Theme: RESET

During the pandemic we had to put a pause on life as we knew it. Now that we are able to start again, we have the opportunity to challenge the status quo. What does that look like? We don’t need to do things the way they've always been done. More now than ever we have the opportunity to be creative and reinvent; our businesses, our world, ourselves. To RESET is to get a new energy, innovate and start again. To embrace the unknown and look to the future.

Highmark Theater, Pittsburgh Playhouse
350 Forbes Avenue
Highmark Theater
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222
United States

Aleta Heard

Aleta is an award-winning leader throughout Pennsylvania and in her technical profession. She is a VP and a Certified Agile Product Owner at BNY Mellon. Aleta has always been passionate about community outreach and women’s empowerment. She founded Masters of Maternity (M.O.M.), a multi-sided maternal directory that integrates technology as a solution into the motherhood journey

Claudy Pierre

Chef Claudy Pierre grew up in a Haitian-American household in Brooklyn, New York. In his childhood home, cooking became Chef Claudy’s escape as he helped his grandmother create meals for their large family. After graduating high school, Chef Claudy moved to Pittsburgh to pursue a career in culinary arts. His commitment to the community has resulted in partnerships with the American Heart Association, the YMCA, and diverse community organizations across the nation. In 2014, Chef Claudy founded Eminent Hospitality Solutions Co., Arnold's Coffee & Tea LLC, the EAT Initiative/The Third Meal Project, and Food Secure City. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Chef Claudy launched the Third Meal Project, which is a weekly meal delivery program for families and elders in need. Chef Claudy is the 2021 winner of Plate It! Pittsburgh, a Chime Changemaker, Neighborhood Allies Community Impact Awardee, 40 Under 40 Awardee, PNC Impact Awardee. Today, Chef Claudy has expanded his food justice work into the areas of tech (www.foodsecurecity.com), real estate development, workforce development, television and media, and more.

Laurie Havrisko

Laurie Havrisko strives to help all families feel included and welcome in their child's education. She works at the Greater Latrobe School District as the Assistant to the Superintendent for Student Services, which is best explained as finding supports and solutions to help all students achieve success. Laurie believes that the key to inclusivity comes from valuing all types of learners, honoring diverse backgrounds, and building equal relationships with families. Laurie works to bridge the gap between home and school by helping families see themselves as partners in their child's learning. Laurie has degrees in Psychology, Special Education, Administration and Supervision, and is currently a second year PhD student in Community Engagement at Point Park University.

Sarah Schreck

Sarah Schreck is a marketing, design, and multimedia professional with a passion for storytelling - and a tendency to be “chronically online.” She holds degrees in advertising, public relations, playwriting, and has a pandemic-fortified master’s degree in Arts Administration from Carnegie Mellon University, which all guide her enthusiasm for increased understanding. This eagerness led her to recreationally study Bowen Family Systems Theory and otherwise explore how we relate to the people and media that are important to us.

Sloane Davidson

Sloane Davidson is the Founder and CEO of Hello Neighbor. What started as Sloane inviting a Syrian family in her neighborhood to Thanksgiving Dinner in 2016 has blossomed into a nonprofit organization working with new neighbors from all over the world. At the core of Hello Neighbor is the concept of building bridges and bringing neighbors together to build community. Sloane received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Vermont and a Masters in Public Policy and Management from The University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She is a Presidential Leadership Scholar, part of Leadership Pittsburgh and has received a lot of recognition for her work helping to make Pittsburgh a more welcoming and inclusive place for all. A proud Pittsburgher, she lives in Highland Park with her husband and two young sons.

Yan Pang

Yan Pang (she/they) is a visiting assistant professor of music at Point Park University. She received her Ph.D. in Music with a minor in Theater Arts & Dance at the University of Minnesota. Her work focuses on inter-cultural music composition and performance, blending Chinese folk music elements with Western operatic traditions to build multicultural understandings of the complexity of social dynamics inherent in notions of resilience, race, solidarity, immigration, and settlement challenges. A selection of her textbooks include Cool Math for Hot Music, All About Music, Basic Music Technology, and The Future of Music (co-authored Guerino Mazzola et al.) by Springer. To learn more, please visit www.yanpangcreate.com.