JOHN
20 years ago, John came to Braddock to start a GED program. He became mayor, and for 13 years worked to build the once-booming steel town back from collapse. As Lieutenant Governor, John has transformed the position into a bully pulpit for criminal justice reform. He has led the fight to free the wrongfully convicted and give second chances to deserving longtime inmates, and championed the cause of legalizing marijuana on a historic tour of all 67 counties.
A Pennsylvania native, John was born to teenage parents just starting out on their own. At the time, his father worked nights to put himself through college. John grew up in York, PA, and followed in his father’s footsteps to Albright College, where he played offensive tackle for the Lions.
At 23, John joined up with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and his life has never been the same.
John threw himself into the program, mentoring his ‘little’ – an 8-year-old boy who had recently lost his father to AIDS and whose mother was also battling the disease. Before she passed away, John promised that he would continue to look out for her son and make sure that he graduated college. Fifteen years later, John and his ‘little’ had both held up their ends of the bargain, with his little’s graduation from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA.
But John wanted to do more. He joined AmeriCorps and served in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District, where he helped set up the first computer labs in the neighborhood and taught GED classes to young mothers and fathers.
He went on to earn a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
John returned to Pennsylvania to start a GED program in the town of Braddock, one of the poorest and most challenged communities in the commonwealth. In 2005, encouraged by his students, John ran for mayor. He managed to win the crowded primary by a single vote. In his 13 years as mayor, John worked to rebuild his community, creating jobs, getting youth engaged, and bringing creative urban policy solutions to Braddock. The town now has a community center, urban gardens, and a free store run by John’s wife, Gisele.
Gisele Barreto Fetterman, is a trailblazer in her own right. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Gisele’s mother took her and her younger brother to the United States when she was seven, all of them undocumented immigrants. They lived in a one-room apartment in New York City and were teaching themselves English while her mother worked cleaning hotels and houses. After 15 years of living in the shadows, Gisele received her green card in 2004 and became a United States citizen in 2009.
Gisele met John after writing a letter to him inquiring about Braddock and the efforts to revitalize the community. In 2008, John and Gisele got married. Together, John and Gisele have been living in Braddock for 13 years and now have three children — Karl, 12, Gracie, 9, and August, 7 — and a rescue dog, Levi.
Gisele has devoted her life to helping others, with a focus on nutrition, food equity and meeting Pennsylvanians’ basic needs. With just an empty shipping container and an open lot, Gisele opened the Free Store, distributing household goods, baby items and bicycles to those in need. In addition, she co-founded 412 Food Rescue, which sends volunteers to retailers who have surplus food that risks going bad and delivers it to nonprofits that serve the hungry. Gisele also co-founded the nonprofit For Good PGH which drives numerous initiatives on inclusion including “Hello Hijab,” which produces miniature hijabs for dolls, promoting tolerance and diversity. Most recently Gisele founded The Hollander Project, a business incubator for female entrepreneurs.
Every donation helps John in uniting our neighbors and helping our communities succeed
We’ve built a grassroots campaign that fought for every vote in every one of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Join us as we continue to build our team stronger.
