The Leadership Team
Our leadership team brings a breadth of experience in government, research, and community involvement. We are proud to be the first student-run think tank at the University of Pittsburgh.
Andrew Pruden
Executive Director
Shanthi Bhaskar
Operations Director
Raafay Khan
Communications Director
Ragan Liebsch
Finance Director
Aditi Choudhary
Research Director
Research Teams
Our research teams are addressing some of the biggest problems in the Pittsburgh area. From affordable housing to food insecurity, our talented analysts and project leads are pioneering new approaches to policy research, analysis, and advocacy by collaborating with the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Centers (CECs) to foster strategic partnerships with locally-trusted organizations.
Housing
Hunter Foster
Team Co-Lead
Krish Chatterjee
Team Co-Lead
Arden Menzel
Student Policy Analyst
Zoe Bergschneider
Student Policy Analyst
Avni Prabhu
Student Policy Analyst
Bao Zi
Student Policy Analyst
Benjamin Houck
Student Policy Analyst
Bridget Barker
Student Policy Analyst
Christina Elliott
Student Policy Analyst
Irena Su
Student Policy Analyst
Kyle Martin
Student Policy Analyst
Lina Seminatore
Student Policy Analyst
Lydia Rose Fiorino
Student Policy Analyst
Nishita Jakkam
Student Policy Analyst
Samantha Candalla
Student Policy Analyst
Theodore Szewcow
Student Policy Analyst
Vincent Caminneci
Student Policy Analyst
Ariel Goldenberg
Student Policy Analyst
Xavier Ramírez
Student Policy Analyst
Food Security
Riya Lakhe
Team Co-Lead
Maddox Lozano
Team Co-Lead
Adeline Meinart
Student Policy Analyst
Anna von Gaudecker
Student Policy Analyst
Eadlin Morrissey
Student Policy Analyst
Elliot Downey
Student Policy Analyst
Forrest Bowser
Student Policy Analyst
Grace Janczak
Student Policy Analyst
Julian Boyle
Student Policy Analyst
Katie Linstrom
Student Policy Analyst
Lucinda Posner
Student Policy Analyst
Megan Duda
Student Policy Analyst
Prabhath Pullabhotla
Student Policy Analyst
Satvik Palagani
Student Policy Analyst
Sunayna Valyudhan
Student Policy Analyst
Addison Edelin
Student Policy Analyst
Pittsburgh Policy Initiative 