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The Children's Institute is pleased to welcome four new members to its 2024-25 Board of Directors. The appointees bring a wealth of expertise to the nonprofit's distinguished 21-member board and represent diverse industries, including technology, law, consulting, and professional sports.

The board plays a crucial role in guiding and shaping the 122-year-old Institute's mission to heal, teach, empower, and amaze every child and family it serves. Throughout their respective 3-year terms, board members focus on strategy, ensure financial stability, and uphold accountability and transparency. They work to ensure that the Institute continuously evolves to meet the dynamic needs of the community.

"We are deeply grateful for the commitment of our board members, who provide critical governance, oversight, and support to the executive team," said Wendy A. Pardee, President & CEO of The Children's Institute. "It is with great pleasure that we introduce our newest members. Their exceptional skills, dedication, and unique visions will help drive the organization forward, ensuring our sustainability and impact within our community.”

The four appointees are:

Gretchen Clutter, Google Pittsburgh
Gretchen Clutter is the co-lead of Google Pittsburgh and the Engineering Lead for Google's Capacity Delivery group. Her day job is transforming the way machines are brought online across Google's global data centers, where her innovative software and hardware approach has cut lead times from months to days to hours, saving Google billions of dollars. In more than a decade at Google, she has held a variety of engineering, analytical, and technical leadership positions across the Commerce and Reliability Engineering organizations. Prior to Google, she co-founded a children's mental health startup for which she served as Vice President of Operations & New Media development. She is currently a member of the Pittsburgh Technology Council board, and her educational background is from Westminster College, Duquesne School of Pharmacy, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jarrod Duffy, Clark Hill PLC
Pittsburgh native Jarrod Duffy is a member of Clark Hill PLC, an international law firm, where he serves as Co-Chair of the corporate practice group and as a member of the Executive Committee. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, international business transactions, real estate deals, and a variety of general corporate transactions. Jarrod received a JD from Duquesne University School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Duquesne University, where he was a member of the men’s Division I soccer team. Jarrod resides in the City of Pittsburgh with his wife, Megan, and their three sons.

Stacy H. Ellis, Independent Director
Stacy Ellis worked for 27 years in product development and retail purchasing for big box retailers and then as a retail and design consultant. She traveled to Asia, working with retail customers to develop housewares and seasonal goods, specializing in private label, trend-right, and exclusive designs. She has three children, a son-in-law and a future daughter-in-law who reside in Pittsburgh, and one daughter living in New York City. She received her B.S. in Business Logistics from The Pennsylvania State University.


Stephen Perkins, Pittsburgh Pirates
Stephen Perkins joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as the Executive Vice President of Marketing & Fan Engagement in 2021. In this role, he manages the team's marketing efforts, which include fan experience, communications, broadcasting, digital and social media, special events, in-game entertainment, community outreach, and youth baseball and softball programs. Before joining the Pirates, he served as the Vice President of Marketing for the NFL's Washington Commanders, where he played a key role in rebranding and renaming the team. Prior to joining the Commanders, Stephen worked at Under Armour for nine years where he led global marketing campaigns and brand partnerships with athletes and celebrities. Perkins holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi and a Master's in Business Administration from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. His sports career began at the National Football League's headquarters, where he joined the Marketing department in 2006. Before his time at the NFL, Perkins worked as an account executive in sales at Village Voice Media.