Jodi Klebick is relishing her role as executive director of the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization, a nonprofit working to improve the quality of life for Sharpsburg residents.
Klebick, who was hired in 2024, resides in Highland Park, but most days she can be found at SNO’s headquarters at 511 S. Main St.
She recently was nominated for the 2025 Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership Connector Award.
Sharpsburg Mayor Kayla Portis said Klebick’s nomination is well deserved.
“I believe her continued leadership will further advance the mission and long-term vitality of the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization,” Portis said.
Klebick has dedicated her time and energies into multiple programs, including Rivertown Changemakers, Spend a Saturday in Sharpsburg, fundraising, managing operations and advocating for affordable housing.
SNO was founded in 2014 by residents interested in improving life in Sharpsburg.
Some of its programs include free home energy audits, paid career training and enrollment in the Triboro Ecodistrict (Etna, Sharpsburg and Millvale) civic leadership academy.
“I want to elevate Sharpsburg,” Klebick said.
Affordable housing is a huge issue that SNO is addressing, with about 70% of Sharpsburg’s 3,187 residents renting their homes or apartments.
“We’re worried about the cost of affordable housing and rent. Even though the market in this minute may be settling for half a second, in reality we are in a place where there is fear of gentrification because of the development that’s coming along the river,” Klebick said.
That development is Allegheny Shores, a mixed-use riverfront project along a 1.5-mile stretch of the Allegheny River that includes property near 19th Street in Sharpsburg.
About 20% of Sharpsburg’s residents are families.
“We want them to be able to stay and afford to live in the award-winning Fox Chapel Area School District,” Klebick said. “We want to help people move forward away from generational poverty.”
Portis described Klebick’s work ethic as “exceptional.”
“Her leadership reflects a deep committment to neighborhood engagement, organizational growth and collaborative problem-solving,” Portis said. “She approaches her work with both strategic vision and genuine care for residents, partners and stakeholders.”
About 16% of Sharpsburg’s residents are senior citizens. One program SNO offers them is the Sharpsburg Emergency Preparedness outreach, which provides resources and action plans for Sharpsburg residents in case of an emergency.
An online survey, launched in fall 2024, is available for Sharpsburg residents.
Klebick, the sole SNO employee, manages a team of volunteers who help out. She said the need for more volunteers and a SNO board member is ongoing.
“There’s never enough volunteers,” Klebick said. “There are opportunities for everyone, and our volunteers are the heart and soul of SNO. The community supporting the community is what we want. We’re here for their voice.”
Klebick said she was excited when she learned about the executive director job opening at SNO.
“I had to stop what I was doing in my tracks and apply,” Klebick said. “I just knew I needed to do this.”
Klebick previously owned a small consulting business and had volunteered at the Silk Screen Asian Festival. She also volunteered for a decade as public relations chair for the American Society of Civil Engineers Pittsburgh Chapter.
Her communications degree comes in handy as she works to improve Sharpsburg. Her beloved dog, Henri, is a frequent “co-worker.”
Upcoming plans this year is a kayak tour organized by Klebick.
“This was Native American lands, Chief Guyasuta, and it starts in Sharpsburg,” she said.
“This year is Sharpsburg’s 200th anniversary.”
Klebick, 58, grew up in West Mifflin and fondly recalled working summers at Kennywood before attending Penn State University.
“I worked there before there was a railing around the merry-go-round. It went 32 mph. Adults, everybody would go flying, tumbling, rolling out,” Klebick said. “The smells, the sounds, the Jack Rabbit, no matter how old you are, it’s great memories.”
In her free time, Klebick enjoys acrylic and oil painting.
“It’s very grounding,” she said.
Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization
511 S. Main St.
sharpsburgneighborhood.org