An Award-Winning Strategy for Public Participation: How Pittsburgh Engaged 20,000!

Sharonda Whatley is the Assistant Director of Strategic Planning with the City of Pittsburgh. She leads and manages major municipal planning projects, facilitates programs to help neighborhoods stabilize and develop community capital, and works across disciplines to reduce disparities in urban areas. Sharonda has deep expertise in behavioral science, public service, planning, and diversity.

Jan Raether is the Infrastructure Engagement Specialist in the Mayor’s Office. Jan is the point person for infrastructure engagement and outreach for the City’s Department of Public Works (DPW) and Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI). Coming from a non-profit project management background, Jan is always looking for new ways to engage diverse constituencies in the City’s projects and deliver projects that make Pittsburgh Safe, Welcoming and Resilient.

Martina Wolf Battistone is the Principal Environmental Planner in the Department of City Planning’s Sustainability and Resilience Division. Martina leads park planning across the city, working to create long-term visions and investment strategies that reflect resident priorities in parks and open space. Her work requires collaboration and balancing the needs of the public, City departments, nonprofit partners, and other stakeholders. EngagePGH promotes that vital coordination, as well as promotes accountability as projects go from plans to implementation.

Audrey Wells serves as the Communications Manager and Engagement Coordinator for the City of Pittsburgh Mayor’s Office. In this role, she collaborates with various city departments to effectively disseminate information to the public. Overseeing the EngagePGH digital engagement platform, Audrey has facilitated more than 100 public projects through digital and hybrid engagements. Prior to her current role, she worked at Explore Asheville, NC, and earned her degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Laura Tsutsui serves as the Digital Engagement Coordinator in the City of Pittsburgh's Office of the Mayor. Her previous experience lies in news content creation and podcast editing. Previously, Laura worked at the NPR affiliate stations in Pittsburgh and in Fresno, California. Laura is a mentor and former reporter with NPR's Next Generation Radio.

Dave Biggs is an internationally recognized expert in public engagement and using software to enhance public participation for planning. As a co-founder of MetroQuest, he has authored books and papers on planning, sustainability, and public engagement. Dave is a frequent speaker at conferences and webinars, and contributor to industry journals, where he lends insight into best practices for optimizing public engagement outcomes.

As North America Head of Practice at Social Pinpoint, Sophia Robison supports and builds a community of best practice in public engagement within the public and non-profit sectors, particularly as it relates to the use of digital technology. Previously, Sophia worked in local government, with the City of Pittsburgh's Department of City Planning and as an Economic Development Planner for the Town of Brookline, MA. She graduated from Cornell University where she received a Master of City and Regional Planning in 2017, and continued training with the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2).