On Monday, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey nominated Karen Abrams to lead the city’s Department of City Planning, Heidi Norman to transition from acting director of the Department of Innovation and Performance to its permanent director, and appointed Kyle Chintalapalli as the city’s chief economic development officer.
In a statement, Gainey said he knows the nominees will serve the city well.
“All of these individuals bring a wide range of experience in and outside public service, a deep commitment to making government work better, and a strong investment in building a Pittsburgh for all,” he said.
The mayor’s office declined to make the nominees available for interviews until they begin in their positions, a city spokesperson said. Both Abrams and Norman will need to be approved by Pittsburgh City Council; Chintalapalli’s appointment does not require council approval, and he will begin work on Jan. 31.
Since 2017, Abrams has been the program officer for equitable development at The Heinz Endowments. In the announcement of her appointment that year, the foundation said Abrams would create and direct opportunities to support neighborhood-level development, and help to coordinate grantmaking in the “focus communities” of Hazelwood, Homewood, and the Hill District. Before joining The Heinz Endowments, Abrams directed the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Diversity and Community Affairs office. During her time there, Abrams helped the city to win a $30 million federal Choice Neighborhood grant to build housing in Larimer.
Andrew Dash, who has directed the Department of City Planning since the summer of 2020, will remain with the department as deputy director.
The Department of Innovation and Performance is responsible for managing the city’s technology, the 311 response center, and working with other departments to enhance accessibility and transparency. Norman became the department’s acting director in November 2020, after serving as deputy director since 2017.
Before his appointment, Chintalapalli was vice president of business and economic development for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, which aimed to attract investment to the city and create new jobs. Before joining PRA, Chintalapalli served as chief strategy officer of the URA. When he was with Mayor Bill Peduto’s office, Chintalapalli played a key role in advancing affordable housing initiatives, and helped to find housing alternatives for the residents of the now-demolished Penn Plaza apartments in East Liberty.
In addition, the acting director for the Department of Public Safety, Lee Schmidt, has been nominated for the board of the Equipment Leasing Authority.
