Vivien Luk, Director of Entertainment
A native of San Jose, California, and a enthusiastic fan of nonprofits,
sports, music, and most importantly, of Pittsburgh, PA, Vivien came to
Pittsburgh to attend the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management
at Carnegie Mellon University. She graduated in May, 2007 and is currently
the Community Resources Officer at The Forbes Funds, an intermediary foundation
that focuses its grantmaking on building the capacity of local nonprofits.
She sits on the board of the Human Services Center Corporation in Turtle
Creek and on various committees at local nonprofits. An advocate for creative
solutions for the community's needs, Vivien is one of the creators behind
the annual Market Square Water Balloon FIGHT and the Pittsburgh project
manager for GreatNonprofits.org.
Email her at viv@pghpartyforapurpose.org
Jess Obergas, Director of Beneficiary Relations
Jess is a transplant to Pittsburgh, hailing from Cleveland by way of St.
Louis. Coming to Pittsburgh for the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs
in the fall of 2005, she has worked in various roles with the nonprofit
community. Currently a full time Masters of Public Policy and Management
student at CMU's Heinz School, Jess is also Senior Associate at Dewey
& Kaye, a nonprofit consulting firm downtown. Jess also chairs the
Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Urban Leadership and Service Experience
(PULSE). When she's not working with nonprofits, Jess can be found cooking
for friends, drinking vanilla lattes, and exploring Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
Email her at jess@pghpartyforapurpose.org
Julie Pezzino, Director of Communications and Venues
Julie fearfully packed up her bags in New York City and moved to Pittsburgh,
PA in May 2006, only to fall in love with the steel city. A native of
a little town in upstate New York called Stone Ridge, she is currently
pursuing her master's degree at the Heinz School of Public Policy and
Management at Carnegie Mellon University with a focus on food and agriculture
policy. Prior to grad school she was the Manager of Communications at
The Pittsburgh Foundation, and is still a freelance writer for the organization.
Julie sits on the board of Pittsburgh Cares, and in her free time loves
being outside, traveling around the world and laughing with her friends
and family. Email her at julie@pghpartyforapurpose.org
