Lindsay Powell, who previously served as the assistant chief of staff and policy director to former Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto, will join InnovatePGH as a workforce strategies director later this month.
In her new role at InnovatePGH, a public-private partnership comprised of officials from Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, UPMC, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and regional philanthropic institutions, Powell will be tasked with creating a cohesive regional tech training ecosystem that aims to remove barriers of entry in the innovation-centered economy.
"I am excited Lindsay chose to join InnovatePGH as the platform to continue expanding her high-impact work in Pittsburgh," Sean Luther, executive director of InnovatePGH, said in a statement. "Lindsay’s experience and passion align perfectly with InnovatePGH’s mission to ensure that a growing tech sector in Pittsburgh opens up real opportunity for all Pittsburghers."
One of Powell's first objectives in the position will be relaunching InnovatePGH's University Talent Alliance initiative, a workforce development program that creates training and career pathways for residents in the neighborhoods that surround Pittsburgh's innovation district in Oakland. The program is made possible due to its partnership with the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education and Jewish Family Community Services. It is funded in part by the Heinz Endowments.
Powell will also look to unite the city's various tech training providers, community advocates and HR specialists around a goal of trying to connect future-oriented jobs to people across education levels. To do so, Powell will work with Partner4Work, the Allegheny Conference, the Pittsburgh Tech Council and Vibrant Pittsburgh through the recently established Tech Workforce Action Group.
"Lindsay has been one of my most trusted senior advisors over the past several years," Peduto said in a release. "Her leadership working with youth, food security, housing policy, equitable development and so much more has left a positive impact on Pittsburgh that will be felt for generations to come."
While working for Peduto, Powell directed the mayor's policy agenda around gender equity, LGBTQIA+ community affairs, housing policy, immigrant and refugee affairs as well as financial empowerment. She orchestrated efforts to reform Pittsburgh’s Land Bank and strengthened the city's land recycling and vacant land maintenance work. She also served as a board member of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
