Trenna Passalacqua’s journey to becoming the CEO of Blueprints, a nonprofit committed to breaking down barriers and building brighter futures across southwestern Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia, is a story rooted in resilience, humility, and unshakeable community connection. As Blueprints celebrates its 60-year anniversary of serving the community, it would be impossible to appreciate the history of the organization without learning the story of its leader and CEO.
A proud native of Greene County, Passalacqua’s humble upbringing laid the foundation for her career in human services. “Growing up without much can shape a person in profound ways, often revealing strengths and values that might otherwise go unnoticed,” she says.
Passalacqua was raised to be resourceful, adaptable, and to appreciate the small, ordinary pleasures of life. Her formative experience with hardship and struggle has enabled her to make authentic and meaningful connections with the individuals and families that she serves as CEO of Blueprints.
Passalacqua’s career at Blueprints began over forty years ago when she was hired as the assistant to the HR manager for the nonprofit, whose mission it is to mobilize the public and private sectors by empowering individuals and families to achieve economic independence.
Within six months, the HR manager resigned and moved out of state, leaving Passalacqua thrust into the role of HR manager. She was a one-woman HR department suddenly overseeing 150 employees.
Growth isn’t always smooth, and this quick and unexpected career progression led to an intense period of long days, hard work, and inevitable failures along the way.
But Passalacqua kept her head down, continued with coursework, specialized certifications, picked the brains of her mentors, and dedicated countless hours to find her footing in her new role while raising a two year-old daughter.
“Doing things the hard way is my mantra, which has paved the way for effective decision making and critical thinking.”
Passalacqua credits the inspirational leadership at Blueprints for recognizing her contributions, which led to many promotions over the course of forty years including Chief Human Resources Officer. In March of 2025, she was officially named CEO.
“Hard work and determination has always been my foundation,” she says. “Working so closely with the workforce enabled me to connect with their work and see firsthand the challenges so many face in our communities.”
Passalacqua brings a blend of professional expertise and personal empathy to her leadership. Her own struggles allow her to connect authentically with the people Blueprints serves. “Believing in yourself is one thing,” she says. “Having someone else believe in you is a whole different ballgame—and I’m hopeful my leadership style instills this in others.” Having served on several Boards and being selective with her volunteer work has contributed to her overall appreciation for community service.
With almost four decades of career experience with Blueprints, Passalacqua has witnessed first-hand the many challenges and successes the nonprofit has faced. One of which was when Blueprints expanded its footprint and programming, including a 2015 merger that introduced trauma-informed care, youth services, foster care, and behavioral health to its offerings.
“That merger was a tremendous learning experience and has enhanced Blueprints’ overall collective impact,” she says.
Growing up in an area with a large elderly population like Greene County has made Passalacqua especially proud of Blueprints’ Aging Well Services.
“To think the number of home-delivered meals served is over 50,000 by 200+ unpaid volunteers is pretty darn amazing,” she says. “It takes a caring heart to do Blueprints work and I’m grateful to work with and around so many caring individuals.”
At the heart of her motivation are the participants themselves. “Reading a book to a Head Start classroom full 3-5 year-olds and maintaining their attention because they are so happy to see you is priceless.”
“To thrive, you need hope and purpose. The Blueprints workforce delivers this vision every day.”
As anyone who works in the nonprofit sector knows, there are constant challenges, which include limited funding, emotional burnout, and the ever-changing needs of the community that require them to adapt constantly. Work that involves the livelihood of individuals and families doesn’t end at 5 pm every day, but Passalacqua credits her resilient and empathetic workforce tireless devotion to the community.
Almost all of Blueprints’ programs have solid external collaborations and partnerships that contribute to the planning and evaluation of our services. The Board of Directors is made up of low-income individuals, private sector and public officials all lending valuable experience and expertise.
“Ensuring stakeholders have input, access and participation is our secret sauce and we are fortunate to have strong support in all our service areas,” says Passalacqua.
As she begins her career as CEO of Blueprints, Passalacqua has clear plans and goals for the future. She is deeply engaged in strategic planning, community outreach, and advocating for sustainable funding on all levels. She emphasizes the importance of addressing the social determinants of health through outcome-based programming.
“We must remain on the front lines with innovative approaches to solving complex problems.” she says. “It’s vital to the stability and future of the households and communities we serve.”
After nearly 40 years with Blueprints, Passalacqua remains as inspired and determined as ever. “Here’s to celebrating 60 years of hope, compassion, and resilience – and to many more years of making a difference.”
