- Home »
- Leadership »
- Generation-E »
- Amy Cuzzola-Kern
Amy Cuzzola-Kern
by Amanda Grolemund
Cuzzola-Kern’s spirit of service has manifested itself through a variety of paid and volunteer positions throughout her career. She has served the Erie community as the director of development for the YWCA, a grant writer at Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, and as a teacher at both the college level and for the Hispanic American Council of Erie. In her current position as vice president of programs at the Erie Community Foundation, Cuzzola-Kern works as a conduit between donors and grant seekers, overseeing the many scholarships and grants that the organization supplies to local nonprofits. When the work day is done, her community involvement continues. Cuzzola-Kern has had board affiliations with the Mercy Center for Women, Erie Day School, the Erie Club, Human Development of Erie and Erie DAWN.
Cuzzola-Kern’s greatest professional accomplishment is also philanthropic in nature. When working for the YWCA as a grant writer, she submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for one of the ten national grants the government was disbursing for the establishment of child care centers in public housing developments. With only ten grants available across the country, Cuzzola-Kern was repeatedly told that Erie had no chance of landing a grant. She refused to accept that mentality, and Erie was in fact given the grant to start a child care center in the John Horan Apartments. The center continues to promote family development by supplying a care facility so that mothers can obtain jobs in the community.
Personally, Cuzzola-Kern’s greatest accomplishments include raising her two daughters with her husband, and obtaining her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Case Western University. She feels very fortunate that she can put her education to good use in her hometown of Erie, and she strives daily to apply her knowledge in ways that will best contribute to the long-term future of Erie.
When asked what one aspect of her life has led her to where she is today, Cuzzola-Kern quickly and matter-of-factly stated one word: volunteering. She highly encourages young professionals to become involved with nonprofit organizations to network, identify what it is they value in life, and to find interesting and creative ways to offer their skills and abilities to those who need them the most. She believes that only through volunteering can one truly grasp all that the Erie community has to offer its citizens – from social services to education to entertainment.
Cuzzola-Kern has complete faith in Erie, and she recognizes the sense of community that the people here feel. She sees a bright future on Erie’s horizon and holds total confidence that together we can continue to make Erie a great place to live, work and play.
To help Erie recognize that bright future on the horizon, Cuzzola-Kern has one recommendation for Erieites: be compassionate. She believes that young professionals should develop a strong sense of compassion early in their careers, recognizing that there are many brilliant individuals in our community who may not have been blessed with the education and support that others enjoyed. Cuzzola-Kern encourages young professionals to show compassion in all they do and to remember to be courageous – occasionally going out on a limb to give someone a chance.
All she has done, and all she continues to do, proves that Cuzzola-Kern is truly a person of both value and success. Her dedication to Erie sets her apart, and her passion for community growth and development will continue to be one of our city’s strongest assets in the years to come.