Meet the high-profile Pittsburghers in charge of Sara Innamorato’s transition

A day after winning Allegheny County’s top political post, Sara Innamorato outlined the next step of her ascension by appointing high-profile Pittsburghers to lead her transition team.

Innamorato, the former state representative elected Allegheny County executive on Tuesday, said her transition team — made up of two committees, deemed “Talent” and “All in Allegheny” — will help choose leaders for her administration and engage county residents to share their priorities.

“We’re not wasting a minute getting to work for Allegheny County, and I’m thrilled to be setting the foundation for my administration immediately,” Innamorato said in a statement.

The Democrat beat Republican Joe Rockey in the general election and will, in January, become the first woman to hold the executive position in the county’s history. She takes over the reins of the massive government apparatus from longtime incumbent Rich Fitzgerald, a Democrat who’s held the post since 2012.

Here are the people you need to know from Innamorato’s new transition team, which will hit the ground until she is sworn in.

Austin Davis, Pennsylvania lieutenant governor

Role: Chairman of the transition

Elected last year as the sidekick to Gov. Josh Shapiro, Davis, a McKeesport-raised former state representative, is deeply connected in Allegheny County politics.

At Innamorato’s victory party Tuesday night, Davis called her victory history-making and said the governor’s administration clearly has a new partner in the state’s second most populous county.

“We elected someone who is going to work like hell for working-class people here in Allegheny County,” Davis said.

Davis brings to the team a committed understanding of the working-class outposts near Pittsburgh and has often said he knows what it’s like to be a Pennsylvanian because his family struggled with many of the same challenges.

Robert Cherry, CEO of Partner4Work

Role: Co-chair of the Talent Committee

Cherry heads one of the region’s most powerful public workforce conductors. His Partner4Wortk, a nonprofit, helps employers find and retain talent in an effort to develop the workforce and strengthen the economy.

Helping Innamorato find administration leaders is a good fit for Cherry, whose nonprofit leads the public workforce system for the county and city of Pittsburgh.

“Building a robust and deep talent pipeline, in which every Allegheny County resident has access to meaningful employment and the opportunity to thrive, is paramount to our region’s success,” Cherry said in a statement Wednesday. “We look forward to getting to work to develop and deploy strategies that position Allegheny County as an economic leader in the next four years and beyond.”

Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon University

Role: Co-chair of the Talent Committee

Jahanian has served as president of the university research behemoth since 2018 and is serving his second five-year term. He was formerly the university’s provost and has a background in computer science and entrepreneurship. 

Jahanian was a member of Shapiro’s governor transition team and was appointed in 2023 by President Joe Biden as a member of the Export Council, which advises the White House on international trade.

“County Executive-elect Innamorato’s unwavering commitment to our region and its residents is clear,” Jahanian said in a statement Wednesday. “I welcome the opportunity to support the transition effort and to continue the important work of building a vibrant future for Allegheny County and the Commonwealth.”

Jennifer Rafanan Kennedy, executive director of Pittsburgh United

Role: Co-chair of the Talent Committee

Rafanan Kennedy is a staple in Western Pennsylvania’s political and activist arenas. She leads Pittsburgh United, a coalition of advocacy groups on the ground in Pittsburgh to fight for an equitable economy.

In her tenure, the consortium has organized workers and brought millions of dollars to affordable housing and green infrastructure investment.

“I’m proud to bring the voices and dreams of [Pittsburgh] United members — a multiracial, multigenerational group of poor and working-class people — into the Innamorato administration,” Rafanan Kennedy said in a statement. 

“Our members went all in to elect Sara because we know the urgency of this moment — our neighbors need safe affordable homes, clean air and water, and family-sustaining union jobs. We stand ready to work together to build a county for all of us,” she added.

Lauren Byrne Connelly, vice president of Allegheny Conference on Community Development

Role: Co-chair of the All in Allegheny Committee

Byrne Connelly will work alongside two colleagues to engage the community to “understand what people from every community want from County government, and we will build an action plan for County government during the Innamorato administration,” the team said.

The community development conference she helps lead is one of the biggest civic leadership organizations in the region and addresses the economic future of the 10 counties surrounding and including Pittsburgh.

“We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us to work together to ensure that every resident of Allegheny County has access to opportunity and enjoys the highest quality of life, and every business has the resources they need to grow and thrive,” Byrne Connelly said in a statement.

Michelle McMurray, vice president of The Pittsburgh Foundation

Role: Co-chair of the All in Allegheny Committee

McMurray has been with The Pittsburgh Foundation since 2014 and has held numerous leadership positions. She currently manages its grant-making programs.

Among her many initiatives were three efforts to increase access to funding for small community-entrenched nonprofits and Black- and brown-led organizations.

“Sara has the opportunity to demonstrate the true power of co-governance to create a region where every person can thrive,” McMurray said in a statement. 

“Her administration can ensure that the county’s services and processes are transparent and truly inclusive of the people impacted by them — especially those who have borne the greatest burden of the consequences of racial and economic inequity in Allegheny County,” she added.

Monica Ruiz, executive director of Casa San Jose

Role: Co-chair of the All in Allegheny Committee

Ruiz leads the group that connects and supports members of the Latino community in the region. She has been with the group since 2014.

“Sara envisions a region where all are welcome and knows that the future of Allegheny County depends on innovative inclusionary ideas that will benefit all who live here,” Ruiz said in a statement.