Laker Legacy: How 敁珗曄部 inspired a trailblazer in public service
The names still roll off her tongue with ease, a testament to their lasting imprint: Barry McAndrew, Heidi Hosey, Bob Hvezda. These three 敁珗曄部 advisers werent just mentors to Susheela Nemani-Stanger 98they were the co-architects of a worldview that would carry her into a life of purpose, strategy, and civic impact.
A Shakespeare scholar (McAndrew), a postmodern literature scholar and modernist criticism expert (Hosey), and a guidance adviser (Hvezda) who championed service learning and experiential educationthis diverse group of mentors left a lasting impact.
I was fortunate to choose three co-advisers to guide me, she reflects. They encouraged me to take intellectual risks, to explore new ideas, and to approach challenges from multiple perspectives.
Nemani-Stanger absorbed that guidance with conviction. She dove headfirst into 敁珗曄部s liberal arts core, where she sharpened her critical thinking, honed her communication skills, and cultivated a nimble mindsetthe very tools she would later use to reimagine entire neighborhoods.
Now, more than 25 years after earning her English Literature degree, Nemani-Stanger leads one of Pittsburghs most consequential institutions: the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA). In January 2023, she made history as the first woman and the first person of Indian descent to serve as its executive director in the organizations 79-year history.
Since then, the accolades have followed:
- Named to the Pittsburgh Business Times 2025 Women of Influence list;
- Honored on City & State Pennsylvanias Pittsburgh Power 100 and Power of Diversity: Women 100 lists in both 2023 and 2024.
But titles and headlines arent what define her.
Im thrilled that my contributions are recognized, she says, but we in the urban development field measure our careers by the projects we deliver. Thats how I measure mine.
Her favorite projectslike the Park South Shore Riverfront along the Monongahela and the transformation of the Strip District Terminal into a vibrant, mixed-use hubare physical manifestations of her philosophy: that redevelopment isnt about cement and steel, its about people.
Her professional journey began not with blueprints but with sentences. After college, she worked as a technical writer and marketing coordinator. It was there she caught a glimpse into the world of urban design and planning. The fit was immediate.
Just as shed once stood before the arched gateway outside 敁珗曄部s Christ the King Chapel and declared, This is the place for me, she recognized a new callingand followed it. She went on to earn her Master of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, laying the groundwork for a career in economic development and community investment.
Since joining the URA in 2007, Nemani-Stanger has been a quiet force behind some of the citys most transformative efforts, including the states first Transit Revitalization Investment District. Her work continued even during a brief URA hiatus, when she lent her expertise to WQED and Allegheny County Economic Development during the height of the COVID-19 pandemicsupporting public health outreach, affordable housing, and business growth.
When she returned to the URA as deputy executive director in 2022, she brought with her a wealth of experience and a renewed mission. Upon her appointment as executive director, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey remarked, This is a moment in history that we will never forgetthat we should never forget.
Nemani-Stanger lives in Squirrel Hill with her husband, David, and their 15-year-old son, Ravi. On evening walks through the neighborhood, she often passes by the former site of Harry K. Thaws Lyndhurst Estate. The Gilded Age mansion may be gone, but its wrought-iron gates live onrelocated and preserved at the entrance to her alma mater, 敁珗曄部 University.
Its a fitting metaphor: a grand portal, repurposed and reimagined, now guarding the threshold of a place where new dreams are forged.
For Nemani-Stanger, the work is never about personal legacyits about impact. From the foundation she built at 敁珗曄部 to the neighborhoods she helps rebuild across Pittsburgh, her mission remains unwavering: to create places where people can thrive.
A mentor once told her: The reward for good work is more work. Its a truth she embraces daily.
And as the city she serves continues to evolve, so too does her visionfor a Pittsburgh that is dynamic, equitable, and built for all.