Leading the Charge in Feeding the Hungry
Dietrich School alumna Alyssa Cholodofsky says her Pitt education provided the foundation for a fulfilling career that has led her to a leadership role as CEO at 412 Food Rescue, an organization diverting food waste to tackle hunger.
As an undergraduate, Cholodofsky majored in political science and minored in Chinese language, anticipating a career as a professor of Chinese politics. However, these plans were derailed the year of her graduation, 1989, after the massacre at the Tiananmen Square protests.
“In China, unfortunately, things changed, so I had to pivot,” recalls Cholodofsky. “What I did was what many political science majors do: head to Washington, D.C.”
In D.C., Cholodofsky landed a position as the office manager with the State and Territorial Air Pollution Control Administrators during the reauthorization of the Clean Air Act.
"It was just a really great moment in time, coming out of learning and studying politics to actually seeing it in action in D.C.," Cholodofsky says. “I learned so much about so many topics and learned how to manage an office, all while having an eye on Congress and watching how a bill goes through the process. It was really interesting.”
After gaining valuable experience in the nation's capital, Cholodofsky returned to Pitt to earn a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (now the School of Public and International Affairs). The return to Pittsburgh not only provided her with advanced education in public administration and environmental policy, but also marked the beginning of her transition into the nonprofit sector.
Intending to pursue a career in government and public administration after graduate school, Cholodofsky began working for Allegheny County as the County Recycling Coordinator before taking a role as Director of Development for the Veterans Leadership Program.
“Working for the county, I learned a lot of great skills like grant writing, volunteer management, and special events planning. When I was looking for my next position, nonprofits kept popping up needing people with those skills, particularly around fundraising,” explains Cholodofsky. “Working with the Veterans Leadership Program was my step into the nonprofit world. From that point, I kept increasing responsibilities and changed to a couple different nonprofits, building a skill set around program management, financial management, and people management.”
Cholodofsky then spent a decade-long tenure with the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, where she ultimately served as Chief Program and Policy Officer. Throughout this journey, Cholodofsky has found herself regularly drawing on her Pitt education.
"Monitoring the political landscape, understanding the relationship of politics and history and federal government funding streams, being aware of the various agencies, knowing how to work with local legislators and what that means in terms of advocacy – I have a really deep understanding about the political world because of my degree in that area from Pitt,” admits Cholodofsky.
When a search firm approached her about the CEO position at 412 Food Rescue last year, Cholodofsky recognized an opportunity that aligned perfectly with her experience and values.
"I knew about 412 Food Rescue, certainly all the great work that had been done," Cholodofsky says. "The more I looked into it, especially the environmental piece of the mission, combined with addressing food insecurity and meeting basic needs – I realized that this work has been part of my life for a long time, helping people connect to resources."
412 Food Rescue’s mission is straightforward yet highly impactful: they rescue food that would otherwise go to waste from grocery stores, food distributors, and stadiums and deliver it directly to nonprofit partners serving people in communities with limited food access.
Emphasizes Cholodofsky, "We know that food is a basic need and a basic human right. Our job here is to get food out to the community, to make sure that people who don't have access, for whatever reason – maybe there's not a grocery store near them, or they don't have the resources, or they're facing a disability – can tap into food as close to home as possible."
As the organization celebrates its 10th anniversary, Cholodofsky looks toward the future. She says one of the main priorities for the next few years is building the organization’s financial strength and sophistication to ensure that they can continue to serve the community for many years to come. This focus is especially important as the need for 412 Food Rescue's services is only growing.
"We know many of our nonprofit partners are serving people whose benefits may be cut, or shifted, or changed, and so we feel that the need for food is only going to increase," Cholodofsky says.
Cholodofsky's recent recognition as a 2025 Woman of Influence by the Pittsburgh Business Times, an honor that acknowledges the region's most impactful businesswomen, reflects her thoughtful approach to leadership. Cholodofsky’s mentoring style is highly collaborative; she places great value on clear communication and active listening.
"I like to see and understand each individual’s position within the organization, to help them to focus on what we need to accomplish as a team across the organization, and to recognize how everyone's job and skill set adds to that,” says Cholodofsky. “It's so important to understand where people are coming from, and also to make sure that people are excited about the work and that they really feel like what they do is contributing."
Mentorship is also central to Cholodofsky’s leadership philosophy. Having benefited from strong mentors throughout her own career (some she still reaches out to for advice) she is committed to offering the same support to her team members.
"We have such great people on the team, and they have aspirations for leadership goals of their own," Cholodofsky says. "I want to make sure that I'm helping connect them in the community, that I’m being a resource, and I also just want to get to know people as people, where they're coming from, what motivates them."
Reflecting on her journey from Pitt student to nonprofit CEO, Cholodofsky expressed gratitude for the foundation her education provided.
Says Cholodofsky, "I'm very thankful that I had the opportunity to go to Pitt. My goal in college was to be a professor of Chinese politics. Instead, I'm the CEO of a nonprofit organization. I really believe this is what my intention had been for a career; I just didn't know it until I got into it. Being open to other opportunities, being able to shift and be flexible, and always learning, especially in this current environment, is important. You spend a lot of time working, I always say to find a job that you love and that brings you fulfillment. I am glad that has been my life path.”
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