2026 40 Under 40 Honoree: Tierra Thorne (36)
“You can have multiple gifts and actually use all of them.”
PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA
Tierra Thorne
Clinical and Wellness Manager, Allegheny County
Tierra Thorne spends her days thinking about the people behind the work.
As a trauma-informed therapist and social worker, she knows that grief, family challenges and stress don’t disappear when you clock into work. As a clinical and wellness manager for Allegheny County, she focuses specifically on the youth support partner unit, a peer-support program. Her goal is to support both staff and youth through difficult situations.
“A huge part of my role is making sure we’re taking care of the people who spend their days taking care of other people,” she says.
During the pandemic in 2020, she recognized just how much people were struggling, including how they needed a space where they could experience joy, connection and community. In response, she created Blanket & Board, a luxury picnic and charcuterie company that creates connections in a disconnected world. Since its inception in 2020, the company has hosted numerous events throughout Pittsburgh, including girl-empowerment experiences as well as a picnic for mothers who lost children to gun violence.
She also serves as an Executive in Residence at the University of Pittsburgh and is a board member for The Midwife Center and the Healthy Village Learning Institute.
