March is Women’s History Month, and we’re proud to highlight two legendary women who shaped our organization, and inspired others in Pittsburgh and beyond. Dorothy Mae Richardson and Aggie Brose both played instrumental roles in the fight to improve neighborhoods and expand access to economic opportunities for all through homeownership.

Richardson, who some call the “mother of community development,” brought together her neighbors to improve their neighborhood in Pittsburgh’s Northside, when systemic home lending discrimination and urban renewal policies threatened to destroy their community in the 1960s. They saved their North Charles Street neighborhood using a resident-led approach to community development. This was an innovative model, which inspired the founding of Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, today known as NeighborWorks America.

Aggie Brose was a tireless community advocate, who co-founded Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation and was a founding member of Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. She served on our Board of Directors for more than 15 years, promoting greater access to homeownership. In 2018, NeighborWorks America honored Brose with a Visionary Leader in Community Development Award, presented in her hometown.

We're grateful for the contributions of Richardson and Brose, along with the many other women who have served our organization, advancing our mission to promote stable, vibrant communities through homeownership services.