Candidate for
Director; Pittsburgh School District; Region 8; Democratic Party

Biography

Arita Gilliam Rue is a passionate and tireless advocate for children and families in the city of Pittsburgh. With more than 25 years of experience in youth development, she brings an insightful and community-based approach to the work of public education. Driven by the values of equity, community and innovation, Arita has entrenched herself in the work of developing future generations.

Currently, as the Program Director for the UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside Hospital School Health Partnership, Arita is responsible for overseeing a highly effective, school-based, early adolescent, behavioral health education program for high-risk communities. The partnership employs high school students as the mechanism for affecting change in the attitudes, beliefs and behavior of younger teenagers about sexual health issues. As the program's director, Arita has also successfully obtained more than $1.1 million in grant funding through effective grant writing, strategic partnerships and thoughtful fiscal oversight.

As a dedicated Manchester resident, Arita is also heavily engaged in her community. She served on the Pittsburgh Public Schools Health Sciences Curriculum Committee and currently serves on the East End Advisory Panel for Pittsburgh Public Schools. As a board member with Family Links, she chairs the Program and Outcomes Committee. Some of Arita's other activities include: a youth programs proposal reviewer with the United Way of Allegheny County; a Board Watch and School Works team leader for A+ Schools; a mentor with the Mount Ararat Community Activity Center; and a sixth-grade mentor at Allegheny Traditional Academy.

Arita earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Morgan State University, a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from West Virginia University and a Masters of Public Policy and Management, with an emphasis on Adolescent Development from the University of Pittsburgh. Arita is also the mother of Rozlynn James, a Pittsburgh Public Schools graduate and the proud wife of Mr. Alvin Rue, a Senior Client Manager for Highmark and also a Pittsburgh Public Schools graduate.