PITTSBURGH, PA (March 1, 2018) With the start of Women’s History Month 2018 the City of Pittsburgh is proud to publicly launch its Gender Equity Commission, one of the few such commissions in the entire country.
Mayor William Peduto signed an ordinance last year that authorized the commission to conduct analyses of City departments, employment, and services to uphold the principles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)[TM1].
Beginning last month, the Commission commenced monthly meetings, which are open to the public and held on the third Tuesday of each month. With representation from different expertise areas and lived experiences, this Commission of 15 diverse community stakeholders coordinates with Executive Director anupama jain, who works in Mayor Peduto’s Bureau of Neighborhood Empowerment.
According to jain, “Throughout the world, the majority of women. Especially those from marginalized communities and trans women, cannot count on achieving adequate safety and success according to most measures of quality of life. I am honored and privileged to be working with local leaders and visionaries to devise concrete solutions to our city’s challenges regarding equity and inclusion.”
"Shirley Chisolm, one of my favorite female revolutionaries and someone who I try to model, said 'Tremendous amounts of talent are lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.'. In 2018, this is still the case, and quite frankly, I'm over it. If I can do anything to push barriers for women, especially as a black woman, then I'm there. That's why I'm serving,” said Commission member Kelauni Cook, founder and CEO of Black Tech Nation.
The Commission will be using data analysis and evidence-based interventions to pinpoint patterns of inequity and then work with experts in different areas to devise sustainable and affordable solutions for those problems.
“These are not ‘women’s issues’ but deeply human issues about which all reasonable people care, such as education and work, public and personal safety, diversity of viewpoints for innovation, and support for families,” jain said.
The Gender Equity Commissioners are:
Megan Block
Attorney, Civil Rights, Union and Employment
Kelauni Cook
Founder and CEO, Black Tech Nation; Co-Director, Beta Builders Coding Boot Camp Community
Kathi Elliott
Executive Director, Gwen's Girls
Lee Fogarty
Leader, Cities for CEDAW Pittsburgh
Deb Gross
Councilperson, City Council, District 7, City of Pittsburgh
Sarah Hansen
Senior Director of Operations, Pennsylvania Women Work
Magdeline Jensen
CEO, Greater Pittsburgh YWCA
Sabrina Korbel
Attorney, Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh
Janet Manuel
Acting Director, Department of Human Resources, City of Pittsburgh
Amanda Neatrour
Manager, Women's Leadership and Mentorship Program, Robert Morris University
Chelsea Pallatino
Postdoctoral Associate, Magee Women's Research Institute
Jessie Ramey
Director, Women's Institute, Chatham University
Sarah Schulz
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Point Park University
Mike Strelic
Senior Budget Analyst, City Council Budget Office, City of Pittsburgh
Ricardo Williams
Manager of Equity & Inclusion, Bureau of Neighborhood Empowerment; Administrator, Equal Opportunities Review Commission (EORC), City of Pittsburgh
