Familiar Faces: Your Coalition Board Members

The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition is fortunate to have a strong and dedicated board of directors working on behalf of our community. Attending our open monthly board meetings is just the beginning of the work they do for the Coalition and the community. Though their names are listed on page 2 of each issue of Squirrel Hill Magazine, it’s important that you know more about who our Coalition board members are and what motivates them. Perhaps it will also motivate you to become involved with the Coalition! This will is the first in a series of articles profiling our amazing board members.

Lori Fitzgerald: Lori has lived in Squirrel Hill since graduating from CMU in 1999. She is a practicing architect with Indovina Associates. She has been on our board since 2006, co-chairing the Commercial Development and Residential Quality Committees. Lori has worked many hours with developers, architects, businesses and the community to help solve issues and promote positive investment. Her keen eye, creative mind and ability to patiently listen to and work with all parties has helped resolve many thorny issues and support positive development. Lori and her family enjoy living within walking distance of Schenley Park and the Squirrel Hill business district. As Lori says, they are “in love with the lovely people and beautiful parks as well as the convenience, walkability and energy of the neighborhood. The social and cultural diversity of Squirrel Hill offers us the best of both ‘small town Pittsburgh’ and the global community.” Lori’s motivation for being on the Coalition board is best said in her own words: “I enjoy being on the board because I find it rewarding to contribute to positive change in our community, and because it’s been a personal privilege to get to know and work with the smart, savvy and thoughtful volunteer board members, staff and SHUC members. I’ve learned so much from these truly amazing people who work so hard for our neighborhood.” We have all learned a great deal from Lori, too. shuc president’s message

James B. Burnham: No one can deny Jim Burnham is qualified to be on the Coalition board, or any board he wants. After receiving his PhD in Economics from Washington University in 1969, Jim joined the staff of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C. From there, he went to Mellon Bank from 1971-1981 and 1985-1989, rising to the position of Senior Vice President /Manager of the Global Treasury and Foreign Exchange. In between Mellon Bank stints, Jim served as Staff Director of President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisors and U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank. Jim held the position of Professor and Murrin Chair in Global Competitiveness at Duquesne University from 1990 to 2009. He continues to teach at CMU’s Osher Program and maintains a blog titled, “Topics in Political Economy” at www.jamesbburnham.typepad.com. Naturally, all of that qualifies Jim to be Assistant Treasurer of the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, a member of our Finance Committee, and one of our wisest and most active board members. Jim and his wife, Ann, moved to Squirrel Hill from Shadyside in 2010, and he joined the Coalition board in 2011. Like Lori, Jim loves living in Squirrel Hill: “Squirrel Hill is a very livable community, with many facilities and services — superb parks, shopping, religious, educational (including several universities with accessible libraries) — within walking distance. Plus, downtown venues for sports and cultural events are a short drive or bus ride away.” Jim believes that as a community we can’t sit still. “While change can be disruptive, we can’t be afraid of it — a vibrant community is always open to sensible change, whether, for example, it involves land use, building height or demographic shifts. Institutions, property owners and individuals should be aware of the pressures for such change and be ready to deal with them in a positive way. The alternative can be quiescent stagnation.”