The Top 50 Pittsburgh Women Leaders of 2026
Pittsburgh has always been a city of builders-only now the “building” spans everything from robotics and advanced manufacturing to healthcare delivery, finance, and neighborhood-scale redevelopment. What makes the region especially compelling right now is the way its biggest institutions overlap: universities feed research and talent into companies; hospitals anchor employment and innovation; public agencies shape the real estate and infrastructure pipeline; and philanthropic and nonprofit leaders pressure-test whether growth is actually inclusive.
This editorial ranking spotlights 50 women whose roles (and results) are shaping the greater Pittsburgh metro’s economy and civic trajectory-across healthcare, finance, government, real estate, law, tech, education, and community impact.
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#1 Lauren R. Hobart
Lauren Hobart leads one of the Pittsburgh metro’s most visible corporate success stories: DICK’S Sporting Goods, headquartered just outside the city in Coraopolis. That matters locally because headquarters decisions drive not just jobs, but vendor ecosystems, community partnerships, and the kind of “executive gravity” that attracts additional talent to the region. Hobart’s influence also shows up in how modern retail organizations build culture and customer experience at scale-especially as retail retools for omnichannel reality. And because she also leads the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, her leadership reaches beyond balance sheets: the company’s Sports Matter initiative and long-running youth-sports support connect national scale to community access-exactly the type of brand-linked impact that can strengthen a region’s civic fabric.
#2 Leslie C. Davis
If you want to understand Pittsburgh’s economic engine, you have to understand healthcare-and Leslie Davis sits at the center of it. As president and CEO of UPMC, she leads an organization whose footprint includes a vast hospital network, employed physicians, and nursing workforce-plus the health plan and global operations. That scale turns “healthcare leadership” into a regional competitiveness role: workforce stability, service-line strategy, innovation adoption, and capital investment decisions ripple across neighborhoods and employers alike. Davis’ remit also includes UPMC Enterprises (commercialization/venture activity), which is one of the quiet ways Pittsburgh converts clinical and operational know-how into new products and companies. In a region where healthcare is both a major employer and a platform for innovation, her decisions meaningfully shape Pittsburgh’s next decade.
#3 Karen Hanlon
Karen Hanlon’s appointment as president-while retaining her COO role-places her at the operational center of one of the region’s most influential healthcare organizations. Highmark Health’s reach affects how care is financed, delivered, and scaled across Western Pennsylvania, which in turn affects employers, families, and workforce health. Operational leadership is often where strategy becomes reality: staffing models, network performance, service efficiency, and the ability to invest in new approaches all depend on disciplined execution. In a healthcare environment under sustained pressure (cost, capacity, workforce, and patient access), Hanlon’s role is consequential because it ties day-to-day performance to long-run transformation. For Pittsburgh, that’s not abstract-healthcare is a major share of the economic base, and how well it functions shapes the region’s quality of life and business climate.
#4 Joan T.A. Gabel
Chancellors in Pittsburgh aren’t just campus leaders-they’re workforce and economic-development leaders. Joan Gabel leads the University of Pittsburgh at a scale that matters regionally: tens of thousands of students, a large faculty/research workforce, and a multibillion-dollar operating budget. That translates to influence over talent pipelines, research intensity, industry partnerships, and the city’s ability to retain graduates. Pitt’s strategic direction affects everything from startup formation to healthcare research capacity to public-policy talent flow. When the university builds partnerships or expands research strengths, companies notice; when it improves postgraduation placement, employers benefit; when it grows industry collaboration, the region’s innovation economy gets a boost. In a city where “eds and meds” aren’t a slogan but an operating system, the chancellor’s role has outsized impact.
#5 Christina Cassotis
Modern airports are economic multipliers: route networks drive business travel, tourism, logistics, and the broader “connectedness” that influences where companies invest. Christina Cassotis leads the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), and her impact is visible in the airport’s transformation agenda-from attracting carriers to delivering major infrastructure upgrades. Her leadership also represents a bigger idea: that a public asset can be run with the urgency and innovation mindset of a competitive enterprise. Cassotis has been widely recognized locally for spearheading a “rethink” of what PIT can be for the region-an identity project as much as a transportation project. For Pittsburgh’s economy, airports are about access-and access is opportunity.
#6 Sara Innamorato
Allegheny County government touches the systems that determine whether a region works: human services, public health, justice, and the administrative capacity to execute at scale. Sara Innamorato’s role matters because it’s where policy priorities turn into budgets, programs, and measurable outcomes. Her administration has also put a clear stake in the ground on housing stability through the “500 in 500” initiative-an approach that frames homelessness as solvable with focused execution and coordinated resources. County leadership is often underestimated by the private sector until something breaks; strong county leadership, by contrast, can quietly raise the ceiling for economic growth by improving stability and quality of life. In a metro competing for talent, that “living here works” factor is a serious competitive advantage.
#7 Stefani Pashman
Few roles are as influential-but as hard to measure-as the region’s primary public-private convenor. Stefani Pashman leads the Allegheny Conference and its affiliated organizations, which collectively help set the agenda on issues like business attraction, workforce, and regional competitiveness. The Conference’s power is leverage: aligning employers, elected leaders, and civic institutions around priorities that no single jurisdiction can solve alone. In Pittsburgh, that includes downtown vitality, infrastructure, and long-term economic strategy across a multi-county footprint. For professional women watching how regions evolve, Pashman’s role is a reminder that “economic development” is not just recruiting companies-it’s building the conditions that make growth sustainable.
#8 Amy Wierenga
In banking, risk leadership is business leadership-especially in moments when markets, regulation, and technology all shift at once. Amy Wierenga’s appointment as PNC’s chief risk officer (and her seat on the executive committee) puts her at the center of how one of Pittsburgh’s flagship companies balances growth with resilience. That matters locally because major banks influence credit availability, investment decisions, and philanthropic capacity-and they are often anchor employers for high-skill talent. Wierenga’s remit spans enterprise risk management across both financial and non-financial domains, which increasingly includes technology and operational risk. In other words: the guardrails that allow a modern financial institution to move confidently. When those guardrails are well-designed, regions benefit.
#9 Stephanie Novosel
Stephanie Novosel leads PNC’s Asset Management Group, overseeing wealth management, private banking, and investment solutions for both individuals and institutions. That’s influential in Pittsburgh because capital stewardship shapes what gets built, funded, expanded, or preserved-especially for family enterprises, foundations, and institutions with deep local roots. Her role also bridges “finance” and “community,” because wealth management is where philanthropic strategy often takes form. Novosel’s career path through commercial banking and leadership in major client segments underscores how Pittsburgh’s financial sector connects to regional business growth. For women building careers in finance, she represents the kind of leadership that combines technical capability with relationship-based influence across the metro’s business landscape.
#10 Susheela Nemani-Stanger
If your work touches housing, commercial development, small business corridors, or neighborhood reinvestment, the URA matters-and Susheela Nemani-Stanger leads it. As executive director (and the first woman to hold the position on a permanent basis), she sits at the intersection of policy, finance, and on-the-ground project execution. The URA’s public-private partnership tools-like tax increment financing and other development mechanisms-shape where investment flows and how inclusive that investment becomes. In a city where redevelopment carries both promise and historic tension, this is a high-stakes role: it requires economic sophistication and community credibility. Her influence shows up in the projects that become possible-and in the trust required to deliver them.
#11 Diane Hupp
Children’s hospitals are often “the” pediatric safety net for a region-and Diane Hupp leads one of Pittsburgh’s most important healthcare institutions. Her leadership matters not only for clinical excellence, but for workforce, research partnerships, and the operational ability to respond to crisis moments (including public health emergencies). UPMC has noted her frontline role in response efforts and large-scale community vaccination coordination-examples of healthcare leadership that extends beyond hospital walls. Children’s health outcomes shape educational outcomes, workforce readiness, and long-run regional wellbeing. Hupp also brings influence beyond healthcare through her civic governance work, including board leadership in higher education.
#12 Irene Tasi
Pittsburgh’s industrial DNA is still real-and PPG is one of the region’s global industrial anchors. Irene Tasi’s senior leadership role in industrial coatings positions her at the center of a business that touches manufacturing, sustainability, and innovation at scale. While coatings can sound niche, they’re foundational across aerospace, automotive, infrastructure, and industrial supply chains-meaning leadership here connects Pittsburgh to global production ecosystems. For the region, having senior executives in advanced industrial sectors helps preserve Pittsburgh’s “maker” identity while evolving it toward higher-value, technology-forward manufacturing. Tasi’s elevation into this senior role underscores the growing visibility of women in leadership within heavy industry-still one of the hardest arenas to break into at the top.
#13 Anne M. Foulkes
Corporate governance and legal strategy are where big companies decide what they will and won’t risk-ethically, financially, and reputationally. Anne Foulkes’ role as senior vice president and general counsel places her on PPG’s executive and operating committees and makes her a key architect of how the company navigates compliance, transactions, and global complexity. In Pittsburgh, leaders like Foulkes matter because the region’s flagship companies set cultural norms for corporate behavior, inclusion, and accountability-norms that cascade into vendor networks and peer organizations. Legal leadership also influences how companies invest, acquire, divest, and partner-choices that affect local jobs and long-term competitiveness. This is a “quiet power” role with outsized consequences.
#14 Christine A. Wolf
Workforce strategy is strategy-especially in a region competing for specialized talent and operational excellence. Christine Wolf, as EVP and CHRO of WESCO, influences how a global company builds leadership pipelines, manages culture, and retains talent through change. Pittsburgh has long benefited when headquarters-level decision-makers treat talent as an asset worth systematic investment. CHRO leadership also shapes the “rules of the road” for how opportunity is distributed-hiring, advancement, inclusion, and the lived employee experience. For professional women in Pittsburgh, leaders in this seat matter because they help set what leadership can look like across levels-and they influence whether companies become magnets for diverse talent or default back to legacy patterns.
#15 Annie Hanna Cestra
Real estate leadership shapes how a metro grows-what gets built, who can afford to live where, and which neighborhoods gain momentum. Annie Hanna Cestra has a long-standing operational leadership role at Howard Hanna, one of the region’s most recognizable real estate brands. Her influence extends beyond transactions: her background includes significant regulatory and professional involvement, and her leadership connects the business of housing to broader community governance. Notably, her civic footprint includes board leadership with the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh-an example of private-sector leadership that also invests in equity and opportunity. In a region balancing revitalization with affordability and neighborhood stability, leaders who understand both market mechanics and community accountability have real influence.
#16 Sabrina Saunders Mosby
Economic development doesn’t work if talent can’t see itself in the region-or can’t thrive once it arrives. Sabrina Saunders Mosby leads Vibrant Pittsburgh, an organization positioned as a convener and spokesperson on workforce diversity and inclusion across a large stakeholder network. That makes her influential in a very practical way: she helps translate “we need to grow” into specific employer commitments, practices, and regional narratives that attract and retain diverse talent. In Pittsburgh, where demographic growth has been a long-term challenge, this work is not a side project-it’s central to competitiveness. For professional women, her leadership signals that inclusion can be treated as an economic strategy, not just a values statement.
#17 Michelle L. Patrick, Ph.D.
Universities like Robert Morris play an outsized role in regional workforce readiness-especially in business, technology, health administration, and other applied fields. As president, Michelle Patrick influences how RMU aligns curriculum with employer needs, expands career-ready pathways, and creates upward mobility for students across the metro. In a city where the economy increasingly depends on skilled, adaptable talent, higher-ed leaders help determine whether employers can hire locally and whether residents can access new opportunity without leaving the region. Patrick’s focus on student-centered and career-ready education makes her a consequential “talent infrastructure” leader-often one of the most underappreciated levers in regional growth.
#18 Joyce Bender
Joyce Bender’s influence is both business and movement-building. As CEO of Bender Consulting Services, she has spent decades pushing disability employment from compliance framing to competitive advantage-changing how employers recruit, accommodate, and advance talent. She has also extended her impact through public storytelling and leadership development, including the Bender Leadership Academy focused on preparing youth with disabilities for the workplace. For Pittsburgh, this matters because inclusive employment is economic development: increasing labor-force participation, expanding leadership diversity, and building a more resilient workforce pipeline. In a tight labor market, regions that better utilize all talent win-Bender has helped make that case in a way that leaders and HR teams can act on.
#19 Rachael Heisler
The city controller role is a power position for any metro that wants to execute: it’s where accountability, transparency, and fiscal discipline meet public priorities. Rachael Heisler’s background in sustainable public finance-and her service as deputy controller prior to taking office-places her in a role that influences how Pittsburgh measures performance and stewards public dollars. For business leaders, this matters because public financial health affects everything from infrastructure reliability to permitting capacity to public trust. For residents, it affects whether government functions efficiently and credibly. In a moment when cities face pressure on budgets and services, strong controller leadership can be the difference between “plans” and results.
#20 Susan Hill, CFA
Financial leadership isn’t only about markets-it’s about how institutions allocate and safeguard capital. Susan Hill leads the Government Liquidity Group at Federated Hermes, bringing long-tenured investment expertise to a role that requires rigorous risk management and disciplined portfolio strategy. That kind of leadership matters in Pittsburgh because the region has deep financial services roots, and firms like Federated Hermes influence institutional investing, asset stewardship, and professional talent development. Hill’s role also reflects a less flashy but highly consequential kind of influence: building trust in how capital is managed, especially in products tied to stability and liquidity. In a city that’s rebuilding and reinvesting, credible stewards of capital are part of the ecosystem that makes progress possible.
#21 Vera Krekanova
Krekanova brings data-driven rigor to the region’s growth agenda, guiding strategy and research that help align employers, policymakers, and investors around measurable economic priorities. Her work turns complex regional challenges—talent, competitiveness, and equitable opportunity—into actionable plans that strengthen Pittsburgh’s long-term business climate.
#22 Anne Lewis
As board chair of Oxford Development, Lewis has helped steward one of Pittsburgh’s most influential real estate firms, shaping projects that drive jobs, tax base, and vibrant neighborhoods. Her steady leadership and civic commitment reflect the kind of long-horizon decision-making that anchors a region’s prosperity.
#23 Olivia Benson
Benson helps translate philanthropy into results, leading operational excellence and capacity-building initiatives that strengthen nonprofits across the Pittsburgh region. By modernizing how mission-driven organizations plan, measure, and scale, she amplifies the impact of every dollar invested in community outcomes.
#24 Alyssa Cholodofsky
Cholodofsky is guiding 412 Food Rescue through its next chapter, pairing seasoned nonprofit leadership with a tech-enabled model that combats hunger while cutting food waste. Under her direction, the organization’s operational discipline and partnerships help convert surplus into reliable support for families, strengthening both communities and sustainability.
#25 Linda Jones
Jones is a relationship-builder who powers United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s ability to mobilize resources at scale, earning trust across corporate, philanthropic, and individual donor networks. Her fundraising leadership translates directly into stronger regional programs and partnerships that improve stability for families and strengthen the workforce pipeline.
#26 Tiffany T. Huff
Huff has built When She Thrives into a platform that equips single mothers with community, advocacy, and professional development, turning lived experience into lasting impact. By helping families move from survival to stability, she creates ripple effects in workforce participation, household economics, and the next generation’s opportunity.
#27 Gunjan Agarwal
Agarwal combines technical depth with strategic leadership, helping innovators safeguard and monetize ideas through thoughtful intellectual property strategy. Her counsel enables high-growth companies to navigate complex competitive landscapes, turning invention into defensible market advantage and durable enterprise value.
#28 Amy Coles
Coles is a trusted litigator for complex commercial and construction disputes, bringing clear judgment and steady execution to matters that can materially affect major projects and balance sheets. Her work helps businesses manage risk, resolve conflict efficiently, and keep essential development and operations moving forward.
#29 Michelle Mantine
Mantine is a leading antitrust strategist who guides organizations through mergers, investigations, and high-stakes litigation where regulatory outcomes can reshape entire markets. Beyond client results, her firmwide leadership helps elevate talent and strengthen the professional ecosystems that support Pittsburgh’s business community.
#30 Jennifer Minter
Minter supports companies at pivotal moments—capital raises, securities compliance, and governance decisions that determine how businesses grow and earn investor confidence. Her practical, detail-driven counsel helps both emerging and established enterprises navigate complexity while staying positioned for long-term opportunity.
#31 Beth Slagle
Slagle is a versatile business attorney who helps employers and entrepreneurs address employment, insurance, and dispute challenges before they become costly distractions. Her steady guidance enables leaders to stay focused on building resilient organizations and sustaining growth through uncertainty.
#32 Beth Bershok
Bershok drives brand and growth strategy at Louis Plung & Company, aligning marketing, business development, and talent initiatives to strengthen a high-performing professional services firm. By sharpening market positioning and building a disciplined pipeline, she helps expand client impact and support the region’s business ecosystem.
#33 Paulette Burns
As president and managing partner at LGA Partners, Burns pairs design leadership with operational stewardship, guiding teams that shape workplaces, civic spaces, and community destinations. Her influence is visible in the built environment and in the firm’s strategic growth, supporting jobs, investment, and Pittsburgh’s competitive identity.
#34 Rachel Burcin
Burcin helps translate Pittsburgh’s robotics strengths into inclusive opportunity by building programs that expand and diversify the talent pipeline. Her work connects education, industry, and policy so that innovation-driven growth reaches more students and communities.
#35 Wanda Heading-Grant
Heading-Grant sets strategies that strengthen community, culture, and engagement at Carnegie Mellon, reinforcing an environment where talent can thrive and contribute at the highest level. By embedding inclusive excellence into institutional decision-making, she helps ensure a world-class innovation engine remains globally competitive and locally impactful.
#36 Rhonda Carson Leach
Carson Leach empowers entrepreneurs through the University of Pittsburgh’s innovation ecosystem, helping founders sharpen ideas, build capabilities, and launch ventures with real traction. Her leadership bridges university resources with community needs, accelerating small-business growth and local job creation.
#37 Anne Flynn Schlicht
Schlicht has been a steady force for women-owned businesses through Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship, delivering hands-on counseling that helps founders start, scale, and access capital. Her work strengthens the region’s small-business backbone by turning ambition into sustainable companies and confident leadership.
#38 Mollie Cecere
Cecere advances Carlow University’s mission by building enrollment strategies and corporate partnerships that connect learners to credentials, employers, and career momentum. By expanding pathways and supporting student success, she helps grow the skilled, values-driven workforce that Pittsburgh’s economy depends on.
#39 Kiesha Lalama
Lalama leads at the intersection of arts, education, and economic development, guiding programs and productions that elevate Pittsburgh’s cultural brand and creative talent pipeline. Her leadership turns performance into measurable community value—jobs, tourism, and vibrant downtown energy that benefits businesses and residents alike.
#40 Kara Chan
Chan helps keep workforce education aligned with industry demand, strengthening Rosedale Technical College’s ability to train job-ready graduates for high-need skilled trades. By championing quality standards and student outcomes, she directly supports regional employers and families pursuing durable, upwardly mobile careers.
#41 Jimyse Brown
Brown is bringing fresh momentum to Moonshot Museum, expanding hands-on STEM experiences that connect young learners to real careers in the space and robotics economy. Her community-centered leadership turns inspiration into skill-building, helping Pittsburgh grow the next generation of innovators and builders.
#42 Rosa Davis
Davis has led POWER as a lifeline for women in recovery, pairing compassionate care with disciplined program leadership that drives real, life-changing outcomes. Her work strengthens the regional economy by helping more people return to health, family stability, and sustained participation in the workforce.
#43 Chelsea Musial
Musial mobilizes the region’s diabetes community through the American Diabetes Association, driving fundraising, advocacy, and partnerships that expand education and support for families. Her leadership advances prevention and health equity efforts that improve quality of life while reducing long-term costs across the community.
#44 Kate Musler
Musler provides strategic financial leadership for Highmark Health Plan, strengthening the stability and sustainability of one of the region’s most consequential health care organizations. By guiding transformation and disciplined resource allocation, she helps expand the capacity to deliver affordable coverage and better health outcomes.
#45 Susie Shipley
Shipley leads regional banking growth with a blend of financial expertise and civic focus, channeling investment that supports businesses, infrastructure, and job creation. Her community-driven approach shows how a strong financial institution can be a practical accelerator for competitiveness across Western Pennsylvania.
#46 Jennifer Owen
Owen has grown Flyspace Productions into a woman-owned leader in event production, combining operational excellence with creativity to deliver experiences at citywide scale. By producing complex events reliably, she supports local organizations, venues, and downtown vitality while building a strong employer in the region.
#47 Myah Moore Irick
Irick built The Irick Group by pairing high-touch advisory work with a clear commitment to helping more people access sophisticated planning and investing. Her leadership helps individuals, families, and executives make confident decisions about wealth and legacy, amplifying capital’s positive role in the community.
#48 Brittany McDonald
McDonald drives equitable neighborhood revitalization as executive director of Uptown Partners, translating the EcoInnovation District vision into on-the-ground projects and durable partnerships. Her work aligns community priorities with investment, creating a healthier, more connected corridor that strengthens Pittsburgh’s overall growth.
#49 Patriece Thompson
Thompson advances inclusive economic growth at Turner Construction by expanding opportunities for diverse suppliers and strengthening workforce development pathways. Her community and citizenship leadership ensures major projects generate broader benefits—more participation, more skills, and more lasting local value.
#50 Leslie Hyde
Hyde has elevated sustainability and safety into core business priorities through long-term executive leadership, building systems and culture that protect people and reduce environmental risk. That kind of stewardship creates durable value—earning trust from customers and communities while strengthening the company’s long-run resilience.
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