The Social-Impact Investment program (SII) is a new initiative in the Richard King Mellon Foundation’s Strategic Plan, launched in January 2021. As the Program Officer responsible for SII, my goal is to invest in social-mission #startups and #entrepreneurs whose innovative for-profit businesses have the potential to advance the focus areas of the Foundation’s Strategic Plan. We are committed to deploying at least $50 million in program-related investments over this decade.

Localize Capital Management aligns regional interests to invest in locally owned businesses through two blended investment strategies.The Localize Recap Strategy seeks investments in the privately-held, sustainable companies that operate in and serve their communities. These companies in turn benefit from partial liquidity and pretax diversification without ceding control, selling upside, or leveraging their business.The Localize Emerging Growth Strategy addresses a funding gap by investing in less mature businesses optimized for sustainable revenue growth. Via a revenue sharing model, this strategy returns capital to investors while maintaining optionality for the entrepreneurs.

The Pittsburgh Innovation District is a dynamic, dense, connective pulse of innovation rooted in the world-class research of Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and UPMC, situated in the heart of Pittsburgh's compact landscape, and following Pittsburgh's greatest tradition: its inventive grit. The Innovation District unites vital research, talent, technology, and an entrepreneurial spirit with the support, culture, amenities, and capital that allow innovators to thrive.Several initiatives are underway to improve the Pittsburgh Innovation District beyond its beginnings as "the best example of a naturally occurring innovation district in the world."​ The Innovation District is a mechanism by which Pittsburgh will attract new innovators and companies, bring $2.1 billion dollars of R&D into the limelight, and ensure that all of Pittsburgh will benefit from its accelerating economic renaissance.... ... ...The Pittsburgh Innovation District is powered by the staff of InnovatePGH, a next-generation, public-private partnership built to accelerate Pittsburgh's status as a global innovation city. Powered by a coalition of civic leaders representing Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, and several regional philanthropies, the InnovatePGH team is working to supercharge Pittsburgh through the Pittsburgh Innovation District by bolstering and connecting local innovation assets, attracting innovative companies to the city, and creating talent pathways to ensure people of all backgrounds can benefit from local innovations.

One America Works Is Bringing America Together Through Work & Investment We are a civic organization that believes we can overcome division in America by investing and working together. To this end, we are leading an effort to educate growth companies of their opportunities for expansion across the country. We also work with cities and regions to appropriately promote and market their strengths to attract the right investment. By connecting growth companies and talented people across the country, One America Works aims to bring the country together around common goals and values. We are driving the reintegration of the U.S. economy. Why One America WorksDriven by the information economy and globalization, high-paying jobs are multiplying in a few large cities, while economic growth across the country is slow and wages remain stagnant.ECONOMIC DIVERGENCE IS DANGEROUSWhen we stop working together and exclude too many Americans from the benefits of growth and expansion, we have less common ground and opportunity to understand one another.WORKING TOGETHER CREATES MUTUAL BENEFITCities across America already have critical infrastructure, including housing, transportation and cultural institutions ready to support innovative companies and economic growth.RE-CONNECT AND BUILD OUR SHARED ECONOMIC FUTUREWe believe its time for innovative companies and forward thinking cities to leverage each other’s strengths and succeed together.

I'm the CEO and cofounder of Thrill Mill, Pittsburgh's premier early-stage incubator/accelerator for entrepreneurs looking to turn that great idea into the next big thing. Thrill Mill, a non-profit organization, accepts applications annually, awarding a minimum of $5,000 per startup in exchange for 1% equity. Startups, which come from all industries and all growth models (including non-profits), are selected through the competitive application process gain access to first-class programming, mentorship, advisors, and broad networks to help you refine your business model, reach your target customer audience and fund your startup through its growth stages. Thrill Mill is able to house up to 20 startups for its upcoming 2015 class. For more information please visit: http://thrillmill.com/Of course, the startups also have 24/7 access to an impressive 5,000 square foot collaborative workspace located in Pittsburgh's rapidly growing East Liberty neighborhood. Startups that "graduate" from Thrill Mill are not kicked out of this great space. Rather, all startups have the opportunity to retain use of the space as "startups in residence," hosting office hours and providing mentorship for the classes of startups that follow in their footsteps. This creates a great collaborative energy where the best minds are able to share ideas and benefit from each other's varied skill sets and backgrounds. Each year, the current class of Thrill Mill has the opportunity to pitch at Thrival Innovation + Music Festival - http://thrivalfestival.com/ - a week-long celebration for Pittsburgh's exploding creative, innovative, entrepreneurial and artistic endeavors. In September 2014, more than 7,000 attendees participated in workshops, conferences, roundtables, pitches and of course, concerts, raising funds for Thrill Mill to support its next group of startups.

I was an associate in the Corporate Section of Buchanan's Pittsburgh office where I focused on a broad range of corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, emerging businesses, general corporate counseling and venture capital. Prior to joining Buchanan's corporate practice group, I focused my practice on general litigation, specifically commercial and business litigation matters.