Empowering ‘Gwen’s Girls’

By Emily Nunez

From an early age, Kathi Elliott (MSN ’08) learned some dreams are worth fighting for. Her mother, the late Gwendolyn Elliott, was a U.S. Air Force and National Guard veteran who became the first Black female commander of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in 1986, despite facing discrimination and deterrents at every turn.

Gwendolyn advocated for vulnerable populations and victims of crime, and her daughter followed her lead.

“Her being among the first women in a career that typically was just for men showed me not only her resilience but also her compassion for people,” Elliott says of her mother’s influence. “She let me know that no matter what I wanted to do, whatever I put my mind to, I would be able to do it—even if no one else that looks like me had been in that role before.”

Driven by that same desire to help people, Elliott became a psychiatric- mental health nurse practitioner and ultimately the CEO of Gwen’s Girls, the organization her mother founded in 2002 to empower girls and young women across Pittsburgh. Gwen’s Girls offers programs tailored to different age groups—from 8-year-olds to early adults—including after-school and summer programs, homework help and mental health services.

Since taking the helm in 2015, Elliott has expanded the nonprofit’s scope and resources. She has rolled out science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programming, as well as the Black Girls Equity Alliance (BGEA), an initiative aimed at addressing structural inequities that affect child welfare, juvenile justice, and the education, health and wellness of Black girls.

Last year, BGEA released a report announcing that referrals of Black girls to Allegheny County’s juvenile court were significantly down—a change Elliott attributed to collective action to address racial disparities in school discipline.

Since its inception, the nonprofit has based its programming on the best available research and practices. Elliott never expected to take over her mother’s organization, but her nursing education proved to be the perfect training. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a dual master’s degree in nursing and social work from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a doctorate in nursing from Chatham University.

“My nursing education is the foundation of everything I do. I was taught not only about compassion and care but to be a critical thinker and a problem solver—to work independently but also to be a team player,” she says. “Nursing is a profession where you’re the glue that brings all the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary people together, and that has definitely aided me in the work I do at Gwen’s Girls.”

Nearly 15 years ago, Elliott started working as a psychiatric nurse practitioner with the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, primarily helping veterans in rural, community-based clinics. She still works there one day per week, and her mental health expertise continues to guide her leadership with Gwen’s Girls.

Every girl enrolled in the after-school program has access to a therapist, and they’re taught how to identify the signs of depression and anxiety in themselves and others. Gwen’s Girls also offers communitywide social and emotional learning support programs, and they’re working to extend mental health services to more people.

“We go into schools in the community and provide group as well as one-on-one sessions on anger management, conflict resolution, healthy relationships— all those things that impact their relationships on a day-to-day basis,” she says.

Elliott is excited for the next chapter of Gwen’s Girls. The nonprofit is planning to open a new building in the Pittsburgh region this summer that will be an “enhancement” of the services they already offer, including life skills and career pathway programming, Elliott says.

When asked about the most rewarding part of her job, Elliott says she’s proud to continue her mother’s work by “helping people solve problems and achieve happiness.” Gwen’s Girls has served nearly 10,000 girls and counting, equipping them with the skills and mental fortitude to succeed in all areas of their lives.

“We’ve been going strong since 2002,” she says, “so still providing quality services and continuing my mother’s legacy of empowering girls—I think that is success in itself.”

This article originally appeared in the summer 2026 edition of Pitt Nurse magazine. Read more stories of alumni accomplishments in “The Leadership Issue.”