Leadership Pittsburgh Celebrates 25

The memories come thick and fast, and from all over. People in career tracks since high school making lifelong friends they’d never imagined meeting. People encountering diversity, discovering untapped potential and fresh points of view wholly unlike their own. People visiting places they’d never dreamed of seeing – adjudication in Juvenile Court, scrounging for health-care for the unemployed, even lunch al fresco at ALCOSAN – opening their eyes, their hearts and minds, to experiences, people, ways of thinking they’d never considered.

Over 25 years, Leadership Pittsburgh has helped some 1,400 leaders, established and emerging, from all three sectors -- private, public, and non-profit -- hone their craft, embrace the community, help move the region forward. Offers Augie Carlino, Steel Industry Heritage Corporation President & CEO, “I learned so much about what I thought I already knew. Leadership Pittsburgh opened my eyes to the complexities of the economy, the social dynamic, class and race. It was a great experience.”

As Carlino would be the first to recognize, the LP quarter-century alumni list reads like a Pittsburgh who’s who – doctors ‘n’ lawyers ‘n’ industry chiefs; non-profiteers, bankers, architects, and plenty more. Beginning in 1983 as a Chamber of Commerce program, LP grew into a way for leaders and future leaders – people who really care about the region – to confront problems and affect change. With classes Roman-numeraled like Super Bowls, the participants dealt with the hot issues of the day – from City-County consolidation to selling two new stadiums, criminal justice to race relations. As Beth Wainwright, LP VI and former executor director, says, “Leadership Pittsburgh provides a network of things able to happen more efficiently.”

A Lifelong Journey
Headed since late ’04 by Aradhna Dhanda, LP XVIII, Leadership Pittsburgh meets monthly September-June, officially connecting “individuals from diverse backgrounds, professional levels, and organizations to serve the region by exposing these leaders to critical issues, skill development, and community service opportunities.” “Our mission,” Dhanda says, “is civic engagement, is raising the level of conversation. That’s a lifelong journey -- leadership exhibited all their lives.”

Adds the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Dave DeSimone, LP XVI, “Leadership Pittsburgh does give people a broader perspective on how their actions and decisions affect a lot of different areas.”

MARC USA’s President and CEO Michele Fabrizi, LP XI, takes the concept a step further. “Leadership Pittsburgh not only provides leaders knowledge beyond their own industries,” she says, “it also puts them in a position to work on solutions. As such, it gets them invested in this region. It makes them become impassioned to grow a thriving region. That’s the very essence of a leader.”

Rob Pfaffmann, of Pfaffmann & Associates, was a young architect when he joined LP IX – and he found the experience invaluable. “It was a great eye-opener,” he recalls, “regarding how government and the community actually work. For me, the architectural tour of Downtown was an opportunity to engage in the political and economic processes that create buildings. That was a turning point for me in being able to communicate why architecture is important.”

“We met an undercover officer,” recalls Ray Steeb, LP X and president of emerging software company FAST-CAT, “who talked about gangs and colors and things we never would have known – like spray paint on walls marking territories. Even though I’m a long-term Pittsburgher – my great-great-grandfather moved here in 1852 – it doesn’t mean that I was aware of what’s going on. That’s what Leadership Pittsburgh does – it takes the current and next generation of leaders and makes them aware of what’s going on. It makes them aware of how important it is to build a stronger community.”

Opening Eyes
Adds Art Stroyd, LP VIII, of Del Sole Cavanaugh Stroyd, “Between law school and the navy I had missed the entire cultural revolution of the late ‘60s and ‘70s. It was like it had happened in another country. At Leadership Pittsburgh I was immersed in a diverse group of 40 different people. All of a sudden I saw new issues. I became a lot more sensitive to different social, political, and economic issues – so much so that when I became managing partner of Reed Smith I emphasized diversity. Leadership Pittsburgh was an seminal experience for me.”

As it has been for many others, including the alumni of the Leadership Development Initiative, a program geared for young professionals tagged as future leaders. “It was a great experience,” says Sarah Belousov, LDI XII, of CMU’s TechBridgeWorld. “I was able to meet people from many different areas and learn a lot about leadership skills. I was able to see how people handle certain situations – race relations and adult education, for example.”

Adds WDUQ’s Katherine Fink, LDI XI, “I learned from other people and enjoyed working on our group projects. Since LDI attracts younger folks, it helps them put down roots here.”

As it has for a quarter-century. “Twenty-five years speaks to the value of the organization,” offers Operativ’s Robert Fayfich, LP XV. “Nothing lasts that long unless there’s real value to it. Sustainability only comes through value and competence.”

And of course there’ll be a party to celebrate. “I’m looking forward to seeing my classmates again,” Rob Pfaffmann says. “I’m always interested in engaging my fellow leaders in what’s happening right now. Is there something we’ve been meaning to do and never had an opportunity to talk about? How we can we continue to improve the region and the city?”

As for the actual event, coming up at the end of the month, there’ll be no black tie, no speakers, no awards. Instead, each class will reconnect individually. Then they’ll all get together for a big birthday bash. And while 25 may simply be a number, “it demonstrates how far we’ve come,” Aradhna Dhanda says, “but how young we are. The spirit for the future is excitement and high aspirations. It mirrors the region. I see so much happening. The best lies ahead.”

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Abby Mendelson’s latest book, Ghost Dancer, a collection of short stories, is available at amazon and bn.com.

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Captions:

Aradhna Dhanda, Leadership Pittsburgh executive director

Art Stroyd, Del Sole Cavanaugh Stroyd

Sarah Belousov, TechBridgeWorld


All photographs copyright Brian Cohen