Meetings
Thank you for your interest in the Community Bridge-Building Network.  If you are interested in attending a meeting, please email cbridgebn@aol.com and provide your name and company.  

Registration is required to attend the meeting.

Scroll down to view our upcoming meeting dates as well as an impressive listing of Past Network Presenters!
Past Presenters 

Melinda Colaizzi, Founder, Women Who Rock ​

Chris Whitlatch, Author, Notorious Pittsburgh

Journey Gunderson, Executive Director, The National Comedy Center

Denele Hughson, Executive Director, Grow Pittsburgh

Jenn Beer, President and CEO, Leadership Pittsburgh, Inc

Trish Adlesic, Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning producer and director

Maria Caruso, Founding Director, Bodiography

Jonnet Solomon, Founder and Executive Director, National Opera House

Daniel Little, CEO, involveMINT

Terry O'Reilly, President & CEO Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation

Katie Blackley, Digital Editor/Producer, Internship Coordinator, 90.5 WESA

Andy Masich, President & CEO, Senator John Heinz History Center

Elizabeth E. Barker, Executive Director, The Frick Pittsburgh

Mark Oppenheimer, Author of "Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood"

Carlos T. Carter, President & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh

Dr. Jeremy Goodman, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium President and CEO

Dr. Ken Gormley, President, Duquesne University

Anne Madarasz, Director of the Curatorial Division, Chief Historian, and Director of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum

Dr. Erica Nuckles, Director of Learning, Engagements and Partnerships, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art 

Hayley Haldeman, Executive Director, Mattress Factory

Zachary Rutter, professional artist and muralist

Andrés Franco, Executive Director, City of Asylum

David Finegold, President, Chatham University

Nathan Darity, Executive Director, The Global Switchboard

Ashley Lynn Priore, Founder, President and CEO, Queen's Gambit Chess Institute Pittsburgh

Amy Baldonieri, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Rivers of Steel

Bobbi Watt Geer, President and CEO of the United Way of Southwestern PA

Dr. James Johnson and Pamela Johnson, Founders, Executive Directors, Afro-American Music Institute

Rosemaria Cristello, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Latino Community Center

Laura Zurowski, author, artist, Mis-Steps.com: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh's City Steps

Deon Deshields, Founder, Lounique Financial Group LLC

Louise Sturgess, Executive Director, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation

Vic Walczak, Legal Director, American Civil Liberties Union - PA

Ken Gormley, President of Duquesne University, Professor of Law

Eric Lindey, Executive Vice President of Adult ID Pennsylvania, Imperium, Inc.

Bill Flanagan, Chief Corporate Relations Officer, Allegheny Conference on Community Development

Erica Knuckles, Director of History and Collections, Fort Ligonier & Braddock Battlefield History Center

Bonnie Baxter, Founder/Executive Director of DOORS OPEN Pittsburgh

Steve Turner, Marketing Manager of Turner Dairy Farms

Natalie Bencivenga, SEEN Editor/Ask Natalie Advice Columnist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Rick Sebak, film director/producer, WQED Mulitmedia Pittsburgh

Brian O'Neill, author, columnist for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bill Fuller, President and Corporate Chef, Big Burrito Restaurant Group

Rossilynne Culgan, Author of 100 Things to Do in Pittsburgh Before You Die and Director of "The Incline"

Therese Rocco, the City of Pittsburgh's first female Assistant Police Chief

Tim Hindes, Principle and CEO of Trailblaze Creative, designer of STRONGER THAN HATE logo

Carol Shrieve, Executive Director, Carnegie of Homestead

Leah Lizarondo, CEO and Co-Founder of 412 Food Rescue

Dr. Jessie Ramey, Director of Women's Institute, Chatham​ University

Mila Sanina, Executive Director of PublicSource

Anita Buzzy Prentiss, Buzzy Photography

Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs,  Associate Professor of Health and Physical Activity, and Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Pittsburgh and Virginia Weida of Virginia Weida Designs. 

Pete McQuillin and Laura Faessel, Penn Forest Natural Burial Park

Indea Herndon, August Wilson Center

Mike Priganc, Network Member

Melanie Linn Gutowski, Author, Kaufmann's Department Store and Pittsburgh’s Mansions

Cody McDevitt, Author, Pittsburgh Drinks: A History of Cocktails, Nightlife and Bartending Tradition

Sam Gottesman, Holocaust Survivor

Lauren Bairnsfather, Director, Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh

Joe Zgurzynski, Owner, Operator, Master Beekeeper, Country Barn Farm

Matt Webb, Urban Bird Conservation Coordinator, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Emily Catalano, Founder, Good Food Pittsburgh

Cynthia Caul, Center for Regional Agriculture, Food and Transformation (CRAFT) at Chatham University

Regina Able, Deputy District Director, Small Business Administration, Pittsburgh District 

Dr. Sarah Tambucci, Director, Arts Education Collaborative

Therese McShea, My Write Tool

Melanie Patterson, “The Good Ol’ Days House,” America’s first Nostalgic Guesthouse

Vivien Li, President and CEO, Riverlife Pittsburgh

Felicia Richards, Creative Beyond Control Photography

Meg Pryor, Director, Henry Mancini Academy at Lincoln Park

Kim Adley, Owner and Custom Tour Designer, Passport to Pittsburgh 

Helen Wilson, Vice President, Squirrel Hill Historical Society

Wasi Mohamed, Executive Director, The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh

Cory Van Horn, Owner/Head Guide, Food Guy Adventures

Adam Nelson, Director and Founder, The City of Play 

Wendy Long, Owner and Operator, Solutions for Independence

Pat Clark, Managing Partner, Jackson/Clark Partners

Matthew Craig, Executive Director, Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh

Robert Messner, Director, Braddock’s Battlefield History Center

Rich Salvante, Yard to Table Garden Builders

Judi Vitale, Astrologist and Author

Todd Wilson, Author, Pittsburgh's Bridges

Fred Thieman, Esq., President of Buhl Foundation

John Fetterman, Mayor of Braddock and Candidate for United State Senate

Patricia McElligott, Author, Irish Pittsburgh

Wendy Lydon, Vice President/Business Coach, ThistleSea Business Development

Sarah Mayer, Partner, UpToKnowGood

Carrie Pavlik, Owner, Steel City Grazers

Arthi Subramaniam, Food Editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

Eric Sloss, Principal, Creative Strategist for SHIFT

Keri Rouse, Allegheny Land Trust

"Homestead Jenn" Tompkins, Founder, Rent the Chicken

Douglas Heuck, Founder, Editor and Publisher of Pittsburgh Quarterly Magazine

Dana Brown, Director, Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics and Public Policy at Chatham University

Patricia Penka French, Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational Cultural Center

Robin Nicholson, Director, Frick Art & Historical Center 

Laura Zorch, one of the authors of Food Lovers' Guide to Pittsburgh

Leslie Bonner, BonnerSpahr Consulting

Richard Piacentini, Executive Director, Phipps Conseratory

Emil Heintzinger, Small Business and Group Benefits Specialist, Legal Shield

Mark Valenti, Director of Education and Coaching, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative

Jim Bonner, Executive Director, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania 

Tracy Certo, Founder and Publisher, NEXTpittsburgh

Etty Reut, Therapist who practices John F. Barnes Myofascial Release and Mind Body Therapy

Michele de la Reza, Managing Artistic Director, Attack Theatre

Denys Candy, Consultant to schools, businesses, and organizations interested in creating sustainable communities

Arthur P. Ziegler, Co-Founder and President, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation

Michael Sriprasert, Real Estate Development Projects and Initiatives, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation

Melanie Linn Gutowski, Author of Pittsburgh's Mansions

Amanda Priebe, CFP, Associate Wealth Planner, PNC Wealth Management

Barney Oursler, Executive Director, Pittsburgh United

Angela Garcia, Deputy Director, Global Links

Drew Goldstein, PA Brew Tours

Kate Dewey, Executive Director, Forbes Funds

Matt Gaston, Co-Founder and Trustee, Awesome Pittsburgh

Mike Schiller, Executive Director, Green Building Alliance

Court Gould, Executive Director, Sustainable Pittsburgh

Cindy Howes, Morning Mix Host, 91.3 WYEP Pittsburgh

Abby Goldstein, General Manager, 91.3 WYEP Pittsburgh

Cynthia Pulkowski, Executive Director, ASSET STEM Education 

Louis Butler, The Pittsburgh Pie Guy

Peter Greninger, President, Pittsburgh Trails Advocacy Group

Bruce Klein, Founder, Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History

Hoddy Hanna, Chairman and CEO, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services

Al Condeluci, Executive Director, UCP/CLASS

Maura McCall, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Research

Jennifer Antkowiak, KDKA TV News Anchor, Author 

Rick DiClemente, Astrologer, Author of The Exquisite Zodiac

Julie Ann Sullivan, Author, Facilitator of Enhanced Learning, Learning Never Ends

Bradley Hilbert, Owner, Three Rivers Wealth Management Group

Mary Lou Bradley & Joe Groom, Owners, Paint Monkey, a BYOB Painting Studio in Lawrenceville

Chris Anthony, Owner, Chris Anthony Fitness

Lynn Figgins, Director of Business Development, Eyetique

Dr. Guy Caruso, Western Coordinator, Institute on Disabilities at Temple University

David L. Donahoe, Executive Director, Allegheny Regional Asset District

Hilda Pang Fu, Founder and President, Luminari 

Mary Gregg, Functional Literacy Ministry of Haiti Inc. and winner of 2012 Jefferson Award for community and public service in America

Barbara Johnstone, Carnegie Mellon University Linguist Professor and Expert in Pittsburghese

Brian O'Neill, Author of The Paris of Appalachia and Lifestyle Columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

MaryLynne Pitz, Reporter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Erika Peterson, Owner, Green Circle Farms

Bob Firth, Founder, Informing Design

Deb Mortillaro, Owner, Palate Partners and Dreadnaught Wines

Bobby Zappala, Chief Executive Officer, Thrill Mill

Dottie Coll, Owner, Two Men and a Truck Moving Company

Lisa Brown, Executive Director, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association

Mike Kaus, Curator, Soldiers and Sailors Museum

Bob Bruce, formerly WPXI TV News Anchor, currently with Integrity Wealth Consulting

Heather Walsh, Co-founder, Living Pittsburgh

Deborah L. Acklin, President and Chief Executive Officer, WQED Multimedia

Scott Bricker, Executive Director, Bike Pittsburgh

Dorit Brauer, Teacher of Meditation and Author of Girls Don't Ride Motorbikes: A Spiritual Adventure Into Life's Labyrinth 

Rich Fitzgerald, Allegheny County Executive 

Tony Norman, Columnist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Harish Saluja, Founder, Silk Screen Asian Arts and Cultural Organization

Linda Benedict-Jones, Curator of Photography, Carnegie Museum of Art

Bill Flanagan, Host of Our Regions Business, Executive VP Allegheny Conference

Scott Leib, President of the Board of Directors, Preservation Pittsburgh

Janet McCall, Executive Director, Society for Contemporary Crafts

Georgia Berner, President and CEO, Berner International Corporation

Heather McElwee, Executive Director , Pittsburgh Glass Center

Bill Peduto, City of Pittsburgh Mayor
Registration is required. Email cbridgebn@aol.com and provide your name and company.  A link to participate in the virtual meeting will be sent to you upon registration.
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www.communitybridge-buildingnetwork.com
Community Bridge-Building Network

A network unlike any other professional network
Pittsburgh skyline photo credit: Joyce Scott-Kliber
Serving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Greater Pittsburgh area
We want our virtual meetings to have the feel, as best we can, of our in-person meetings, which we had been doing for years. Therefore, we have a specific protocol to get the most out of our Network.  Here are some important things regarding our meetings:

1. You need to submit an RSVP to attend; we then will send you the link for the meeting.

2. You are encouraged to invite a guest; your guest will need to submit their own RSVP directly to us.

3. If you submit an RSVP that you will be attending, we do expect to see you at the meeting. Our meetings are designed around the attendance.

4. Since this is a networking group, when you join us on Zoom, we do expect to see your face, so have your camera on when you join us.

5. We also expect you to be able to stay for the entire meeting, unless we hear from you prior to the meeting. This is very important for our networking sessions.

Alonna J. Carter-Donaldson is a public historian and freelance writer interested in African American Genealogy and History and a Visiting Lecturer in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Her writing has been seen in the New Pittsburgh Courier, The Soul Pitt Quarterly, and Public Source, and she has contributed research to exhibitions for the Frick Pittsburgh and The Senator John Heinz History Center. Mrs. Carter-Donaldson also serves as the Historian of the Edna B. McKenzie Branch of Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). In 2018 she was named an honoree at the New Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40 under 40 Awards. In 2021, she was selected as the Inaugural Burke Family Research Fellow at the Frick Pittsburgh for her work on African Americans in Pittsburgh’s Gilded Age. She served as the 2022 Project Scholar for the WPDHAC’s Intersection of Race and Disability Project. Mrs. Carter-Donaldson holds a Bachelor of Arts from Carlow University in Philosophy/History with a concentration in Pre-Law and a Master of Professional Writing degree from Chatham University. She will receive a Master of Arts in Public History from Duquesne University in December 2023.


September 20, 2023 - VIRTUAL MEETING

9:00am - 11:00am

October 18, 2023 - VIRTUAL MEETING

9:00am - 11:00am

November 15, 2023 - VIRTUAL MEETING

9:00am - 11:00am
Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Todd Wilson is an award-winning transportation engineer and author with a deep appreciation for Pittsburgh bridges. The son of a photographer and a great grandson of an ironworker who built bridges, Todd has been photographing them his whole life. His photography trips growing up gave him an interest in the built environment–bridges, roadways, transit, and aviation–leading him to pursue civil engineering with an additional major of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. 

He also holds an MBA from Point Park University. In his spare time, he has co-authored two books on Pittsburgh’s bridges, Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America Pittsburgh’s Bridges and the History Press’s Engineering Pittsburgh a History of Roads, Rails, Canals, Bridges, and More. He was named a New Face of Civil Engineering by the American Society of Civil Engineers, serves as a Trustee of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, and was a Pittsburgh 40 under 40 winner.
Alonna J. Carter-Donaldson presenting: African Americans in Pittsburgh's Gilded Age
Todd Wilson
Kendra Whitlock Ingram began work in February 2023 as the new President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization.

Ms. Ingram is the first person of color to hold the position.  After graduating from Duquesne University in 1997, Ingram went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska – Omaha, and then to a career in arts management. She served as executive director of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, vice president of programming and education at the Omaha Performing Arts Center, and most recently served as president and CEO of Milwaukee’s Marcus Performing Arts Center.