Branching Out
Jill Kraus' expertise in networking and building contacts has served her well in public service.
The Saxonburg native, mother of three and chairman of the Butler City Shade Tree Commission crisscrossed the nation as both a government liaison and political voice for organizations before returning to her roots in Butler County.
“I wanted to do a lot of things. I really enjoyed architecture and design. It's weird, I didn't go into those fields because it's what I do now,” said Kraus, who lives in Butler's Institute Hill neighborhood.
Since she took the helm of the Shade Tree Commission — officially a city organization, but does not receive any city funding — the group has overseen numerous beautification projects around the city, from the “Welcome to Butler” sign and landscaping to benches and garbage cans downtown. It also installed the clock at Jefferson and Main streets and hangs flowers each spring from Main Street's lamps.
“Shade Tree Commission, in the city code, was set up just to plant trees. We've just branched out,” she said.
Kraus, born Jill Pagano, was raised in the Saxonburg area. Her late father operated Penn Carpet Service in Millvale, a business still run by her mother and brother, A.J., today.
She also has two sisters, Lisa and Molly.
Kraus graduated from Knoch High School in 1982 and earned a degree in business/human relations management from Indiana (Pa.) University in 1986, then went to work for IUP's personnel office, where she assisted the university president and served as a policy researcher.
While in college, Kraus became engaged to her husband, James, who played football with her brother at Washington and Jefferson University.
After about two years of working at IUP, Jill Kraus moved to Harrisburg, where James Kraus was attending law school.
She worked under then state Rep. Ron Cowell as a higher education policy analyst for the House Education Committee.
“I was a liaison between the higher education community — the 14 state-owned universities — and state government. I also helped research and draft legislation related to higher education issues,” Kraus said.
After about four years in Harrisburg, the Krauses moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., where James, a U.S. Army reservist, entered the Judge Advocate General (JAG) program as a full-time member, spending about four years at Fort Carson.
During that time, Jill Kraus worked for nonprofit group The Resource Exchange as a policy adviser, again lobbying for legislation, this time to benefit developmentally disadvantaged individuals.
She also completed her master's degree in public administration at the University of Colorado and gave birth to the couple's first child, who was 6 weeks old when the family decided to move back East.
Over the next four years, her husband worked in JAG's Environmental Law Division as the couple lived in and around Washington, D.C., and Jill Kraus had the couple's second child.The growing family then moved back to Butler, where they welcomed a third child.“By the time I was 30, I had all but officially stopped working,” Kraus said.However, there is a distinction to be made between employment and work, which Kraus has found plenty of in Butler.James Kraus, who works in Pittsburgh, had served a term as a Butler City Council member. Jill Kraus has spent 15 years involved in school, community and government programs.“We thought we'd buy an old house, fix it up and sell it. That was 15 years ago,” Jill Kraus said.Her three daughters growing, Kraus began working with the parent-teacher organization at Emily Brittain Elementary School, as well as serving on its Olympic Day committee, roles she held for more than a decade.“It's one of the reasons I did not leave the city. The school is a gem, very diverse and the teachers are great,” Kraus said.Kraus later served on the PTO at Butler Intermediate High School.Not content with just one or two duties, though, Kraus put in time on the city planning and zoning commission and several other community group boards.“At one time, I was on six or seven different committees,” she said.Kraus also completed her Master Gardener certification through the Penn State Extension Office.“I've always had an interest in that, landscape and garden layout,” she said.Kraus has had lots of opportunity to combine her eye for beautification and her expertise in public policy and administration.She serves on city task forces dedicated to updating signs around the city and replacing Main Street's lamps, has been chairman of the Shade Tree Commission for about five years and has been involved in Butler Downtown, currently as part of its design committee, since its 2007 inception.For extra flavor, Kraus also is a Butler High School lacrosse booster.“It's hard to say no when you're involved in community service,” she said.“Those people you do committees with, they are like-minded friends with the same hopes and desires for the city.”Kraus first became involved with Shade Tree to help the group make use of a federal grant the city received.Since becoming chairman in 2007, Kraus and the seven-member commission board have guided dozens of projects to completion, including landscaping efforts at the city and public safety buildings, ongoing work at Doughboy Park and assisting Westinghouse Electric based in Cranberry Township with its initiative to plant thousands of trees throughout the county.“It's not your typical committee. We actually go out and physically do the labor,” Kraus said.The group plans to get its hands dirty with several projects in 2012.On April 14, students from the Sports Management program at Slippery Rock University, as well as Boy and Girl Scouts, will help the Shade Tree Commission during a city cleanup day.At the east end of the Wayne Street Bridge, where the commission planted flowers, trees and shrubs last year, the group will plant quaking aspen trees on the back part of the hill.“It'll take years for that to grow up, but it will be beautiful,” Kraus said.Finally, the commission will assist in the preparing a portion of West New Castle Street to be closed from June 9 to Aug. 25 into an “urban park.”“It will be a great venue, a place to have events. It's going to be a lot of fun,” Kraus said.Kraus said green spaces and gathering places are important to the health of Butler.She said the biggest problem the downtown has is the perception that is an unattractive or dangerous place.“It's really not true. That's our biggest problem. We used to have too few restaurants; Now, we have them. With Butler Downtown, we have the activities, too. I'd like to see walkability and people out,” Kraus said.“If you plan for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people, you get people.”The Shade Tree Commission is primarily funded by state and federal grants, plus private sponsors, business partnerships and donationsIn the past, the AM Rotary Club of Butler and the Butler Eagle have sponsored Shade Tree projects, as well as the Butler Garden Club, Oak Hills Garden Club and commission member Jonathan Dreher's Garden Design company.“That's how we survive,” Kraus said.Also, the commission has a regular list of volunteers.To be added to the list, contact Shade Tree at 724-285-4124, Ext. 315.Firmly planted in the community and with her three daughters — Madison, 19, Bailey, 17, and Eden, 14 — making their way in the world, Kraus said she would like to return to full-time employment soon.“I keep saying I'm going to get back to my career,” she joked.But, serving as a voice and government liaison for the Shade Tree Commission, lobbying for funds, support and volunteers, Kraus never really left her career.Like the Shade Tree Commission itself, she just branched out.
<B>Name: </B>Jill Kraus<B>Address: VButler's Institute Hill neighborhood<B>Position: </B>Chairman, Butler City Shade Tree Commission; member, Butler Downtown Design Committee, as well as several other community service boards and committees<B>Family:</B> Husband, James Kraus; three daughters, Madison, 19, Bailey, 17, and Eden, 14; brother, A.J.; and sisters Lisa and Molly<B>Education</B>: Knoch High School graduate, 1982; Indiana (Pa.) University, bachelor's degree in business/human relations management, 1986; University of Colorado, master's degree in public administration, 1994; Master Gardener certification, Pennsylvania State University, 2000<I>‘If you plan for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people, you get people.'</I>
<B>Name: </B>Butler City Shade Tree Commission<B>Address: </B>140 W. North St., Butler; the city building<B>Top official:</B> Chairman Jill Kraus<B>Services: </B>Beautification of the city including landscaping, tree-planting, hanging flower baskets on street lamps in the spring, community cleanup<B>Commission Members:</B> Jonathan Dreher, Julie Dandoy, Beth Gillan, Chip Marra, Jonathan Lex and Dirk Matonak<B>Contact: </B>724-285-4124, Ext. 315
Jill Kraus, chairman of the Butler City Shade Tree Commission, has used her knowledge of policy and legislation work to help the Butler Shade Tree Commission’s beautification initiatives blossom.Here are some of her tips to success in the nonprofit sector.• Set an example.“If people see things happening, they’re more apt to be involved.”• Communicate and cooperate with local and regional government and members of the community.“I think you have to team up with other community service organizations to get things done. Networking is big.”• Have a vision for your work.“If you plan for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people, you get people.”• Be tenacious. No project takes root without hard work.“Be proactive, and don’t take no for an answer. Go after projects.”
