Mayor also appoints Jake Wheatley, Felicity Williams and Lisa Frank to fill key positions on executive team.
PITTSBURGH – Mayor Ed Gainey announced today his appointment of Jake Pawlak as the Director of Office of Management and Budget. As the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Pawlak will be responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient use of resources in order to sustain the delivery of quality services to the residents of Pittsburgh. Pawlak assumes the Director role in an interim capacity and will become permanent pending council confirmation. Upon confirmation, Gainey intends to appoint Pawlak Deputy Mayor which will take effect immediately; in that capacity, Pawlak will be charged with coordinating the day-to-day work of all City departments to meet the Administrations goals.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jake Pawlak to this important position,” said Mayor Gainey. “As my Administration works to create an equitable Pittsburgh for all, we need someone with experience, vision and strong commitment to public service to lead the Department of Office of Management and Budget. Jake has had a distinguished career and brings the right expertise to help my Administration meet its long-term goals.”
Prior to joining the Administration, Pawlak served as Transition Director for Mayor Gainey. He has worked in all levels of government, as well as numerous political and advocacy campaigns. Jake previously served as program director for the Pennsylvania Alliance Foundation. He also held roles with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, where he was responsible for each Authority’s engagement with the Mayor’s Office, City Council, City Departments, and other government agencies and outside partners. Pawlak received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from the University of Pittsburgh.
“I am honored to serve the people of Pittsburgh as Director of Office of Management and Budget,” said Pawlak. “With the support of City Council, I look forward to working with the Mayor and other Department leaders to fulfill the promise of making Pittsburgh a city that works for everyone.”
Gainey also announced three additional appointments to fill key positions on his executive team. Jake Wheatley has been appointed Chief of Staff, Felicity Williams, Esq. has been appointed Assistant Chief of Staff and Lisa Frank has been appointed Chief Operating and Administrative Officer. Wheatley’s position is effective February 1, 2022. Felicity and Lisa will assume their roles effective immediately.
Wheatley currently serves as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 19th district. He is the longest-serving African American member in the state House of Representatives and serves as the first African American to chair the House Professional Licensure Committee, which oversees the 29 professional boards and commissions that set the standards and practices of the state’s workforce. Wheatley is also an advocate for minority and women-owned business inclusion, quality and equitable education for all children, and social and criminal justice reforms.
Lisa previously served as Executive Vice President for Strategic Campaigns at SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania’s largest and fastest growing union of nurses and healthcare workers. In that role, Lisa helped tens of thousands of home care workers and hospital workers to form their unions and improve their jobs and the quality of the care that they deliver.
Felicity previously served as Programs & Policy Manager and Special Assistant to the President & CEO of the Hill CDC. In that role, she led economic development programs, drove effective and strategic communications, and shaped regional equitable development policy, including large scale developments, a commercial redevelopment task force, and legislative advocacy at both the local and federal level. She has also been engaged in criminal justice reform, education reform, and voter engagement in the region.
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