The Forbes Funds is made up of individuals who are committed to the community.
Diana Angela Bucco, President
Diana Bucco is the President of The Forbes Funds, a Pittsburgh-based foundation that supports nonprofit capacity-building, research and leadership development.
Previously she was the founding director of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership and The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania. She is on numerous boards and advisory committees, including YouthPlaces, the YWCA, Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors and Advancing Academics, and is a member of the Women’s Funders Roundtable. Nationally, she serves on the Independent Sector Public Policy Advisory Board, National Council of Nonprofit Board of Directors and the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations 2010 planning committee.
Diana has been recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine’s “40 Under 40,” a list of rising young leaders in the Pittsburgh region, and was recently awarded a German Marshall Fellowship. She was also recognized by the state as one of the top ten of the GenX generation.
Diana holds bachelor's degrees in communications and political science from the University of Pittsburgh.
McCrae M. Martino, Senior Program Officer
McCrae oversees the Management Assistance Grant (MAG) program by reviewing grant proposals, evaluating progress and making recommendations to the Board. She identifies trends in nonprofits and works with the president to select research topics for the Tropman Reports. McCrae works closely with the president on the strategic direction of The Forbes Funds and ensures that both the grants and research follow that direction.
Prior to working at The Forbes Funds, McCrae was the Chief Operating Officer at the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board (TRWIB). As COO, McCrae was responsible for TRWIB’s daily operations, including board relations, project management and budget development. Previously, she was the Director of the Regional Internship Center (RIC) at the Coro Center for Civic Leadership, served as a Budget Analyst for the Office of Personal Management while serving in the Presidential Management Program, and as a consultant for Fuller Consulting and Communication Coordinator/Americorps VISTA for The Mentoring Partnership of SW PA.
McCrae has been recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine’s “40 Under 40,” a list of rising young leaders in the Pittsburgh region, and by The Pittsburgh Business Times as a “Fast Tracker.” McCrae received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Allegheny College and a masters of public administration, concentrating in nonprofit management, from the University of Southern California.
Vivien Luk, Program Officer
Vivien Luk joined The Forbes Funds in the fall of 2005. Currently, her responsibilities include managing the Cohort Grant portfolio; Sector Leadership programs and awards; various publications, including Community Threads; and the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, a coalition of about 350 area nonprofits.
Outside of The Forbes Funds, Vivien is one of three co-founders of PGH Party for a Purpose (PPP — www.pghpartyforapurpose.org), an organization that hosts fun, creative and affordable parties for diverse and young-minded individuals while raising funds and generating support for nonprofit organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Vivien also serves on the board of the Human Services Center Corporation, the Strong Women Strong Girls Advisory Council, the grants committee at the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwestern PA, and is a member of the World Affairs Council Young Professionals Initiative. In 2008, she was recognized as one of Pittsburgh Magazine’s “40 Under 40.” Vivien received a bachelor of arts in philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master of science in public policy and management from the Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a native of San Jose, California.
Benjamin Hemmings, Operations Manager
Benjamin joined the Forbes Funds as their Operations Manager in early 2012. He was originally hired as an intern in the summer of 2011and has continued to be an important team member and contributor. Since beginning with the Forbes Funds, Benjamin has contributed to many projects, especially those concerning public policy with the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership. He has assisted in research for the further development of the GPNP’s White Paper and aided the advocacy efforts for both the state and county budgets. Benjamin has a strong interest in the nonprofit sector and has enjoyed working on efforts that cover a wide array of service areas. In his role of Operations Manager, Benjamin’s work expands from public policy to helping with the daily functions of the office and assisting with other projects of the Forbes Funds.
Benjamin graduated in the fall of 2011 from Slippery Rock University with a dual-bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science with a minor in Nonprofit Management. Though a native of Western Pennsylvania, he is a new resident of the city of Pittsburgh.