President and Chief Executive Officer, ACHIEVA

The Organization

Achieva advocates with, empowers, and supports people with disabilities and their families throughout their lives.

Achieva was founded in 1951 by a group of family members who wanted to end the isolation and segregation for children and adults with disabilities, and ensure that they had the chance to live, work, attend school, worship, and contribute in their communities. 75 years later, Achieva continues to be nationally recognized for providing innovative and person-centered supports and services. Achieva is one of southwestern Pennsylvania’s largest providers of lifelong services and supports for children and adults with disabilities and their families. Among Achieva’s many accomplishments are:

• Playing an instrumental role in the modification and subsequent closing of state institutions;
• Assisting litigation that secures the right to education until age 21 for students with disabilities;
• Assisting litigation securing the availability of special needs trusts; and
• Eliminating the subminimum wage for employees with disabilities..

Achieva envisions a community where all people with disabilities lead lives of personal significance. The agency provides high quality and person-centered home and community-based services for people with intellectual disabilities, autism, and physical disabilities and their families. By providing advocacy, information and referral, early intervention, employment, community participation, community living, and family support services, Achieva helps individuals with disabilities and families plan for their futures.

Achieva advances its mission through five affiliates (or subsidiaries) with a combined revenue of over $50 million. In addition to the parent corporation (Achieva), each affiliate is a non-profit, charitable organization with a Board of Trustees that reports to the Achieva Board of Trustees. The affiliates are Achieva Family Trust, Achieva Support, Achieva Resource, The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh (serving Allegheny, Westmoreland and Beaver Counties) and The Arc Erie County.

Achieva’s mission is advanced through the following services:

• Advocacy & Family Supports: Individual and systemic advocacy, information, and referral services to help individuals and families navigate complex educational, medical, government, and adult service systems.
• Early Intervention & Parenting Support: Therapeutic services using evidence-based coaching for eligible children (birth to three) integrated into daily routines & settings; inclusive preschool readiness playgroups; and education and support for parents who have disabilities.

• Employment: Individualized assistance to find and keep jobs in a typical business with competitive wages; expert consultation for private-sector businesses to assist them with meeting their workforce needs by hiring people with disabilities; empowering artists with disabilities at Achieva’s VaultArt studio; and, offering competitive-integrated jobs in Achieva’s cleaning & janitorial and pallet manufacturing businesses.
• Community Living: Homes in nice neighborhoods for those who need residential support; personalized in-home and community support; and life-sharing, which matches people with disabilities with supportive families, fostering meaningful connections within a family home.
• Housing Tenancy: Resources to locate and maintain cost-effective, accessible housing.
• Community Participation Support: Promotes inclusion, skill-building, and pathways to competitive integrated employment through inclusive community activities.
• Special Needs Trusts: Protects assets to remain eligible for Medicaid, home and community-based services and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
• Benefits Counseling: Offers resources to maximize employment income, while maintaining access to vital government benefits.

Achieva’s headquarters is located in Pittsburgh, PA with two satellite offices in Greensburg, PA and Erie, PA. It also has a business location in Bridgeville, PA and an art studio in Pittsburgh, PA.

For more information, please visit:

The Opportunity

The Board of Trustees of Achieva seeks a visionary President & CEO with a personal passion and professional commitment to serving children and adults with disabilities. An ardent advocate of people with disabilities and their families, they will be vocal in their pursuit of community-based and person-centered services and use that voice to articulate the narrative of the agency and its innovative programs to a wide variety of stakeholders. Demonstrating business savvy and innovation, the President & CEO will help ensure Achieva grows, adapts, and thrives in a challenging funding landscape.

The new President & CEO, working collaboratively with the Senior Leadership Team and a committed Board of up to 22 Trustees, will be a decisive leader, guiding Achieva through the creation and execution of a new strategic plan. In addition, the new leader will set the tone and culture for staff to listen, learn, and build healthy teams to effectively manage and unify diverse departments while cultivating trust, accountability, and mutual respect.

The President & CEO is primarily responsible for the following:

Leadership & Management

• Assures Achieva effectively achieves its mission by providing leadership and fostering innovation. This includes day-to-day operations, strategic planning, fiscal oversight, and fundraising.
• Collaborates with the senior leadership team to establish and monitor policies and operating procedures to ensure the agency meets established goals and adheres to state and federal regulations.
• Manages the staff with transparency and respect, creating a collaborative and positive workplace.
• Prioritizes visiting the various sites of Achieva and interacting with clients and staff.
• Ensures that Achieva identifies and recruits strong talent through recruiting, on-boarding, development, evaluation, and coaching. Creates a workplace that is professional and positive and one where growth is attainable.
• Assesses the effectiveness of agency programs through measurable, objective, and quantitative evidence and shares data with appropriate stakeholders.
• Identifies opportunities for programmatic growth and expansion aligned with community needs and agency values.

Advocacy & External Relations

• Advocates passionately and is a recognized leader in protecting the rights and supporting the needs of people with disabilities and their families.
• Cultivates strong community, business, and government relationships that produce philanthropic support and growth for Achieva and its mission.
• Supports fundraising and development initiatives with an emphasis on government grants and contracts, and foundation and corporate support. Can identify prospective donors, cultivate and solicit gifts within the community; build understanding among members of the Board, and ensure the support and participation of the Board in the fund development process.
• Represents Achieva at community activities, public functions, and key industry events to enhance visibility and build relationships.
• Participates and provides leadership in national, regional, and affinity groups in order to stay connected and current with federal and state fiscal and regulatory changes that could impact Achieva.
• Stays abreast of current trends in disability services and promotes best practices and new service models when appropriate.

Strategy & Financial Health

• Develops and implements the organization’s strategic plan in collaboration with the Board of Trustees and senior leadership team.
• Advances Achieva’s strategic vision in a manner that reflects the needs of the communities for whom Achieva exists.
• Ensures Achieva adapts swiftly, efficiently and effectively to state and federal fiscal, regulatory and programmatic changes.
• Provides agency stewardship in both finances and program management to support quality services and long-term financial health.
• Oversees the development and monitoring of long-term capital plans, ensuring efficient resource allocation for infrastructure, equipment, and facility improvements.
• Ensures robust risk management strategies to protect agency assets and maintain compliance with regulatory standards.

Board Relations

• Develops, maintains, and supports a high-performing and passionate Board of Trustees; serves as ex-officio of each committee, seeks and builds Board involvement with strategic direction for ongoing operations.
• Provides ongoing education to the Board of Trustees on emerging issues and unmet needs.
• Generates and tracks metrics that monitor the agency’s performance with respect to its mission and critical objectives.
• Provides leadership in developing program, organizational, and financial plans with the Board of Trustees and carries out plans and policies authorized by the Board.

The Candidate

Achieva seeks a President & CEO who will lead with an appreciation of not only Achieva’s history, but of the remarkable impact its staff, programs, and affiliates make throughout Pennsylvania. The President & CEO will excel in serving as the key voice for Achieva, articulating the narrative and history of the agency with passion and clarity while demonstrating how its innovative services and advocacy set the agency apart.

Achieva requires a leader who thrives in navigating uncertainty, fostering innovation, and empowering teams to adapt to ever-evolving community and funding needs. The successful leader will not only bring extraordinary vision to the agency, but can see around the corner and plan for future scenarios. Stalwart and experienced, the President & CEO will help guide the agency through an uncertain political landscape while embracing opportunities as they arise. The ideal candidate will bring personal warmth and authenticity to the disability community and will let that passion inform all aspects of the work.

All candidates should have exceptional and proven nonprofit management, leadership, relationship management, and strategic planning experience , as well as possess a combination of the following skills and attributes:

• Passion for and commitment to Achieva’s mission, vision, and people with disabilities and their families.
• Past success working collaboratively with partners, including but not limited to government officials, legislators, philanthropic leaders, like-minded organizational partners, and a strong Board of Trustees.
• Knowledgeable about state and federal policies that impact Achieva’s work. Keeps abreast of continually changing state and federal policies to understand how they will affect the provision of services and the finances needed to operate programs.
• Demonstrated success in creating and promoting a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace environment that encourages growth and retention. A working style that is transparent, encouraging, and collaborative. Can cultivate respect among staff at all levels of the agency and its affiliates.
• Proven success with identifying, cultivating and securing funding from diverse sources, including individuals, corporations, philanthropies and government entities.
• An adept team-builder who can guide staff towards a unified vision, particularly in complex and dynamic organizations.
• Experience and confidence with public speaking before a wide range of professionals and community audiences. Stellar interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of building strong and long-term relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders. Can build consensus for ideas and can be effective in navigating sensitive topics internally and externally.
• Significant experience in leading an organization through a comprehensive strategic plan and can execute on that plan.
• Evidence of continuously seeking opportunities for different and innovative approaches to addressing organizational problems and challenges.
• Commitment to quality programs and data-driven program evaluation.
• Financial acumen that extends to evaluating financial performance of the organization with regards to long-term operational goals, budgets, and forecasts.
• Values an inclusive work environment and can demonstrate cultural competence.
• Capable of maintaining the highest standards of ethics and personal integrity.

Performance Objectives

In the near term, the new President & CEO will continue to deliver outstanding outcomes while successfully addressing the following in the first 6-12 months:

• Become immersed in the programs and people of Achieva, spending significant time meeting staff and the people and families served.
• Work collaboratively with the Board of Trustees, affiliate boards, and the senior leadership team to refresh Achieva’s Strategic Vision and develop the next iteration of the organization’s Strategic Vision implementation plan.
• Foster and maintain a work culture that celebrates Achieva’s person-centered values while increasing retention, raising morale, and fostering collaboration between teams.

Compensation & Workplace Environment

This position offers a competitive salary range of $275,000 - $350,000 and a progressive benefits package that includes healthcare, paid time off and retirement savings. As the visionary leader of culture and operations, the President & CEO will work full-time in the main office, located in Pittsburgh, frequently traveling to locations in Greensburg, Erie, Bridgeville, and other satellite locations.

Prior to hire, the successful candidate is expected to have and be eligible for the following clearances:

• Debarment/Streamline Verify
• Criminal Background Check
• Act 33/34
• FBI Department of Aging
• PA Department of Motor Vehicles

How to Apply

Achieva has retained Nonprofit Talent to assist with this important organizational change process. Specific questions related to the position may be emailed to Michelle Pagano Heck, President, at View email address on us.fitly.work . Please direct all inquiries related to this position to Nonprofit Talent, and do not contact Achieva Staff or Board.

Resume, position-specific cover letter, and salary expectations may be uploaded via this web portal. 

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY 5PM ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2026

About Nonprofit Talent

Nonprofit Talent is a boutique executive search firm with a deep understanding of the nuanced cultural and financial landscape of the nonprofit and philanthropic community. We know the organizations and the people that commit to the sector. Our candidates, through regional and targeted national recruitment, frequently come from the same communities as our clients. We firmly believe in uplifting the extraordinary talent of our region in addition to seeking out new and vibrant talent through national networks.