Cristina Codario

Policy Director

cristina.codario@alliesforchildren.org

Cristina joined Allies for Children in summer 2022 as the Health Policy Director. In her role, she looks to move forward the current health policy agenda, as well as to improve the systems that serve children and youth.

Cristina was born in Buffalo, NY, and also lived in Burlington, VT and Morgantown, WV as a young child. These early years spent living in many places, among people from diverse backgrounds, only piqued her desire to learn about experiences different from her own.

Her family settled in Moon Township, PA for many years, where she graduated from Moon Area High School. Building on her passion for personal stories and her desire to understand how policies influence people, she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in nonfiction writing and political science. After college, she found a love for public service through her participation in AmeriCorps.

Prior to joining Allies, Cristina worked at Trying Together, where she focused on engaging prenatal-to-three stakeholders in Allegheny County and worked on Early Learning PA statewide campaigns. Cristina received her master’s degree in public health with a focus on Behavioral & Community Health Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019. During her time in the MPH program, Cristina worked on a health equity evaluation for the Allegheny County Health Department’s Family and Child Health Department as well as a parent-child interaction study for the Working for Kids program. From 2006 to 2017, she held various roles at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit ranging from Division Specialist for Early Childhood, Family, & Community Services to Adult Education Instructor.

She lives in Lawrenceville with her husband, Ron, and their four dogs, Karl, Buffy, Beatrix, and Rita. In her free time, she enjoys snuggling with her dogs, sewing, and sci-fi/fantasy in all mediums.