Joel Reed, the executive director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network for the past three years, is stepping down from his leadership post at the nonprofit advocacy and consulting organization to pursue several developing robotics commercialization opportunities in the region.
And while he said he couldn't yet name where these "nontraditional job opportunities" will take place, Reed noted that it's not going to be all that dissimilar to the kind of work he oversaw at the PRN, which has ballooned to consist of over 140 robotics organizations under his tenure from the few dozen it counted on its membership roles prior to Reed's arrival.
Jennifer Apicella, who previously served as the vice president of the PRN, has been named as the organization's interim executive director.
"It was always important to me to bring the PRN to a level and put it on a path to sustainability," Reed said. "Working with Jenn Apicella and being able to put a reliable team in place was very important. It wouldn't have been possible to pursue an opportunity like this even a year ago and then have left the organization in good hands."
Reed said one of the feats he's most proud of has been bringing a heightened level of awareness to Pittsburgh's robotics community as a result of the work that's been done by the PRN over the past few years.
Most recently, that included the joint hosting with North Side-based Innovation Works Inc. (IW) of the inaugural Aviation & Robotics Summit in the Strip District that featured an address from Gov. Josh Shapiro before hundreds of experts descended on the city for a multi-day event that looked to identify robotics-based solutions for challenges affecting airlines, airports and related parties. The PRN will look to offer another industry-themed event of similar purpose this fall and is planning to again feature an aviation-themed event next year as a result of the success of the first one.
A soon-to-launch startup accelerator designed to help grow the region's robotics scene, the Robotics Factory, is also the product of an initiative led by IW and in partnership with the PRN as a result of the region's victory in the Build Back Better Regional Challenge and the $62.7 million in federal grant funding that came with it.
"Now the community has this very dynamic and high level of participation, and that's really important," Reed said. "Once that foundation is set, there's so much more that we can do. And I believe that the team at the PRN and the opportunities that now are emerging for them; they can build on that."
As for Apicella, she's elated to take on those continued building-related efforts.
"I am excited to continue this important work of expanding opportunities for our robotics workforce, companies and ecosystem, allowing our region to directly influence the advancement, adoption and commercialization of robotics worldwide," Apicella said in a prepared statement. "I will continue to build on the strong foundation that Joel Reed and his predecessors have already established, catalyzed even further by new programs, partners and strategic alignment with our regional economic development leaders.”
It's these efforts and others that have led Reed to be convinced that the PRN has been put in "good hands" as he embarks on his new pursuits, noting that it's "a really exciting time to be in robotics."
"I'm an entrepreneur and there are opportunities that are out there that I have seen, that I've had conversations about," Reed said. "Now I have the time that is necessary to be able to develop them."
And he'll be staying in Pittsburgh to see that work through.
"I'm not going anywhere," Reed said.
