37. Nicole Molinaro, 36
Executive director/nonprofit advocate

As executive director of Communities In Schools of Pittsburgh- Allegheny County, Nicole Molinaro makes sure local teens graduate. "We are able to help kids who are [at-risk to or] have already dropped out of school, come back or stay in school and earn a diploma instead of a G.E.D.," she says. "We also develop workforce development and launch a post-graduation plan." Of the 2,000 kids Molinaro and her team help stay in school each year, 60 percent go on to pursue post-secondary education.

In addition to working for a nonprofit, Molinaro volunteers for many more. She's a founding member of the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, and a board member with Hope Academy of Music and Arts, the Women's Shelter and 10,000 Villages. "My passions are working to help kids and working for equity in the community, which is why I volunteer [with 10,000 Villages] to promote fair trade," she says.

38. Nathan Hart, 30
Ballroom dancer

"I think one of my greatest contributions to the Pittsburgh area is representing the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered (LGBT) community as a successful professional, a church-goer, and as someone who serves the community," says Nathan Hart.

Professionally, he's a ballroom-dance instructor and business manager for the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, with national and international awards recognizing his contributions to the organization. He also teaches ballroom dancing in physical-education classes at local high schools. "It's teaching students social skills and how to interact," he says. "I think it's important for youth today to understand that chivalry is not dead."

Hart works with the youth group and sings for the choir at the Smithfield United Church of Christ downtown. And he frequently contributes his time, talents and dance for causes, including cystic fibrosis, autism, the Adagio Health system's Hot Pink Pittsburgh benefit, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and festivals for sexual minorities.

39. Dave Coplan, 38
Large-scale community organizer

"I don't just run any one program," says Dave Coplan. His official title is executive director of the Human Services Center Corp. (HSCC), which represents more than 100 independent outreach services in the Monongahela River Valley. Meeting Mon Valley residents' needs means a varied schedule for Coplan. "One day we're running a health screening for people in the Valley; another day we're talking about how to implement a health-risk assessment; then, we do a career seminar. Right now...we're expanding our youth services," he says.

Coplan also devotes his time to serving many other organizations. He's a founding member of the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, which helps nonprofits unite and work cooperatively. In addition, he also sits on many boards and committees, and teaches social work at the University of Pittsburgh. "It's all interrelated... Community organizing is about how we bring the systems [together to] make a difference," he says.

40. Matthew Lamanna, 31
Paleontologist and curator

Matt Lamanna never outgrew his childhood fascination with dinosaurs. Good thing he didn't. He's part of, quite literally, ground-breaking research into the dinosaur fossil record on southern continents. "You walk out there, and pretty much anything you find, anything you discover and collect and bring back, is new and, therefore, very important scientifically," he says.

Lamanna is also the scientific brains behind the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's newest exhibit, "Dinosaurs In Their Time," which opens later this month. It features 19 dinosaur skeletons mounted in a panorama of what their worlds would have looked like when they lived. It's displayed by era with period-accurate scenes. "I think it's quite rare to arrange them by ecosystem or environment. And I think the level to which we're going to reconstruct these environments - that is, the plants and other animals dinosaurs lived with - I think it's unprecedented," Lamanna says.

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