The mission of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures is to connect celebrated authors with the community, elevate civic discourse, and inspire creativity and a passion for the literary arts. Our commitment to knowledge, learning, integrity, and artistic excellence guides and informs our work. We endeavor to inspire members of diverse communities by providing opportunities to experience authors who speak on issues that reflect our values such as justice, compassion, civic responsibility, acceptance, courage, and equity.
Our Story
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures was launched with a lecture by Pittsburgh native Annie Dillard on September 16, 1991 at The Fulton (now The Byham) Theater in downtown Pittsburgh.
Over the years we have connected thousands of Pittsburghers with iconic authors including Kurt Vonnegut, George Plimpton, Margaret Atwood, Edward Albee, John Updike, Alice Walker, Tom Wolfe, Jamaica Kincaid, Arthur Miller, Amy Tan, August Wilson, Susan Sontag, Spalding Gray, and E.L. Doctorow, just to name a few! (See the list of previous speakers.)
We now present five signature series and partner with area schools and non-profit organizations to maximize the impact of visiting authors to our region.
Our Board
Our volunteer board members bring diverse skills and backgrounds (and their passion for reading) to the stewardship and oversight of a sustainable Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures.
OFFICERS
President
Kevin Lavelle
President and Chief Investment Officer
The Hillman Company
Vice President
Kornelia Tancheva
Director
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Treasurer
Stephanie Taylor
Director of Audit
Argo AI
Secretary
Robert M. Turner II, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Urology
University of Pittsburgh Physicians
DIRECTORS
Sharifa Anderson
Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and
Inclusion Officer
Fannie Mae
Lena G. Andrews
Vice President of Real Estate Development
ACTION-Housing, Inc.
Karina Chavez
Executive Director
Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education
Pam Connelly
Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel
Duquesne University
Alicia Barbara Harvey-Smith, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Pittsburgh Technical College
Laura Heberton‐Shlomchik
Producer/Screenwriter
Laura Mullen
VP of Legal and Compliance
Argo AI
Sydney Rochelle Normil, Esq.
Associate (Litigation and Antitrust)
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
Pallavi Golla Patil
Founder and CEO
Lark Adventurewear
Gail Pesyna
Retired
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Balaji Srinivasan
VP, Product and Research & Development
Gimmal
Ron Vassel
Deputy General Counsel
ANSYS, Inc.
Our Staff
Our talented staff members apply their passion, expertise, and enthusiasm to achieve the dynamic goals of the organization.
Lisa Christopher
Director of Community Engagement
Elise Clark
Sales and Ticketing Manager
Caitlin Leasure
Development Manager
Mary Navarro
Interim Chief Administrative Officer
Kelsey Swintek
Sales and Event Production Manager
Our Venues
Most of our events take place in the historic facilities of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland
Ten Evenings
Carnegie Library Lecture Hall
New & Noted, Words & Pictures, Poets Aloud
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s South Wing Reading Room
Made Local
