Pittsburgh Connection Council

The Pittsburgh Connection Council is a cross-sector leadership body charged with safeguarding and strengthening social connection and community. It ensures Pittsburgh remains a city defined by human connection and the conditions that drive personal wellbeing, economic vitality, cultural richness, and pluralism.

The Council is responsible for ensuring that social connection is intentionally built, measured, and sustained across Pittsburgh.

Members serve as ambassadors for connection within their sectors and across the city—championing its importance, influencing peers, and helping embed connection into the norms and practices of civic and institutional life.

  1. Set the Standard
    Define what connection means for Pittsburgh and align leaders around a shared vision and framework.

  2. Measure What Matters
    Establish shared metrics, track progress, and use data to identify gaps and drive action.

  3. Activate Across Sectors
    Ensure business, government, nonprofits, and cultural institutions embed connection into their core work.

  4. Build Pathways for Residents
    Create clear, accessible ways for people to build relationships, especially during key life transitions like moving, career transitions, retirement, etc.

  5. Strengthen the Ecosystem
    Connect and elevate community builders across the city to expand reach and impact.

  6. Champion and Sustain the Work
    Advocate for connection, shape policy and investment, and steward this work over the long term.

Founding Members

  • ALEXIS OBERNAUER

    Special Assistant to the President

    Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

  • ANDREW VAN NELSON

    Senior UX Designer

    Proofpoint

  • CHASE KLINGENSMITH

    Civic and Technology Policy Analyst

    City of Pittsburgh Department of Innovation and Performance

  • JENNI WALKUP JAYES

    Director of Education & Community Empowerment at Hello Neighbor
    Hello Neighbor

  • JEREMY BURNWORTH

    Executive Director

    BreakIT Entrepreneurial Incubator

  • JOHN McCARTHY

    Speaker & Author

    Psychology Today

  • JULIUS BOATWRIGHT

    Founding Owner & Principal Consultant
    Workplace Wellness Works

  • KIERAN ELROD

    Civil Engineering PhD Candidate
    Carnegie Mellon University

  • LINNEA WARREN MAY

    Policy Researcher

    RAND