Christine Petro joined NCSSM in January 2025 as the Foundation’s Event Manager, supporting strategic grant development and donor engagement. With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she is dedicated to K-12 education, youth opportunity, and advancing community organizations as key partners in student growth.

Before relocating to Durham in 2024, Christine spent a decade on the leadership team at the Gowanus Canal Conservancy in Brooklyn. There, she secured $1.9 million in grants, led STEM environmental programs for 12,000 students, and facilitated a three-year strategic roadmap to guide the organization through significant transformation. Her background also includes building partnerships between Title I schools and Columbia University, spearheading large-scale initiatives in Harlem.

The founder of Christine M. Petro Consulting, she is currently earning her Grant Professionals Certification. She holds a master’s in sociology of education from NYU and is a 2025 Goodmon Fellow with Leadership Triangle. While she misses her Brooklyn bike commute, she enjoys exploring the Triangle’s woodland trails.

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