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Care without Conditions.
Our mission is to hold space for LGBTQ+ people to feel seen, held, and empowered through peer support, storytelling, LGBTQ+ education, and community-based mental health advocacy. We center what’s often ignored: grief, shame, joy, and the slow, messy process of queer healing.
Our vision is a world where healing is accessible, systems are reimagined, and no one has to go it alone. We’re not here to fix the surface. We’re here to unlearn, uncover, and heal the deeper wounds that keep our communities disconnected, unheard, and unseen. This is healing that doesn’t perform. It transforms.
Meet the Team
The minds and hearts behind our programs.
Cari brings more than 27 years of experience in nonprofit leadership to the board, with a career rooted in advocacy, equity, and building stronger communities. She holds a Doctorate in Leadership and Administration as well as a Bachelor's in Clinical Social Studies, blending academic insight with hands-on compassion. Over the years, she has guided organizations through periods of growth, transition, and healing—always with an eye toward inclusion and sustainability. As a 52-year-old lesbian who has spent much of her life navigating spaces that often didn't feel fully welcoming, Cari found this organization to be a breath of fresh air: a place rooted in care without conditions, where grief, joy, shame, and identity are honored without apology. She believes deeply in the power of storytelling and peer support as tools for collective healing and transformation. Through her role on the board, Cari is passionate about helping create a space where queer and trans people of all ages feel seen, supported, and never alone.
Dr. Cari Ciancio She/Her
President
August Stephens He/They
Secretary
Wyatt Macejka (he/him) is a researcher, advocate, and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community whose journey from a socially conservative upbringing in Pittsburgh to self-acceptance during graduate studies in Ohio has fueled his commitment to mental health and queer liberation. While pursuing graduate-level work in Experimental Psychology at Kent State University, Wyatt found affirming LGBTQIA+ spaces and the power of open, supportive communication—experiences that helped him come to terms with his own sexuality and ignited a passion to create those same spaces for others. With B.A. degrees in Psychology and Communication from the University of Pittsburgh, Wyatt brings deep insight into emotional well-being, identity development, and relationship dynamics. His research has examined topics such as interpersonal goals, moral reasoning, and cognitive health—all with an emphasis on empathy and real-world impact. Currently a Lab Manager at the Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank, Wyatt has held leadership roles in student life, research mentorship, and adaptive sports. Across every role, his mission remains the same: to support individuals wherever they are in their journey, and to push back against systems that aim to diminish LGBTQIA+ joy and visibility. In a world where queer lives are increasingly under attack, Wyatt believes that happiness, authenticity, and community are powerful forms of resistance.
Wyatt Macejka
Director of Internal Care and Coordination | Board Member
I’m a people-first leader who believes in the power of empathy, equity, and honest communication. With a background in human resources and over a decade of experience leading teams, I’ve made it my mission to create spaces where individuals feel safe to grow, speak up, and be themselves fully. My approach blends strategy with heart. I love building people-centered systems, navigating tough conversations with care, and fostering cultures rooted in respect and trust. I’m especially passionate about creating inclusive spaces, and I carry that commitment into every space I’m part of. Outside of work, I find joy in making pierogis from scratch (always testing out new flavors), and spending time outdoors hiking around. I’m here to challenge the status quo, uplift others, and build something meaningful alongside people who care as deeply as I do.
Samantha Cobin She/Her
Director of People and Culture | Board Member
Chandler Bowles is a 20-year-old student, social worker in the drug and alcohol field, and nonprofit founder imagining a future where LGBTQ+ people are centered — not just included. He works with clients in their first seven days of detox and is currently studying Public Health and Psychology, with a passion for collective care, liberation, and systems built from the inside out.
Chandler grew up in rural West Virginia. His early years were marked by instability, neglect, and the ache of being the only queer child in the room. These weren’t abstract experiences — they shaped how he moves through the world. He knows firsthand what it feels like to be left out of systems meant to help, and that’s exactly why he builds.
Now, as the founder of Built For Us PGH, he’s building something different — not just safer spaces, but truer ones. His work lives at the intersection of listening, archiving, and constructing.
Chandler Bowles He/They
Executive Director | Founder
A licensed professional school counselor, Charlie earned a Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University, a Master of Arts from Michigan State University, and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Dayton. He is currently pursuing his doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a concentration in Diversity and Equity in Education. Charlie currently serves as the Director of Tartan Scholars at Carnegie Mellon University. In this role, he collaborates with campus stakeholders to set the program's strategic direction and provides leadership to all aspects of this four-year program that supports nearly 500 high-achieving students from backgrounds historically excluded from elite higher education institutions. Prior to CMU, Charlie’s career spanned a variety of settings, including public and private schools at secondary and post-secondary levels and community-based organizations.
Charlie Runyan He/Him
Director of Peer Support | Board Member
Founders
Story
Hi, I'm Chandler. Built For Us PGH started with lived experience — mine. I grew up without stable parents, without support, and without any queer role models to show me who I could become. I was isolated, neglected, and left to figure things out on my own. I haven’t fully recovered from those experiences — they've lead me to dig deep and analyze what 'went wrong' and how I could do different. Eventually, I started asking a bigger question: What would it look like to build the kind of systems I never had? This isn’t just a project. It’s personal. Built For Us PGH grew out of that question and evolved into a space for healing, connection, and growth — created for LGBTQ+ people, by someone who’s been there. Today, we’re building programs, conversations, and culture-shifting spaces that center lived experience, community care, and the belief that we all deserve more than survival.