The new year is bringing fresh leadership to Pittsburgh.
An incoming mayor means fresh staff, including a director of economic development who says he’ll be working to attract and retain startups in the city. Meanwhile, more local executives are joining the effort to promote Pittsburgh as a hub for artificial intelligence.
Read on for what these leadership changes could mean for Pittsburghers.
New director of economic development talks strategy
Steven Wray is stepping into his new role as Pittsburgh’s director of economic development with one clear priority: creating and sustaining good-paying jobs.
Wray, who most recently served as executive director of Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Block Center for Technology and Society, brings previous economic development experience from the Philadelphia region to his new role. For over two decades in Philly, he held senior leadership positions focused on regional competitiveness, cross-sector collaboration and long-term economic strategy.
“Clearly, we’d love to attract more venture capital to the region.”
Steven Wray, director of economic development for the office of Mayor Corey O’Connor
“What economic growth can help us do, most importantly, is providing family-sustaining wages so people want to live in the city,” Wray told Technical.ly. “I think Pittsburgh has the potential to be one of the most affordable innovation hubs in the world,” he added.
To do that, Wray plans to work with new Mayor Corey O’Connor to attract and retain startups in Pittsburgh. But there are some clear current barriers to that, according to Wray.
Along with the need to continuously market Pittsburgh as an authentic innovation hub to the rest of the world, venture capital is top of mind for Wray.
“Clearly, we’d love to attract more venture capital to the region,” Wray said. “Some of that is by helping some companies become very successful, so that those folks become venture capitalists as well.”
Wray may be especially well-positioned to navigate Pittsburgh’s modern economy, given his understanding of how emerging technologies are reshaping society.
At CMU’s Block Center, Wray oversaw research on how AI and automation are shaping the future workforce. He has also served on the board of the AI Strike Team, a local AI advocacy group, though he may step away from that role soon to avoid potential conflicts in his new position, he said.
Wray views the risks surrounding AI as challenges that can be managed, and even turned into strengths.
“We need to increase AI awareness and literacy across all levels of our workforce and the citizens in the city,” Wray said. “It’s really an opportunity for improving the quality of a job, the productivity of an individual and can help somebody upskill in a way that makes sense.”
But, in order to accomplish any of these things, collaboration led by the city government will be key, according to Wray.
“The city doesn’t have all the resources to do these things, so we need to be the glue,” Wray said. “I want to be the kind of ‘glue guy’ that helps bring together different organizations or leadership groups to build something bigger.”
Executives join local AI effort
More Pittsburgh leaders are joining the AI Strike Team as the organization pushes to expand its influence in 2026 under the name Strike Team 2.0.
The local nonprofit, responsible for the AI Horizons Summit and marketing Pittsburgh as an “AI City,” announced nine new members were added to its leadership board this month. In 2026, the Strike Team will tackle “bigger-scale initiatives” while working with Mayor Corey O’Connor’s administration, Strike Team CEO Joanna Doven told Technical.ly, including a possible workforce development initiative so all Pittsburghers are able to benefit from the AI economy.
“Pennsylvania has a narrow window to cement its leadership in the New AI Economy,” Doven said. “Strike Team 2.0 gives us the structure to grow what works, potentially scale it statewide and move with the agility this moment demands.”
New board members include:
- Sunil Wadhwani, global AI investor and managing partner at SWAT Capital
- Shiv Rao, CEO of Abridge
- Toby Rice, president and CEO of EQT
- Joe Mastrangelo, CEO of Eos Energy Enterprises
- Mike Keslar, divisional CIO and president of BNY Pennsylvania
- Michael Pohl, Pittsburgh site lead at Google
- Abby Smith, president and CEO of Team Pennsylvania
- Martial Hebert, dean of the School of Computer Science and former director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University
- Rob Cherry, CEO of workforce development organization Partner4Work
The Strike Team will be able to ramp up its efforts this year because Team Pennsylvania, a nonprofit, public-private organization focused on economic growth in the commonwealth, will serve as its new organizational home. Team PA already works on promoting AI adoption across industries in the commonwealth, and the collaboration offers the Strike Team more funding opportunities moving forward, according to Doven.
“The AI Strike Team has built real momentum,” Team PA President and CEO Abby Smith said, “and we’re proud to serve as their fiscal sponsor, providing the administrative backbone that gives them the capacity to expand their impact across Pennsylvania.”
More power moves:
- Heidi Norman, Pittsburgh’s chief information officer for nearly a decade, stepped down from the role on Monday after being asked to resign by Mayor O’Connor’s incoming administration.
- University of Pittsburgh professors Beth and Jeff Gusenoff were named Pitt’s 2025 Emerging Innovators of the Year.
- Gecko Robotics promoted chief engineer Ed Bryner to chief technology officer.
- Michael Colaresi, the University of Pittsburgh’s former associate vice provost for data science, is now the inaugural director of Pitt’s Hub for the AI and Data Science Leadership.
- Computer vision startup Hellbender welcomed John Frazier as its new chief manufacturing officer.
- Derek Ritchea joined healthcare platform TeleTracking Technologies as its chief strategy officer.
- Security-first IT company RedHelm named Jim Wilson as its new CEO, while founder and former CEO Michael Stratos transitioned to president.
- Leading battery manufacturer Eos Energy appointed Joseph Nigro, former CEO of Constellation Energy, as chair of the board of directors after serving on the board for under a year.
- Clinical-stage therapeutics company CytoAgents announced Johannes Wolff as its new chief medical officer and Michael Howell as its new chief scientific officer.
