Christy Knetsch

Executive Director, New City Kids
Mentor

Inspiring others to know that the past doesn’t have to determine the future is the mission statement that has guided the career of Christy Carlin Knetsch. She lives this sentiment each day as Executive Director of New City Kids, where she’s passionate about empowering leaders of all ages, promoting equity and shaping the systems that make the dream of higher education a reality, whether that’s college, trades or entrepreneurship.

Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Knetsch knows what it’s like having the cards stacked against you. Her mother gave birth to her at just 15, her biological father had been fighting a life-ending drug addiction, and she tragically lost three close friends in high school. It was a mentor who helped prevent Knetsch from becoming a statistic herself and inspired her path. She joined New City Kids in 2018, after 18 years in community organizing, social work and youth development, where one of her favorite things was driving a 12-passenger van filled with teenagers.

Knetsch says, “I hope to always remember the sacrifices that others have made, from my beloved family to my cherished mentors, so that I could have the blessings of standing up as a mentor for women, the same way others have for me.”