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Darlene J. Bigler has led Blueprints since 1993. She is a respected local, regional, state and national leader and innovator of programs and initiatives that break barriers and build futures. Under her leadership, Blueprint’s annual budget has grown from $11 million to $23 million. Today, Blueprints employs 350 and serves more than 20,000 individuals annually.

She is a long-time board member and past president of the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania, a membership organization representing the 43 community action agencies in the Commonwealth.

Bigler is a co-founder and a board member of several corporations affiliated with Blueprints, including Keystone Hope Development Corporation, Threshold Housing, Southwestern PA Community Development Corporation, and the Tri-County Loan Fund. These organizations function to create employment and housing opportunities and to further develop communities.

After obtaining a degree in sociology and criminology from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Bigler began her career at the Indiana County Community Action Program (ICCAP) in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and served as that organization’s Executive Director from 1985 to 1993. During that time, she doubled the organization’s budget and staff and created a transitional housing program for women and children, the county’s first homeless shelter, and an affordable rental and home-ownership program.