Laurie Zierer

Also under Laurie’s leadership, in 2015 PA Humanities partnered with the Orton Family Foundation for in-kind support with civic engagement grants for communities across Pennsylvania. The grants support humanities-focused approaches to community planning and development, using Orton’s nationally successful Community Heart and Soul® method. In addition, PA Humanities has recently expanded its award-winning Teen Reading Lounge program to ensure it reaches a diverse group of teens, including those from low-income backgrounds. Teens who take part in this interactive, nontraditional book club report stronger interpersonal, communication, literacy, and critical-thinking skills—and increased confidence.

Laurie holds a B.A. in English from Temple University and an M.A. in rhetoric from Penn State. She is an alumnus of Leadership Philadelphia, a graduate of the Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute at Bryn Mawr College, and holds certificates in fundraising and executive administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s College of General Studies.