Founder & CEO
RedefinED Advisors LLC
redefiningeducation.org

Alyse Victoria Maslonik will loudly admit she does not fit in the corporate world. She struggles to keep her ideas and opinions to herself and does not like well-worn paths.

“I’m what I like to call a ‘strategic disruptor’ — here to change the status quo and do things differently,” she says.

Maslonik’s business, RedefinED Advisors LLC, is doing its best to be a disruptive force in the industry. Maslonik launched the company at the end of 2021 to help private schools raise funds for financial aid and scholarships through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. RedefinED started with one partnership and one service offering. In just a year, it has expanded to four services provided to 42 partners. The company has raised more than $8.5 million in scholarships for private schools in Pennsylvania, funds that will impact nearly 10,000 students. “And we aren’t planning on stopping anytime soon,” Maslonik says.

Next on her list is helping private schools in the Pittsburgh area. She sees a future with no limits. “I am 100 percent mission driven, and my No. 1 goal will always be to leave this world better than I found it. I am very aware that I create the vision, but I rely on my incredible, fabulous, can’t-do-this-without-them team to implement that vision,” she says.

Maslonik’s motivation spawns from her tough childhood, during which she spent a period of time in a domestic abuse shelter. “Because of my upbringing, it will always be my mission to ensure that no child—not one—will have to live through the things I have,” she says.

A portion of the profits from RedefinED go toward supporting the communities the company works in. Maslonik has also created the Triumph Over Tragedy Scholarship Award to give additional support to children who grow up in difficult circumstances.

What’s Maslonik’s advice to other women in business?

“Build a great team filled with people that have different strengths than you do, and listen to their input,” she says. “When building a startup especially, it is important to have a team that is adaptable, giving the business the flexibility to follow the mission, wherever it may lead.”

The best advice she has ever received is: “Don’t go through life looking for reasons why you don’t matter, because life will show those to you. Always look for the reasons why you do.”

For more than 10 years, Pittsburgh Magazine has spotlighted exceptional businesswomen within our pages and at quarterly networking events. Join us for a vibrant conversation with our four inspiring honorees and a keynote speaker at our Women & Business Awards.

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