AAUW PA’s public policy goals are to educate citizens about the impact of public policies on women and girls and to advocate for policies that will advance equity for women and girls. In Pennsylvania, AAUW actively endorses the national AAUW Public Policy Program. AAUW Pennsylvania supports good governance, an informed citizenry, and community dialogue on critical issues. Biennial priorities are intended to complement national priorities and to be a focus for active educational and advocacy efforts by members in the state.
For more than a century AAUW has influenced the legislative debate on critical issues affecting women and girls through effective grassroots advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. The North Hills Pittsburgh Branch encourages our members to be actively involved in this work.
Advocating is as simple as finding a cause that matters to you and uniting people to take action toward that common cause. As AAUW members, we share a mission of empowering women and girls. Individually and collectively we have the attitudes, values, and knowledge, talents, skills, and experience to be effective advocates. Each of us can do something.
The North Hills Pittsburgh Branch works locally to advance the AAUW member-endorsed Public Policy Priorities addressing policies that break through educational and economic barriers for women. Specific areas of work are GOTV, Title IX, and Equal Pay. We collaborate with other organizations in the community to achieve these goals.
Events our branch will be involved in will be posted on our website, discussed at branch meetings, and posted in our Viewpoints. Viewpoints, the branch online newsletter, has a section dedicated to Public Policy.
AAUW is a non-partisan organization.
AAUW Pennsylvania Public Policy Priorities 2024-2026
Click here to download.
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Gateway to Equity Award for 2025
The North Hills Pittsburgh Branch of the AAUW was honored to present Samantha Salopek with the branch “Gateway to Equity 2024-2025 Award” on March 19, 2025.
This award was presented to Sam for her advocacy efforts and actively serving on the leadership team for Pittsburgh for CEDAW, which recently resulted in the re-establishment of the Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission. Currently working to promote gender equity polices across Allegheny County. Sam also served our country by enlisting in the United States Air Force in 2009.
Currently, Sam works as the communications specialist at Pennsylvania Women Work, a Pittsburgh-based workforce development nonprofit focused on accessing economic and professional opportunities for job-seeking women and individuals.
Trib Live North Allegheny Journal AAUW to present Gateway to Equity Award
Was published March 12, 2025. Scroll down for article.
https://triblive.com/local/in-brief-happenings-from-the-north-allegheny-area-6/
Gateway to Equity Award for 2024
Gateway to Equity Award for 2023
On March 11, the American Association of University Women North Hills Pittsburgh Branch presented its 2023 Gateway to Equity Award to Kim Freithaler, North Hills Art Center executive director.
According to the AAUW, she embodies the association’s commitment to achieving equity for women and girls by promoting healing through creativity for people of all ages and backgrounds who are working through personal life challenges.
Freithaler’s leadership during the covid-19 pandemic enabled the North Hills Art Center in Ross to obtain new grant funding, remain open safely and increase membership.
Freithaler became president of the art center’s board of directors in 2007 and has been the executive director since 2016. Under her leadership during the pandemic, the center maintained its partnerships with social service agencies.
Through those partnerships, the center fulfilled its mission of providing “healing through creativity” for individuals across the life span by providing free art supplies, art classes and opportunities to display their work for grieving children, victims of intimate partner violence, immigrants, disadvantaged children, youth and families, hospitalized children and their families, military veterans, and elders in residential care.
North Hills Art Center director earns AAUW Equity Award | TribLIVE.com
To learn more about AAUW Public Policy go to:
https://www.aauw.org/resources/policy/aauw-public-policy-priorities/
An interesting article that adds to the dialogue about how to talk about differences and similarities through the lens of life experience. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/why_intersectional_stories_are_key_to_helping_the_communities_we_serve#
AAUW NORTH HILLS PITTSBURGH 