One of Pittsburgh’s most prominent entrepreneurial hubs is searching for its next leader.
Meanwhile, local founders continue to expand their impact, including one who was recently tapped to lead the University of Pittsburgh Center for Energy.
Keep reading for more on these recent power moves.
Ascender searches for its next CEO
After seven years at Ascender, CEO Nadyli Nuñez announced plans to leave the organization this April.
Nuñez has spent much of her tenure asking herself if she was still the right person to lead the organization, she said, and recently concluded it was time for new leadership.
“I was going to take a small, kind of extended break this year… and what I saw was that the team can do this [without me],” Nuñez told Technical.ly. “And I said, ‘Well actually, given where we’re headed, what if the right thing is to have a next leader who can take it on?’”
The nonprofit, which offers a coworking space in East Liberty and programming for early-stage startups, plans to partner with a consulting firm to conduct a national search for Ascender’s next leader.
“We understand the value of our next leader having a connection to or sense of the experience of a Pittsburgh-based founder,” Caitlin Green, chair of Ascender’s board of directors, told Technical.ly. “That said, we’re early in the process and are pleased to have the strong guidance of an executive search partner to ensure an intentional, inclusive approach.”
During her time at Ascender, Nuñez has been a leading advocate for the nonprofit’s cross-sector approach to programming. Instead of splitting early-stage founders into different programs based on their industries, Ascender brings entrepreneurs together in the same cohorts to learn alongside each other.
Along with the leadership change, Ascender plans to “double down” on “creating more opportunities for founders to support each other,” Green said.
“Pittsburgh doesn’t need another tech accelerator,” Green added. “It needs spaces where founders feel they belong and where meaningful relationships drive sustainable growth.”
Local entrepreneur to head Pitt energy center
Serial founder and associate professor Paul Ohodnicki has been named director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Energy.
Housed in the Swanson School of Engineering, the Center for Energy combines the expertise of about 100 faculty members across Pitt’s campus to advance energy research.
“As energy resources, technologies and markets evolve rapidly, we are positioned to expand our capabilities and grow our portfolio in the decade ahead,” Michele Manuel, US Steel dean of engineering, said in a prepared statement. “Paul’s experience spanning academia, industry, entrepreneurship, and national laboratories uniquely positions him to advance the center’s impact and visibility.”
Along with leading the center, Ohodnicki is cofounder of magnetic component manufacturer CorePower Magnetics and fiber optic tech company Sensible Photonics. He also leads an electromagnetic and photonic materials research group, serves as director of the Engineering Science Program and is faculty lead for the INSITES Consortium.
Ohodnicki was named one of Technical.ly’s 2025 RealLIST Innovators for his many patents in magnetic materials and fiber optic sensing.
“Pennsylvania, and the greater Pittsburgh region in particular, has long been a leader in the US energy landscape, and the University of Pittsburgh has played a critical role in that legacy,” Ohodnicki said in the announcement. “By strengthening partnerships across industry, government and academia, we will build on that foundation to further elevate our region’s position as a national leader in advanced energy research, deployment and workforce development.”
Ohodnicki succeeds interim director Heng Ban, who served in the role for six years, and will now continue his several other roles at the university.
More power moves:
- Matt Skaruppa, Duolingo’s CFO for nearly six years, announced his departure from the company this month. Gillian Munson, who’s served on the company’s board since 2019 and is the former CFO of Vimeo, will succeed Skaruppa.
- Meta tapped Dina Powell McCormick as president and vice chairman. McCormick is a former banking executive and married to Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick.
- Research and development nonprofit Concurrent Technologies Corporation announced its president and chief executive officer, Edward J. Sheehan, Jr., will retire in June.
- Pharmacy management software company SoftWriters added LiAna Tschen as vice president of its platform operations.
- Several local founders and executives were inducted into the 2026 Pittsburgh Smart Business Dealmakers Hall of Fame at the annual Dealmakers conference downtown.
