THERESA BONE

Theresa “Terri” Bone is passionate about helping people achieve work-life balance. After finding her own way to juggle a career, family life, and philanthropic commitments, she decided to help others do the same.

Terri has been a member of the Women’s Leadership Council since its inception. Watching the group grow, she appreciates being part of something so dynamic and exciting. “I love attending the events and hearing other women talk about how they found success in our community. I always walk away with something to add to my own toolbox,” Terri said.

At EQT, Terri helped launch Women in Energy, an employee resource group that helps to advance the professional growth and recruitment of female employees by offering networking, mentoring and career development opportunities, and highlighting the contributions that women and diversity bring to the workplace.

After watching how the business world grew more accepting of women and diversity, Terri is teaming up with United Way’s 21 and Able program to see if a similar process could be applied to help increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Terri has a personal investment in helping people with disabilities thrive, as her son, Tim, has epilepsy and autism. As he finishes college this year, Tim recently enjoyed a very successful internship with the Army Corp of Engineers.

Through her work with 21 and Able, Terri aims to provide other young people with disabilities the opportunity to successfully transition into the workplace just as Tim has done. 21 and Able and dedicated volunteers like Terri encourage Pittsburgh’s business leaders to think ‘outside of the box’ when establishing and/or broadening their training and hiring programs for people with disabilities. By taking an innovative approach, Terri says, more positions become available to accommodate different types of skill sets and allow for more people with disabilities to be matched up with careers that utilize their strengths and talents, while adding a loyal and dependable employee to the company’s workforce.

To learn more about United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council, contact Lynne Popash in Allegheny County, at lynne.popash@unitedwayswpa.org, or Alyssa Cholodofsky in Westmoreland County, at alyssa.cholodofsky@unitedwayswpa.org.