About Us

As Chief Operating Officer, Valerie Fleisher (she/her) plays a pivotal leadership role at Riverlife, overseeing the organization’s operational and administrative functions while driving long-term planning and organizational sustainability. Since joining Riverlife in 2019, Valerie has applied more than two decades of nonprofit administration experience to build systems that support Riverlife’s mission, including strategic and business planning, implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies, and the development of sustainable financial tools such as Riverlife’s Care and Maintenance Endowment, Strategic Innovation Fund, and Operations Reserve.

Prior to Riverlife, Valerie served as Director of Operations at Lawrenceville Corporation and as the founding Co-Director of City of Bridges Community Land Trust. Her earlier professional experience includes roles at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College, and The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont.Valerie holds a BA in American Literature from Barnard College, Columbia University, an MA in American Studies from the University of Virginia, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Marlboro College Graduate School. In 2024, she received a C-Suite Award from the Pittsburgh Business Times in recognition of her leadership in nonprofit operations and strategy. Valerie is an active community leader in Mt. Lebanon, where she serves on the Mt. Lebanon School Board, as a board member of Lebo Coalition, and as an active volunteer with the Mt. Lebanon Juneteenth Jubilee and Lebo Pride.

One of Valerie’s favorite things about working at Riverlife is the opportunity to help shape an organization so deeply tied to Pittsburgh’s identity as a river city. She is especially proud of the systems and resources that have been built to sustain Riverlife’s work for the long term, ensuring that Pittsburgh’s riverfronts remain vibrant, welcoming, and well cared for.