Green Burial Pittsburgh (GBP) is in the process of becoming an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity. GBP works on land conservation and restoration efforts, establishes public walking trails and park services on green cemetery lands, provides environmental education to the public on the benefits of natural burial and advocates for ‘green’ burial everywhere.
Board of Directors
The current officers and directors are:
President
Pete McQuillin is the founder and president of Green Burial Pittsburgh, Inc., which he started in January 2008. His for-profit background includes starting one new business for PPG Industries, Inc., two new businesses for Menasha Corporation, Inc. and running his own export sales business. More recently, he was one of three founding partners of Fourth River Associates, Inc., which provides coaching, training and consulting to organizations and businesses on interpersonal skills and group process. Pete is currently on the boards of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Western Pennsylvania and the Spring Hill Civic League. Previously he served on the boards of Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, the Council on Realizing Excellence in Management, the Black and White Reunion and several churches. Pete has also been a volunteer worker for several other nonprofit organizations. Pete McQuillin can be contacted at mcquillin -at- greenburialpittsburgh.org.
Vice-President
Paul Cox has been hooked on the concept of Green Burial since a first visit to the Ramsey Creek Preserve, near Westminster, South Carolina, the first conservation burial ground to open in the United States. He and his wife, Susan, consider it a privilege to contribute to making this burial option available in Pittsburgh.
Secretary/Treasurer
Nancy Chubb, PhD, MBA is a psychologist in downtown Pittsburgh and owner of a private practice in psychology that specializes in psychotherapy, organizational consulting and executive coaching. She is a past president and treasurer of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association and was treasurer of the Greater Pittsburgh Psychological Association. Nancy’s conversation with Pete about wanting to have a green burial near home led to the start of Green Burial Pittsburgh..
Director
Mary Kellers is a project manager for McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of community and housing development. Currently Mary oversees the firm’s role in the Bedford HOPE VI development, a mixed-income revitalization effort in Pittsburgh that includes rental and homeownership development. As Project Manager she oversees all phases of the development process including financing, public approvals, acquisition, design, MWBE and Section 3 hiring requirements, project scheduling and budgeting. Over the past several years Mary has worked with for-profit and nonprofit organizations throughout the Pittsburgh area in both a professional and volunteer capacity. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Rhode Island College and a Masters Degree in Management and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University.
Director
Kair Purvis is the newest GBP board member, but she is not new to Green Burial Pittsburgh, as she has been an active member of the publicity committee for a long while. She is a marketing and communication specialist with over 20 + years of business experience. She describes herself as a “bridger”, someone choosing to use her business experience to bridge over to benefit the non profit sector. A graduate of La Roche College where she majored in Business Leadership and Fine Arts, she is currently a graduate student at Robert Morris University in Non Profit Management. “I’ve embraced the idea of green burial since the first time I heard of it and I knew that the Pittsburgh area would as well”, Purvis says. Green burial is simple and natural; it honors our loved ones and our planet. “Truly the ultimate in recycling!”
Director
Roger Westman has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering having specialized in air pollution control. Now retired, he spent more than three decades with the Air Quality Program of the Allegheny County Health Department and headed up the Program. That work included monitoring air quality, determining ways to meet needed improvements, permitting sources and enforcing regulations on air pollution throughout the County. He also served on state and federal air quality committees. His vocation was part of a personal commitment to preserving and restoring the natural environment. He is active in Calvary Episcopal Church, Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, and enjoys gardening. Roger feels that green burial is the environmentally best way and is excited about helping to make it available.
Committees
- Advisory Committee. Chair, Pete McQuillin
- Land Restoration Committee. Chair, Dr. Nancy Levine-Arnold
- Publicity Committee. Chair, Rev. Lynn Acquafondata
Donors
- Individuals who have contributed to Green Burial Pittsburgh