Professional Team

Betsie Trew is the President & CEO of the Washington County Community Foundation, a position created by the Board of Trustees in December of 2010. Hired by the WCCF Board of Trustees in 1998, she was the Foundation’s first Executive Director. Under her leadership, the assets of the Foundation have grown from less than $250,000 to more than $50 million, with over $25 million in grants and scholarships awarded.

During her tenure, the WCCF was one of the first community foundations in the country to be approved for the National Standards for Community Foundations. She also led the effort to initiate WCCF Gives, an annual community-wide day of giving that supports over 100 local charities.

In 2013 she helped to facilitate the Foundation’s first real estate gift, the Samuel T. Brownlee House, a grand 1848 facility that is included on the National Register of Historic Places. She also led the effort to secure more than $1.5 million to rehabilitate the structure and to build an endowment to care for the building in perpetuity. The WCCF’s offices are located on the second floor of the Brownlee House, and Scotch-Irish Heritage Rooms are located on the first floor. A previous three-car garage has been repurposed into the CARE Education Center.

Most recently, Trew led the WCCF’s efforts to create the Close to Home Disaster & Emergency Fund, which cumulatively has provided over $700,000 in grants to local nonprofits working to address the impacts of the COVID-19 virus in our community.

Immediately prior to her position at the Community Foundation, she was the Vice President, Community Services for the United Way of Washington County, where she was responsible for the distribution of approximately $1 million annually to local health and human services organizations. Previously, she was employed at US Steel in both Washington and Pittsburgh, where she held positions in human resources, sales, and accounting.

Trew is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Washington and the Rotary Club of Monongahela. She has also served on the Washington County Tourism and Promotion Agency Grants Committee and the Community Connections Grant Committee for Washington County. In 2009, she received the ATHENA Award from the Washington County Chamber of Commerce which in part, recognized her efforts to support disadvantaged women and children through the Foundation’s Mother’s Fund. She also received the Lewis Green Club Service Award from the Rotary Club of Washington, the Community Service Award from the Zonta Club of Washington, and the Community Service Award from the Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Trew is a magna cum laude graduate of California University of PA, where she earned a degree in Business Administration and Management. She is also a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program at the University of Michigan and was selected from a nationwide pool of applicants to attend the premier Community Foundation Course at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. She also has served as a member of the Board of Directors for Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, PA.

She resides in Bentleyville with her husband Jack. They enjoy spending time with their five grown children and seven grandchildren. Betsie and Jack are members of the Foundation’s Family of Founders and Golden Oak Guild recognition societies.

Emeline "Em" Ferguson is the Data Manager for the Community Foundation. A graduate of Grove City College, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Biblical and religious studies.

During her college years, Ferguson was involved in numerous mission trips. These included volunteering in Scotland and New York, at homeless shelters in Los Angeles, and in Houston after Hurricane Harvey.

Ferguson is a Washington County native. After graduating, she returned to her hometown of Prosperity, where she serves as a Deacon at Upper Ten Mile Presbyterian Church.

Joann Naser is the Manager for Nonprofit Leadership & Engagement for the Community Foundation.

Immediately prior to her position at the Community Foundation, she was the Chief Development Officer for Transitional Paths to Independent Living (TRPIL)/Voices for Independence, a nonprofit organization that serves people with disabilities throughout Western Pennsylvania, in Washington, PA. Previously, she served as its director of development and launched its first successful capital campaign.

Naser is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College and PennWest California. She enjoys serving in the nursery at the Bible Chapel, reading, and attending community cultural events.

She resides in Washington County with her two young adult children.

Leslie Briggs is the Scholarship Program Associate for the Washington County Community Foundation. Prior to her position here she worked for nine years as a customer service representative for Clover Technologies. She obtained her Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Leslie currently serves as a volunteer Sunday school teacher at Trinity Church in Washington.

She is a native of Washington County, and she resides in Amwell Township with her husband and daughter.

Megan Fabyonic is the Content Creator for the Washington County Community Foundation.

Born and raised in Western PA, she was excited to move back home after attending West Virginia University where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Journalism with an emphasis in Advertising. She also studied Marketing and Communications as minors. While in school, she was Creative Director at a student-run agency on campus. Her teams’ campaign that centered on building education and awareness surrounding unsheltered homelessness in Morgantown won the 2022 WV PRSA Crystal Award for Best Community Relations Campaign.

Aside from creating, Megan enjoys soaking up every moment with her family, friends, and three cats. She also likes playing tennis recreationally and unwinding outdoors during the warmer months.

Emily Fox is the Communications Associate for the Washington County Community Foundation.

Born and raised in Georgia, Emily acquired both her BA in English and her MA in American Studies from Kennesaw State University, after a brief stint in operatic studies. Her thesis focused on the intersection and impact of historic preservation and modern development in growing communities. She served as the office manager for her old hometown’s historic society and worked as a docent and curatorial assistant at a local historic antebellum plantation home.

Emily moved to Mt. Lebanon in the fall of 2018 to be closer to the rest of her family living in Dormont and Washington D.C. 

Lindsay O’Brien is the Project Coordinator for the Washington County Community Foundation.

Born and raised in Washington, PA, Lindsay attended Mercyhurst University obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and played on the Women’s Basketball Team. Prior to WCCF, Lindsay, most recently, raised her 3 children and served as the Family Readiness Group Leader for her husband’s PA Army National Guard Unit.

In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family, coach her childrens' basketball teams, photography, and upcycling vintage furniture.

Lindsay resides in Washington County with her husband and 3 young children.

Rachel Reska is the Grants Program Associate for the Washington County Community Foundation.

Rachel graduated magna cum laude from Washington & Jefferson College in 2018, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History with a concentration in Russian Area Studies, and becoming a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta honor societies. Her capstone focused on the industrial growth of the Pittsburgh area in the mid-1800s and made it to the final round of edits for publication in Appalachian State University’s History Matters journal.

She currently resides in her hometown of Washington and in her free time she enjoys working with various art mediums, learning about local history, and watching Washington/Pittsburgh sports.

Amy Smith is an Accounting Associate for the Washington County Community Foundation.

Although she was born in Pittsburgh, Amy grew up in San Diego, California where she started her accounting career. Upon moving back to Pennsylvania in 2008, she attended Franciscan University of Steubenville, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Amy and her husband have seven kids, three of which still live at home. They reside in Burgettstown and attend Promise of Victory Church in Weirton, WV, where they serve in a variety of capacities.

Amy enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and teaching classes for children and adults at church.

Aliesha Walz is the Manager, Communications & Donor Services for the Community Foundation.

Previously, she was the Director of Development and Public Relations for St. Anne Home, a continuing care retirement community in Greensburg, PA. She has also worked in strategic advertising and marketing as a Copywriter/Account Services Representative for West Media Group.

Walz is a graduate of Saint Vincent College. She has served as the Secretary and Communications Chair of the Alumni Council, member of the Capital Campaign Liaison Committee, and Event Co-Chair of the Saint Vincent Theatre Gala. In 2017, the College recognized her with the Recent Alumna Achievement Award.

Additionally, Walz is a graduate of the Leadership Washington County program.

She resides in Washington County with her husband, Andy, and two young sons.

To Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliesha-walz-99590a14b/