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Carnegie Mellon University is entering a new chapter in its efforts to support entrepreneurship and innovation.
The university is searching for new leadership at two of its prominent centers — the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and the Block Center for Technology and Society — following the departures of both founding directors in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, local startup founders are being recognized for their work. Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn has joined the board of design platform giant Figma and Krystal Biotech cofounder Suma Krishnan earned a spot on Forbes’ 50 Over 50 list.
Read on below the chart for the latest updates on who’s stepping up in Pittsburgh’s innovation ecosystem.
Leadership changes at CMU’s entrepreneurship and tech centers
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is undergoing two major leadership transitions that could influence its approach to entrepreneurship and innovation moving forward.
In late June, Dave Mawhinney, founding executive director of CMU’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, announced he was stepping down from the role and returning to CMU faculty as a professor of entrepreneurship. While the university conducts a national search for his successor, Meredith Grelli, director of CMU’s Project Olympus Incubator Program, will serve as interim director.
Launched in 2016, the Swartz Center supports entrepreneurship education and CMU startups through initiatives like the Tartan Entrepreneurs Fund and the Venture Bridge pre-seed accelerator, among others.
“What [Dave] has done to elevate and expand entrepreneurship at CMU is remarkable,” said Jim Swartz, founder of the global venture capital firm Accel, whose $31M a decade ago made the center possible. “He built a center, and a community, that is vibrant, forward-looking and committed to real impact. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and grateful to Dave for leading and shaping the center’s success over the years. Without question, Dave Mawhinney has personally changed the importance and trajectory of entrepreneurship at CMU forever.”
Just a few weeks later, Ramayya Krishnan, founding faculty director of CMU’s Block Center for Technology and Society, also announced he would step down in July.
After five years leading the center’s research on policy for emerging technologies, Krishnan will stay involved with many of its initiatives. In the interim, Kirsten Martin, Dean of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, will take over as faculty director.
“The Block Center has always been about turning research into impact,” said Keith Block, founding donor of the Block Center. “Professor Ramayya Krishnan brought that vision to life with integrity and purpose —building a center that is helping shape how we think about the future of work, technology,and society. I’m grateful for his leadership and look forward to what’s ahead under Dean Martin’s direction.”
Duolingo CEO joins board of design platform Figma
Duolingo’s CEO Luis von Ahn joined the board of design software company Figma in July, shortly before it debuted on the stock market.
When Figma announced Ahn’s appointment, the company credited him with driving Duolingo’s growth and its fun, approachable design since he cofounded the company in 2011. The two companies already had a relationship before Ahn’s board appointment. Duolingo was a Figma customer and collaborated with the company on its viral 2024 Super Bowl commercial.
“For a long time I’ve had a founder crush on Luis,” said Figma’s CEO Dylan Field in a prepared statement. “Duolingo’s dedication to design and craft is exemplary, and Figma has learned so much from Duolingo as a customer. This all stems from Luis who famously sits with his design team, and despite his computer science background, is a champion for design across the industry.”
Ahn joined the board at the same time as Anthropic’s chief product officer Mike Kriege, now serving alongside top executives from Mozilla, ServiceNow and Cisco Systems, among other companies.
Before the company went public on July 31, Ahn received 48,179 shares of Figma stock, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The shares, which would have been valued at more than $1.5 million during Figma’s initial public offering, were granted as part of a restricted stock unit award, which is a common type of compensation for board members.
Krystal Biotech founder recognized by Forbes
Local founder Suma Krishnan was recently recognized by the Forbes 2025 50 Over 50 list for her role in building one of Pittsburgh’s most successful biotech companies.
Krishnan’s company, Krystal Biotech, is best known for its FDA-approved topical gene therapy for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa — a rare genetic disorder that causes extremely fragile skin. The company is currently valued at over $4.5 billion, according to PitchBook.
Krishnan, an organic chemist by training, launched the company in 2016 with her husband, using about $5 million from previous biotech ventures.
“You have to be brave and bold to do this,” Krishnan told Forbes. “I was never afraid of risk-taking. I never felt like I needed a stable job.”
More power moves:
- CMU named Tania Castañeda as its next vice provost for enrollment management and dean of admission, starting Aug. 25. Castañeda joins from Columbia University where she held a similar role.
- Point Park University appointed Becky Spritz as the new dean of its School of Arts and Sciences. Spritz brings over 20 years of experience in higher education from Roger Williams University.
- Pittsburgh Scholar House, a local nonprofit focused on supporting single parents earning college degrees, named Daren Ellerbee as its new CEO. Ellerbee previously led the Pittsburgh Innovation Team at Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation.
- Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2025 40 Under 40 list recognized several leaders in the local innovation scene, including the Moonshot Museum’s executive director Jimyse Lyn Brown, PECA Labs founder Arush Kalra, Hellbender Vinyl founder Jeff Betten, Thoro.ai’s Christopher Dunkers, nference’s Biran Urban and Howmet Aerospace’s Gina Govojdean.
