|
Dear Friend,
On behalf of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s (SPC) Board of Directors, I wanted to share some exciting news with you—
I am pleased to announce that Rich Fitzgerald will be the organization’s new Executive Director. Rich will officially assume this role on Jan. 2, 2024 once his tenure as Allegheny County Executive concludes. He’ll be taking over Vincent Valdes’ position. After more than three-in-half years of leading SPC, Vince let the board know back in June that he wanted to retire and spend more time with his family. He has patiently stayed at SPC while the board began a search for a permanent replacement.
The Board is grateful to Vincent Valdes for positioning SPC to be the region’s leading agent of support to local governments for transportation, broadband, and economic development. He laid the groundwork for Mr. Fitzgerald to carry the Commission and our region to the next level. We are excited about the future of our region under Rich’s leadership. The Board had several objectives when we launched the search process: to attract a candidate that intrinsically understood this region’s unique needs and characteristics, had a track record of leadership and growth cultivation, and would build upon the current strength, talent, and consistency of the SPC staff. We interviewed a diverse group of candidates from the region and beyond. Rich Fitzgerald certainly exceeded the Board’s robust qualifications and competencies.
Fitzgerald will bring many years of executive leadership experience to SPC. Prior to serving as Allegheny County’s Chief Executive, Fitzgerald was a County Council member for 11 years, including being elected four times as Council President. He has served as Allegheny County Executive since 2012.
Before entering public service, Fitzgerald spent many years in the private sector. He founded and ran his own business, a water treatment services and equipment company. He grew up in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield-Garfield neighborhood before attending Carnegie Mellon University. There, he earned a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in business. He and his wife live in Squirrel Hill, and are the proud parents of eight adult children.
As a Board, we will officially welcome Rich as SPC’s new Executive Director at our next series of Commission meetings on Dec. 11, and thank Vincent for his years of devoted service to the organization and our region. I know that Rich is looking forward to working closely with you and your organization in the months and years ahead.
Best,
| 
