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.
Helen Katyal
Executive Director
Maddox Lozano
Operations Director
Katie Linstrom
Communications Director
Ragan Liebsch
Finance Director
Priyanka Iyer
Research Director
Research Teams
Our research teams address some of the biggest policy challenges 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 trusted local organizations.
Housing
Vincent Caminneci
Team Co-Lead
Matthew Thiel
Team Co-Lead
Zoe Bergschneider
Student Policy Analyst
Christina Elliott
Student Policy Analyst
Lydia Rose Fiorino
Student Policy Analyst
Nishita Jakkam
Student Policy Analyst
Bridget Barker
Student Policy Analyst
Maia DiZio
Student Policy Analyst
William Wenrich
Student Policy Analyst
Aiden Froedtert
Student Policy Analyst
Sara Joo
Student Policy Analyst
Pablo Cruz Rivera
Student Policy Analyst
Melinda Bircan
Student Policy Analyst
Christopher Kessler
Student Policy Analyst
Eleanor Cullen
Student Policy Analyst
Peter Yang
Student Policy Analyst
Luci Bannister
Student Policy Analyst
Matthew Thiel
Student Policy Analyst
Sienna Hudon
Student Policy Analyst
Sunaya Velayudhan
Student Policy Analyst
Carys Thompson
Student Policy Analyst
Food Security
Elliot Downey
Team Co-Lead
Anna von Gaudecker
Team Co-Lead
Anna von Gaudecker
Student Policy Analyst
Eadlin Morrissey
Student Policy Analyst
Prabhath Pullabhotla
Student Policy Analyst
Sunayna Valyudhan
Student Policy Analyst
Forrest Bowser
Student Policy Analyst
Addison Edelin
Student Policy Analyst
Nina Rivera
Student Policy Analyst
Allison Little
Student Policy Analyst
Ava Baldwin
Student Policy Analyst
Lisa-Sophia Kachalova
Student Policy Analyst
Stephanie Hill
Student Policy Analyst
Elif Yavan
Student Policy Analyst
Keerthi Girish
Student Policy Analyst
Mohamed Mansour-Nasr
Student Policy Analyst
Andrew Gambino
Student Policy Analyst
Isabella Lee
Student Policy Analyst
Nidhi Maddineedi
Student Policy Analyst
Bennett Buerkle
Student Policy Analyst
Emma Santore
Student Policy Analyst
Dave Elango
Student Policy Analyst
Sowmiya Raja
Student Policy Analyst
Bryce Presser
Student Policy Analyst
