Lauren J. Byrne
Lauren J. Byrne
Lawrenceville United, Executive Director
Age: 26
Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, PA
Where you live: Pittsburgh, PA
First Job: Administrative Aide at the Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center
What it taught me: At 12, I assisted unemployed teens and adults in creating resumes and identified open available positions that fit their skills and qualifications.
Working at an early age instilled a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility, but also taught me that everyone, regardless of their background or position in life, has something to offer and a plays a vital role in society.
Status: Single
Family: Daugher of Patrick and Jeannie Byrne; sister to Bridget and Patrick Byrne, Jr; Granddaughter of Thomas and Agnes Brose and Michael and Marjorie Byrne
Three things people would be surprised to know about me:
1. I was the first of first generation college graduates in my family.
2. I still sleep in the bottom bunk at my parents house on Christmas Eve, read The Night Before Christmas with my brother and sister before bed, and wake up to a pile of gifts from ‘Santa Claus.’
3. I attended an event hosted by Michelle Obama and sat among world leaders during the 2009 G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, PA.
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Find something to do that you’re passionate about. If you have passion for what you are doing, you will work like hell, but you will enjoy it, cherish it, appreciate it, and you will learn from it.
Lauren Byrne, Executive Director of Lawrenceville United, works to improve the overall quality of life for residents in one of Pittsburgh’s largest and most diverse neighborhoods through community engagement, activism, planning, and community development. Under Lauren’s leadership, crime has decreased, and millions of dollars have been invested to support residential and commercial development in this post-industrial, riverfront community. Prior to working in Lawrenceville, Lauren worked with Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl as a project co-ordinator and liaison to community groups throughout Pittsburgh’s 90 neighborhoods upon her graduation from Allegheny College with a BA. in Political Science and English and the completion of her thesis: The Irish Diaspora in America: The Effects of Irish American Identity on American Politics and Literature.
Lauren currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, the City of Pittsburgh’s Disruptive Properties Appeals Board, and the Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center Board. Lauren has stayed active in the Pittsburgh Irish Community. As a founding member and the first President of the Junior Division 23 LAOH, and after being featured in Irish America Magazine for winning a National Irish History Writing Contest, Lauren was named Miss Smiling Irish Eyes for Pittsburgh’s St Patrick’s Day Parade in 2002.
Lauren represented Pittsburgh in the 2002 International Maiden of the Mournes Festival, in Warrenpoint, County Down. Lauren currently serves as a member of the Pittsburgh St Patrick’s Day Parade Planning Committe.