Employee Resource Groups

“Being part of LEAD allows me to contribute to a culture where every perspective is valued, and where different backgrounds are celebrated. It’s about creating opportunities for discussion, breaking barriers, and ensuring continuous learning that helps us grow both individually and as an organization.” – Elizabeth Ramous, Vice President of LEAD 
 
U. S. Steel’s first annual Volunteer Week 
In October, LEAD held U. S. Steel’s first annual Volunteer Week. From October 15 to October 22, employees at our Gary, Midwest, Great Lakes, Auto Center, Headquarters, Mon Valley, Research, Pittsburgh Service Center, Fairfield, Minnesota Ore Operations and Houston locations rolled up their sleeves and showed what it means to support our neighbors and make a difference. We collaborated with local food banks in the Feeding America network, engaging in a variety of impactful activities, including packaging, sorting and distributing food to those in need. In total, we packed over 150,000 pounds of food, helping over 25,000 people. Additionally, U. S. Steel made a total monetary donation of $20,000 on behalf of these locations plus Granite City and Big River Steel Works, ensuring that even more communities could benefit from our collective efforts. 

“I wanted to be President of WIN because I wanted to do what our slogan says — ’Empower. Inspire. Lead.’ Being a part of the ERGs enables every one of us to fuel what inspires us. As ERGs, we fill the spaces between the departments within our organization, so our reach is far, and we can use it to connect and make meaningful impacts both internally and externally.” – Mindy Buccicone, WIN President 
 
Women’s History Month 
WIN celebrated Women’s History Month in March by hosting multiple events, including a Fireside Chat with our first woman General Manager for the Mon Valley Works, cofounder of WIN, and former President of the Ciloets, Lisa Roudabush. Attendees agreed that the event provided perspective on the progress that women have made at the company in recent decades, as well as an appreciation of the women who paved the way for others and inspired so many to strive for more. 

“I am a firm believer in creating a safe environment for fellow veterans to be able to reach out for support. Having a SERVE group creates exactly that — support, friendship, trust and camaraderie.” – Christopher Warner, SERVE Vice President 
 
U. S. Steel Supports Operation Troop Appreciation 
Employees from the Mon Valley Works plants and the SERVE ERG saluted Operation Troop Appreciation (OTA) by presenting a $50,000 donation to support the group’s efforts to renovate their West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, location. The planned renovations will enable OTA to better care for and engage with veterans. OTA supports not only soldiers currently serving in our nation’s armed forces, but also offers its Veterans Welcome Home Program to veterans returning to Western Pennsylvania after completing their service who may be struggling financially, physically and mentally. 

“I wanted to become President of NextGen Steel because I wanted to cultivate a group where everyone feels seen, valued and empowered to bring their full selves to work, and to empower our early career professionals to lead and inspire the next generation to do the same. This ERG represents more than just a community; it’s a catalyst for growth, understanding and change. Being part of NextGen Steel has shown me the power of collective voices, and I’m passionate about leading initiatives that inspire connection and foster a Culture of Caring.” – Lauren Roberts, NextGen Steel President 
  
NextGen Steel Book Club 
NextGen Steel started a book club in October 2024 to read and discuss books on leadership and career development. The first book they read was Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. 
 
“Dare to Lead was an excellent book to start off our book club. There were a lot of exercises and discussion prompts that Brené Brown provides that we were able to use to structure our book club meetings. I think reading this book helped us to learn a lot about ourselves and our individual leadership styles. The book club is something we will definitely continue in 2025.” – Mandy Andrews, NextGen Steel Leadership and Career Development Committee Chair and Book Club Lead 

“After being diagnosed with multiple invisible disorders, I went searching for people who understood what I was going through and found a community in SteelABILITY. I took on the role of Co-chair because I wanted to continue growing the safe and welcoming environment within SteelABILITY for people to be their true, whole selves.” – Amber Sikes, SteelABILITY Co-chair 
 
Uncathlon 
In October 2024, SteelABILITY and employees from Mon Valley Works partnered with the Special Olympics at the Uncathlon event. Volunteers assisted with activities such as helping with registration, tracking timed running competitions, and measuring and scoring. U. S. Steel team members Becky Bloom, Robert Reed, Deanna Mooney and Paul Dingfelder paired up with Special Olympics athletes to compete in eight different events: two-lap relay run, rowing, javelin, football throws, agility shuffles, golf putting, basketball free throw and cornhole. Our team and our Special Olympians did well, and more importantly created a welcoming, memorable and fun experience for all. 

“Together with my colleagues Becky Bloom, Malisa Dunn and Amanda Malkowski, we founded SteelPRIDE in February 2020. I have held various roles within our ERG, including Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President and President. SteelPRIDE serves as a safe space where members can express their identities, share knowledge, and foster an environment of trust and open, honest communication. Being part of SteelPRIDE has made me a better leader, a more supportive ally and a more understanding parent to my daughter, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.” – Brenda Petrilena, SteelPRIDE President 
 
Pride Month 
In June 2024, Pittsburgh-area members of SteelPRIDE and their allies were among the thousands of participants and attendees supporting the LGBTQ+ community at Pittsburgh Pride March and Celebration 2024.  
 
Members of the Gary Works chapter of SteelPRIDE and their allies attended the Michigan City Pride Fest in northern Indiana on June 15 to show support for Pride Month. This year’s Pride Fest was a record-breaking one, with over 5,000 attendees and more than 85 community supporters and organizations staffing on-site booths. 

“I wanted to be Co-chair of SteelPARENTS because working and parenting are two fulltime jobs, and all parents will tell you that raising kids takes a village. What better village to lean on than their U. S. Steel family? I was excited to find ways through SteelPARENTS to network, support and educate our membership. Our event on Technology and Social Media’s Impact on Children with Nicole Runyon was particularly impactful to the over 100 attendees in our company, given the ever growing presence and influence of technology on kids of all ages, even starting from birth.” – Tiffany Demos, SteelPARENTS Co-chair 
 
Supporting Health for Babies and Moms 
SteelPARENTS helped lead the 2024 effort for the annual March for Babies campaign, which raises funds for the March of Dimes in support of healthy babies and moms. Along with help from the SteelABILITY and LEAD ERGs, SteelPARENTS coordinated a range of fundraising activities, including donation s collected at events and through email blasts. The efforts brought in nearly $60,000 for the campaign, exceeding U. S. Steel’s already ambitious fundraising goal by about $10,000. 
 
In addition to the support for the March for Babies campaign, volunteers from SteelPARENTS and other ERGs, along with their families, participated in the March of Dimes annual Pittsburgh walk event in April. U. S. Steel was a Platinum Sponsor of the walk, running a booth where our volunteers handed out cotton candy and sunglasses. 

“The employee resource groups hold a special place in my heart because they help connect our employees with our Culture of Caring despite working at different facilities or working remotely. I have connected with so many different, amazing people through the ERGs who I may not have met without them. I knew I wanted to be President of SteelSUSTAINABILITY because I love its mission to educate employees on what sustainability is and how each employee can get involved to make our company more sustainable. My favorite thing about the ERG is how much involvement we have had with our members across the organization and at all levels. It just goes to show how interested people are about this important topic and how willing they are to help out.” – Madison King, SteelSUSTAINABILITY President

Tree Planting
Throughout 2024, SteelSUSTAINABILITY partnered with Tree Pittsburgh on multiple tree-planting events within our local communities:
·       As part of the “One Tree Per Child” program, in May, Tree Pittsburgh provided both pre- and post-planting educational programming focused on trees, ecology and related studies at Clairton School. Together, Tree Pittsburgh, students and U. S. Steel planted 10 large trees that will grace the south side of the Clairton Education Center, providing shade for picnic and play areas, reducing energy costs and improving tree canopy for students, employees and the community at large.
·       U. S. Steel and Tree Pittsburgh planted 40 trees at Kansas Park in West Mifflin in October.
·       In November, Tree Pittsburgh, Braddock Youth Project and U. S. Steel planted 17 fruit trees in Braddock.