By Lydia Morin

Dear CONNECT Member Representatives, Board of Directors, Funders, Partners, and Staff:

CONNECT is a network of regional civic leaders unlike any other, remarkable in its ability to harvest system-changing ideas and turn them into lived reality. Each of you is the reason I love this work, and I am deeply grateful for your leadership, trust, and commitment to our shared mission.

Over the years, I have often been described as an “energetic leader.” It’s a phrase I didn’t fully understand at first, but it turns out to be true in more ways than one that matter. Albert Einstein said, “Everything is energy, and that’s all there is to it,” and it turns out, much of my work at CONNECT has been about finding, cultivating, and protecting good energy within people, projects, and systems.

I came into this role with strengths rooted in vision, momentum, story-telling, and relationship-building. Along the way, all of you taught me new ones: patience, shared leadership, institutional rigor, and the power of trust built over time. I also learned hard lessons: about burnout, about the limits of control, and about the importance of focusing energy where it truly belongs.

I am deeply grateful for the mentorship and friendship of CONNECT’s founder, David Y. Miller. Dave had a rare gift for bringing people and governments together in ways that lasted, and I was lucky to learn directly from him, spending full days discussing the region on the slopes and over long dinners with him and his wife Ree, who contributed so much to CONNECT over the years. Watching his long vision come full circle with CONNECT securing its one-million-dollar endowment and later, after his death, our own 501c3, was especially meaningful, and a reminder that the legacy he built is strong, enduring, and still unfolding.

The moment I realized that CONNECT needed to be positioned for its next chapter of leadership was not sudden, but it was clear. Two years ago, a serious accident brought a period of injury, grief, healing, and growth. And with it, perspective. One of the most important responsibilities of good leadership is consistent succession planning, and I knew it was time to give that responsibility my full attention since anything can happen at any time.

CONNECT nimbly exists at the intersections of hard and soft infrastructure, environment and human resilience, leadership and learning. We are at once a think tank, an incubator, a network of local government officials, and a technical assistance provider. Solving systemic challenges requires strong networks; strong networks grow through trust; and trust flourishes through clear, consistent communication. That foundation is strong here, and it is what makes this transition possible. In Fall 2025, we published the first edition of the CONNECT Playbook and Standard Operating Procedures with a beautiful documentation and organization process spearheaded by an incredible internal team of Joey Brantle, Kelley Kelley, Sarah Downing, and Eric Raabe.

During our 2025 Annual Legislative Session, I recognized it should be my last as Executive Director. I felt a deep sense of completeness and pride. I am especially grateful to our Board President, Andrew Flynn, who met this realization with expert calm, patience, and an open mind. Like all of our Board Directors, Andrew stepped into a new level of leadership when CONNECT transitioned out of the University of Pittsburgh after 15 years of growth there, answering a call to steward the organization into its next independent and expansive chapter as an independent nonprofit. He shared an extraordinary amount of time, care, and expertise as we carefully plotted a transition that would be right for CONNECT, its staff, and its partners. Andrew uniquely brings vision and skill together in one human being, and his leadership reflects both strategic clarity and deep respect for people. 

Together, we designed a six-month transition plan, beginning with my formal resignation as Executive Director on February 2, 2026 and accepting my new role as Executive Advisor to the Board through August 7, 2026 and Board appointing Sarah Downing, Kelley Kelley and Eric Raabe as the Senior Leadership Team throughout. This plan builds on a legacy of strong board leadership, including Dr. Patty DeMarco, who served as Board President prior to Andrew and worked closely with Eric Raabe and me to bring forward the region’s first-ever multi-government Climate Action Plan, an effort that has since been used to raise millions of dollars and harness partners and other resources for implementation across the region. 

The Board worked intentionally to honor the work we’ve done together, ensure staff stability, and maintain a growth mindset throughout this process. The result is a leadership transition that reflects CONNECT’s values. Please find the plan attached to this letter. As part of this plan, three long-time staff members, Sarah Downing, Kelley Kelley and Eric Raabe will step into a shared Senior Leadership Team, continuing to build on CONNECT’s impact while the process for bringing in the next Executive Director is conducted. 

I am deeply grateful for the consistent mentorship and wisdom shared with me by Board Directors Darla Cravotta and Mary Ellen Ramage, especially as we ideated, incubated, and expanded our innovative pre-arrest diversion and case management services to dozens more governments in partnership with Allegheny County Department of Human Services and the City of Pittsburgh Office of Community Health & Safety, led by Kelley Kelley and Joey Brantle. The fact that these two staffers are now the pre-eminent national experts in this systemic harm reduction policy work fills me with pride and optimism for what’s possible. 

Our structure reflects the depth, strength, and institutional knowledge already within the organization. That impact is substantial and worth celebrating, made possible by an Executive Board willing to step into big roles. I’m thankful to Vice President Shawn Alfonso-Wells, Treasurer Kirsten Compitello, and Secretary Michael Lamb for leading financial stewardship and governance strategy that have positioned CONNECT for long-term strength and credibility.

A special thank you goes to Board Director John Stinner (and CONNECT Intern Alum) for carrying new ideas like the Wellbeing Symposium and the Crisis Communications Panel across the finish- line, with dedicated facilitation and follow-through from Sarah Downing and Kelley Kelley. I am also endlessly appreciative of Board Directors Ron Borzyk, Patrick Connors, Dan Davis, George Dougherty, Grant Ervin, Alice Gabriel, Jake Pawlak, and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, for always picking up on the first rings to talk through challenges and offer ideas within their areas of expertise and sharing connections.

I have leaned on this Board often, helping facilitate its collective energy and ideas into momentum and reality. I am equally grateful for our many funders and partner organizations with whom we have MOUs and shared work. All of which are made possible through the collaborative funding leadership that Rebecca Kiernan brings alongside our full and growing staff team. In fact, we just welcomed Alicia Carberry and Camille Pelka, both of whom I’m grateful to overlap with to continue impact like this:

• The LEAD initiative has expanded and is now actively operating in a total of 21 different communities providing 1760 unique services, engaged in over 2000 individuals 
• $250,000 Awarded for energy audits to municipalities
• Electrify Allegheny: Over 50 sites assessed for EV charging across the region
• Municipal solar: $1.5M awarded and 18 sites assessed 
• Waste & Materials: $175,000 awarded to create alternative waste options
• Over $2.2 million was awarded for energy, solar, and alternative waste projects
• A total of $3 million in Infrastructure and Resilience grants were provided to members, supporting 20+ local projects

None of this would have been possible so seamlessly without the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies offering flexible administrative support and strong financial oversight that strengthened CONNECT’s operational backbone, and The Heinz Endowments not only financially supporting with the way too rare operating support but opening doors and making connections for more project support. Both of these partnerships enabled sustainable growth and sound stewardship during a period of expansion and change.

Throughout and beyond this transition, I am thrilled to continue working in this space in new roles, with CONNECT and our partners on producing journalistic video content coverage on all things local government and civic engagement. I am profoundly grateful to Member Representative Deb Cassini-Klein for believing in that idea and for connecting us with one of the most encouraging editor-producers imaginable, Janine Michael. 

CONNECT is strong. Its people are strong. Its future is bright.

Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your belief in what collaborative, regional leadership can accomplish. It has been an honor to serve alongside you.

With deep gratitude and confidence in what’s ahead,

Lydia Morin
Executive Director
Congress of Neighboring Communities (CONNECT)

CONNECT Staff at our January 5th Holiday Outing