Staff & Trustee Listings

Mary Anderson Hartley is a parent advocate and a disability systems-change professional who started her professional career in 2007, working with Nancy Murray at Achieva on the Disability Healthcare Initiative, a stakeholder effort to increase access to health care for people with disabilities. As a parent advocate, she started volunteering on the Pittsburgh Local Task Force on the Right to Education.

Prior to returning to Achieva as the President of The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh, Mary was the Executive Director of the PEAL (Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership) Center. For almost 20 years, she has engaged advocates and organizations to target the fix for broken policy and practice - solving issues through advocacy and legislation and identifying and developing unique programs that increase inclusion. Working with the United Way of Allegheny County’s 21 and Able Initiative, she helped to bridge the divide between youth and adult systems so that students with disabilities can transition more successfully to adulthood in employment, housing, and supportive services. Most notably, she directed #IWantToWork, a self-advocacy social media campaign,increasing employment and financial freedom through three successive efforts that resulted in legislative wins.

As a consultant, she also served as Project Director for the Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium (WPDHAC). She is the 2023 recipient of the Richard Meritzer (Pittsburgh) City-(Allegheny) County Task Force on Disabilities/Reel Abilities Award and, in 2018, received Achieva’s Excellence in Advocacy Award. Governor Wolf appointed Hartley to serve on the Employment First Oversight Commission, where she was the inaugural Chair. She has served on the Board of Disability Rights Pennsylvania and is past Chair of UPMC’s Disability Resource Council.

Mary lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Bob, and has two adult children, Jack and Grace.

Mary Anderson Hartley is a parent advocate and a disability systems-change professional who started her professional career in 2007, working with Nancy Murray at Achieva on the Disability Healthcare Initiative, a stakeholder effort to increase access to health care for people with disabilities. As a parent advocate, she started volunteering on the Pittsburgh Local Task Force on the Right to Education.

Prior to returning to Achieva as the President of The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh, Mary was the Executive Director of the PEAL (Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership) Center. For almost 20 years, she has engaged advocates and organizations to target the fix for broken policy and practice - solving issues through advocacy and legislation and identifying and developing unique programs that increase inclusion. Working with the United Way of Allegheny County’s 21 and Able Initiative, she helped to bridge the divide between youth and adult systems so that students with disabilities can transition more successfully to adulthood in employment, housing, and supportive services. Most notably, she directed #IWantToWork, a self-advocacy social media campaign, increasing employment and financial freedom through three successive efforts that resulted in legislative wins.

As a consultant, she also served as Project Director for the Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium (WPDHAC). She is the 2023 recipient of the Richard Meritzer (Pittsburgh) City-(Allegheny) County Task Force on Disabilities/Reel Abilities Award and, in 2018, received Achieva’s Excellence in Advocacy Award. Governor Wolf appointed Hartley to serve on the Employment First Oversight Commission, where she was the inaugural Chair. She has served on the Board of Disability Rights Pennsylvania and is past Chair of UPMC’s Disability Resource Council.

Mary lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Bob, and has two adult children, Jack and Grace.

Eric McLaughlin is the Executive Director of The Arc Erie County.  Eric began his professional career in 2006 in the sixth largest school district in the nation, Broward County Public Schools. During his time in Broward, Eric worked directly with children with disabilities as a Behavior Specialist, Special Education Specialist, and Compliance Program Specialist. Over the course of his almost twenty-year career, Eric has been a strong advocate for children with disabilities and their families.  His various positions allowed him to act as liaison between schools, students, and their families ensuring that the educational rights of youth were prioritized. 

Eric moved back to his home state of Pennsylvania in 2022 and became the Special Education Supervisor and Assistant Principal of a private Residential Treatment Facility.  In this role Eric was able to work alongside youth with disabilities and their families, and also engage with various Pennsylvania agencies such as social services, community organizations, and healthcare providers. Eric lives in Erie with his wife, Ashley, and two sons, Brecken and Carson.
 

Stephen Suroviec is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Achieva family of organizations. He joined Achieva in December 2017. For over 30 years, Steve has provided leadership in both the nonprofit and government sectors, serving and advocating for people with disabilities.

Steve most recently served as the Chief Operations Officer and Division Director for Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities at the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association. He has also served as Special Advisor to the Pennsylvania Secretary of Human Services; Pennsylvania’s Deputy Secretary for Developmental Programs; Executive Director of the state’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; Executive Director of The Arc of Pennsylvania; and Director of the Erie County Department of Human Services.

Steve served in and earned an honorable discharge from the United States Air Force. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh. Steve served as a presidential appointee to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. He also worked on Capitol Hill for then-Congressman Tom Ridge and later in a number of positions within the Ridge Administration in Harrisburg.

As President of Achieva Resource, Ms. Warren oversees all matters involving finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, fundraising, and communications.  

Her contributions to the organization include leading the effort to develop and implement Achieva’s Strategic Vision Plan, overseeing key administrative services such as Information Technology and Human Resources, and coordinating Achieva’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy.

Most recently, Warren was also employed by Allegheny County as the Deputy Director for Administration for the Department of Human Services (DHS). Her previous roles with DHS include Assistant Deputy Director for Forensic Services and Assistant Deputy Director for the DHS Executive Office. Before joining DHS, Warren held the positions of Policy and Planning Administrator and Deputy Warden with the Allegheny County Bureau of Corrections.

Warren earned her Master of Public Administration, Master of Social Work, and Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Prior to accepting the role of Interim President of Achieva Support in July 2024, Court Hower served as Senior VP, Achieva Support, a position he began in late 2023.

Court holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Penn State University and a Juris Doctor Degree from Duquesne University School of Law with a concentration in real property and business law. He is licensed to practice law in the state of Pennsylvania and is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

Since graduating Law School, Court has served in the non-profit sector as a manager and executive, including most recently as CEO of DON (Disability Options Network) a Center for Independent Living in western PA. He has also served on numerous nonprofit boards and government steering committees.

Court has extensive experience in federal, state, and local grant writing and administration, primarily focused on increasing employment and housing resources in western Pennsylvania for individuals with disabilities. Court also helped spearhead multiple housing initiatives, including one initiative that is looking at making affordable housing healthier. He also co-authored a grant that re-designated and funded DON as a Center for Independent Living for Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Armstrong Counties.

Amy Dolan Strano, Esq., serves as the Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Achieva, a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities and their families. She is also the President of Achieva Family Trust, a division of Achieva that focuses on special needs trusts.

Ms. Dolan Strano was instrumental in the creation of Achieva Family Trust in 1998 and was a long-standing member of its Board of Trustees, including serving as the Board's Chairperson.

Prior to her roles at Achieva, she spent over a decade in the UPMC Corporate Legal Department, representing Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic and Magee-Women’s Hospital as Associate Counsel. She also served as Assistant County Solicitor for the Department of Human Services for Allegheny County.

Ms. Dolan Strano is a graduate of Bethany College and Duquesne University School of Law. She has been actively involved in the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA), serving on the ACBA's Board of Governors, the Elder Law Committee, Committee on Law and Disability, and the Health Law Section.  She served as Chair of the ACBA's Health Law Section from 2011 to 2012 and as Chair of the Elder Law Committee from 2016 to 2018. She is also a member of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and the Pennsylvania Chapter (PAELA).

She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Vincentian Collaborative System Board and as Secretary of the Alliance for Pooled Trusts Board.   She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Duquesne Kline Law Alumni Association (DKLAA). 

In November 2024, Ms. Dolan Strano was recognized as one of the 2024 Pittsburgh Smart 50 Awardees, an honor presented by Smart Business to top executives in the Greater Pittsburgh region for their ability to effectively build and lead successful organizations.

Maria Smith is Director of Education and Outreach of Achieva Family Trust, a division of Achieva.  She has been with the Family Trust for the past 23 years.  Prior to her role, as Vice President of the Trust, she worked for many years in the Allegheny County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Program.  Prior to leaving Allegheny County, she was the Deputy Director of Mental Retardation Services (now known as Intellectual Disabilities).  As one of the original staff of Achieva Family Trust, she has witnessed the tremendous growth of the Trust over the years.