3.5 years on the PHCA board as secretary and vice president. She was a member of the Polish Hill Community Plan Steering Committee and co-chair of the Plan’s Housing & Buildings Committee. Other neighborhood leadership highlights include being the writer and project coordinator for two winning Sprout Fund grants, committee member of the first Polish Hill arts festival and newsletter editor for the Polish Hill Voice. Alexis also is a board member for Construction Junction and Highmark First Night Pittsburgh. She has a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She was born in Polish Hill, moved away when she was five years old, then fell in love with the neighborhood when she moved back ten years ago. She loves the friendliness and location of our neighborhood, and you will often see her out and about early evenings with her friendly companion, Friede.
Myra Falisz, vice president
Myra Falisz is valued for her right-brain creativity and left-brain resourcefulness that have energized an array of art, communications and technology initiatives. As a software marketing executive, she successfully introduced products in the United States, Japan, Australia, Singapore and Western Europe. During a sabbatical from software, she attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As an artist, she enjoys social narrative, discovering connections that re-imagine a framework and reveal a story. She has been a volunteer for a community clinic, and has served on the PHCA board since mid-2010. She co-chaired two committees during the PHCA’s strategic planning process — Open Space & Art and Transportation & Gateways. Myra is a member of Councilman Patrick Dowd’s Pedestrian Safety Task Force and is working with HandsOn Tech/Pittsburgh Cares to upgrade the PHCA’s technology initiatives. She boomeranged back to Pittsburgh in 2009 after living in Southern California for 15 years. As a newcomer to the neighborhood, her proudest Polish Hill moment was teaming up with the City’s Department of Public Works to create sidewalk stamping at the corner of Dobson & Herron, echoing the pattern of 100-year-old bricks. Myra majored in liberal arts at Otterbein College and earned a master’s degree in corporate communications from Duquesne University.
Erica Moulinier, treasurer
Erica Moulinier is a traveler, crafter and steward of social justice. She is passionate about a variety of professional and personal pursuits, from financial management to community building. Her accounting and finance experience spans both for-profit and non-profit organizations, from Starbuck’s Coffee Company in Seattle to The Simple Way, a neighborhood faith-based organization in Philadelphia. In November 2011, she traveled with The Simple Way to El Salvador, learning about the struggle of its people and liberation theology. She conquered her fear of public speaking, and now serves as a guest panelist on economic and social equality for religious and justice organizations. She is an avid crafter and is passionate about community building via skill sharing. She has taught neighborhood knitting classes and hosted a pączki-making session in her kitchen — a gathering space that she dubs as one of Polish Hill’s largest. She moved to Polish Hill in July 2009, and splits her time between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where she continues to work as the controller for The Simple Way. Erica earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Delaware and has more than 13 years of finance experience.
Valerie Testa, secretary
Valerie Testa is a self-starter known for stepping up, digging in and taking action. As Polish Hill’s Green Team leader, she’s not afraid of getting her hands dirty, and as the PHCA’s newest executive board member, she is not afraid of advancing her skills. Valerie is a graduate of Pittsburgh’s Civic Leadership Academy, which provides education about and access to various levels of local government and their services. She spearheads the ongoing Knotweed Knockout program along Melwood, initially funded by a Sprout Fund Spring Award. This major initiative not only includes invasive species removal and remediation, but also reintroducing native plants. Valerie bikes to her job as a buyer at Whole Foods and is especially concerned about our corridors, gateways and getting around Polish Hill in general. She is a stair steward for the Dobson/Herron city steps during the winter months and a “litter gitter” during the warmer ones. Valerie spent this spring beautifying two small parcels of land that flank the steps from Phelan to the Immaculate Heart of Mary schoolyard. She enjoys brainstorming ways to improve our green infrastructure and encourage biodiversity, and is eager to collaborate with residents to help implement the shared vision for our community plan. As a Polish Hill resident, Valerie believes that our neighborhood is distinct because of the people who have chosen to call it home.
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