50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. IV

ditor’s Note: We asked Pittsburgh leaders to give their prescriptions for Mayor Corey O’Connor on how to build a bright future for Pittsburgh. Their answers follow.

Previously in this series: 50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. III

Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President & CEO, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The arts have a unique ability to bring a community together. From our stages to our streets, the arts connect the people of Pittsburgh across neighborhoods, generations, backgrounds, and perspectives.

When we support the arts, we strengthen the fabric of our community. Together, let’s champion the programs and places that create opportunities for artists, make a positive impact on quality of life for residents, and help attract new visitors from around the region and world.

Along the way, when you’re looking for inspiration, a creative spark, or a joyful moment with the community, I hope you’ll join us in the Cultural District. We’ll always save you a seat.

Dennis Cestra Jr., President, Pennsylvania Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
Mayor O’Connor, congratulations on your election. Our competitive advantage as a city is not buildings or tax incentives, but our people — people like you, who give back more than they get, aligning housing, transit, education, and industry goals with a long gaze beyond any term to create a city that is growing for generations. Populations rise and cities are strengthened as wages increase, businesses form, and housing stays attainable. You have a clear vision and a strong plan. The city and the region are behind you and proud to call you our mayor.

Richard V. Piacentini, President & CEO, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
In September 2016, with support from Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the City of Pittsburgh joined the Biophilic Cities Network, a global partnership dedicated to weaving nature into urban planning, design, and daily life. The network connects cities and advocates committed to enhancing biodiversity, sustainability, and human well-being by fostering frequent, meaningful contact with nature. As part of this commitment, Pittsburgh identified key indicators to guide its progress, including increasing tree canopy coverage and expanding the percentage of residents living within 300 meters of a park, green space, or other natural element. These goals reflect a broader vision to improve health, happiness, and resilience through everyday access to nature. Today, there is a significant opportunity to advance and expand this work. Phipps — along with many partner organizations across the city — stands ready to support Pittsburgh in strengthening its biophilic initiatives and becoming a national leader in nature-centered urban living.

Bill Artman, CEO & President, Giant Eagle
On behalf of more than 30,000 Giant Eagle team members, including some 10,000 serving the Pittsburgh region, we congratulate Mayor O’Connor on joining the long list of leaders of our great city. We applaud Mayor O’Connor’s family-first approach to attracting and retaining people to live, work, and play in Pittsburgh. We encourage the mayor to champion investment in resources to ensure the city’s 90 vibrant neighborhoods are safe and inviting, and that they offer the resources to make houses feel like homes, and city streets feel like tight-knit communities.

Our city and region are home to a wide array of organizations and businesses all doing our part to help accomplish this vision. We are ready to share our experiences serving Pittsburgh and to partner on how we can make Pittsburgh even stronger for all those who call it home.

Bill Schenck, Vice Chairman, TriState Capital Bank
Conventional wisdom says that in 1950, a small group gathered around a table and made decisions that fundamentally changed Pittsburgh. Our regional economy was dominated by a dozen large corporations and, with R.K. Mellon and Mayor David Lawrence leading the charge, the Pittsburgh Renaissance was born.

It was unified leadership that created the first Pittsburgh Renaissance, and it is unified leadership that will create the next one. By electing Corey O’Conner as mayor, we have taken the first step. Now we need business and civic leaders to join with the mayor and County Executive Sara Innamorato to develop and implement a plan to bring people and jobs to Pittsburgh.

Today, though, we are a more complicated city, with an entrepreneurial economy. It is the unique entrepreneur who can run a business and simultaneously join an effort to grow and improve the region. But these individuals exist. And when Corey and Sara bring them on board, we will be on our way toward long-term, positive change.

Steven Knapp, President & CEO, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
When National Geographic named Pittsburgh one of the 25 best global destinations in 2026, the first reason it mentioned was the strength of our arts and cultural institutions. It’s striking that Mayor O’Connor chose to hold his inaugural events at Carnegie Museums and Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, signaling his support for this vital sector.

My message to the mayor is that my colleagues and I across Pittsburgh’s cultural landscape are ready to join him in demonstrating that, together with its affordability and the beauty of its location and its parks, what makes our city the best place in America to live and work and raise a family is its unparalleled concentration of arts and culture. In particular, I would single out the role our institutions can play, in collaboration with the schools and the new administration, in enhancing the educational and emotional development of our city’s youth.

Vincent J. Delie, Jr., Chairman, President & CEO, F.N.B. Corporation and First National Bank
This is a hopeful time for Pittsburgh. You can feel the energy of new leadership, the buzz of emerging AI dominance, and the excitement cast by the spotlight of the NFL draft. Mayor O’Connor should capitalize on this momentum to get people and businesses back to town, and to do that, he first must deliver on the basic services taxpayers expect. We need to make our city clean, safe and accessible — a place families can be comfortable exploring and enjoying at all hours of the day. This won’t be possible without sufficient tax revenue to fund essential public resources, and I encourage our new mayor to create an environment that invites companies to invest, expand and hire in the Downtown corridor. The private and public sectors need to work together with our universities to find a way to retain our most talented students by aligning academic outcomes with business needs in our city. Use our exceptional network of local business leaders to develop plans that result in sustained growth and position Pittsburgh as a force in the modern tech economy, particularly with AI. We are a long way from our city’s potential, but with Mayor O’Connor, I believe we have the right vision and direction to get there.

Michael Huwar, President, Peoples Natural Gas
I’m excited by the incredible optimism surrounding the incoming administration. Having gotten to know Mayor O’Connor, I can say his passion for Pittsburgh is real and contagious.

I would welcome the mayor serving as a world-class recruiter for our city — helping businesses grow here and attracting new investment. Pittsburgh’s strengths are clear: reliable energy, a skilled workforce, low cost of living, and beautiful natural surroundings.

Mayor O’Connor now leads the main part of a region that’s been home to an incredible amount of energy innovation. Peoples Natural Gas has been part of that dynamic history for 140 years, and we’re primed to power our future for generations to come. We look forward to partnering with Mayor O’Connor to provide low-cost, reliable energy that fuels growth, keeps families here, and entices more people and businesses to pick Pittsburgh.