Executive Leaders
Donald E. Evans
CEO & President – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP; EIC Management, LLC; and EIC Master Tenant, LLC
Don joined the Board of Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation in 2018 and served as an active Board Member and Treasurer before joining the management team as CEO and President in November 2021. While he began his business life as a corporate lawyer, Don brings a diverse range of experience, leading teams to sustainable growth in manufacturing and service industries and providing consultative services to entrepreneurs. Don has spent the majority of his career in customer-facing and solutions-focused roles and looks forward to applying his experience to further the mission of Pittsburgh Gateways in Pittsburgh and throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Don was raised on a 225-acre family farm in Virginia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs/Economics from George Washington University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia.
Robert A. Meeder, Ph.D
Senior Advisor and Board Member – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP; EIC Management, LLC; and EIC Master Tenant, LLC
Founding President of Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP; and Energy Innovation Center Institute, Inc. Chairman of the Boards of The Clemente Collection and Society and Energy Innovation Center Institute, Inc. Bob received his B.A. (Westminster), M.A. (Duquesne) and PhD (Pitt). He has extensive experience in post-secondary education; community based economic development and the formation and management/governance of private for profit and private not-for-profit partnerships. Dr. Meeder has led strategic planning, new venture development, substantial fund raising efforts and partnership development in 31 US states and 7 foreign countries. The majority of his current economic development activities are focused on the continuing development of the seven acre Energy Innovation Center complex.
William P. Miller
COO & VP – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP; EIC Management, LLC; and EIC Master Tenant, LLC
Chief Operating Officer of Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP. Bill joined Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation in 1999 with over 24 years of experience as an entrepreneur. Mr. Miller has found and managed private companies (MMS, Business Concepts, Vesta Designs, and Prism Fiber Optics) within the Pittsburgh region; previously had eight years of experience serving as a boat yard and steel fabrication field supervisor and coordinator of the technical training facility for Dravo Corporation’s Engineering Works Division. Mr. Miller’s current responsibilities at the Energy Innovation Center include: Managing all pre-construction design and construction phase development, LEED Certification, Women & Minority Participation Plan and implementation, Historic Tax Credit compliance, tenant leasing, land acquisition, corporate engagement and facility operations.
Additionally he is responsible for managing existing and establishing new partnership opportunities relating to commercial development and start-up companies. Within this role he has also select training program design and implementation responsibilities i.e. Intro to the Trades, Operating Engineers, Security Guard, business incubation work space and business assistance programs. Some of his previous responsibilities have included : Managing business incubator facility assessments, commercial development, installation and management of the Gateways program at various Centers of Technology e.g. Pittsburgh University Product Innovation Center, Center for Emergency Medicine, PantherlabWorks, Purdue Research Foundation Incubator, Northern Indiana Innovation Center, Hammond Technology Center and Valparaiso Technology Innovation Center. Other activities include management of technology exchange and business matching activities with the Japanese Government and serving as interim President and general manager for start-up companies.
Sharon Place
Development Officer – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP; EIC Management, LLC; and EIC Master Tenant, LLC
Fund and Program Development for Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation and PGI Inc., President of Connected Learning Academy, Development Consultant for the Clemente Museum, and Development Consultant for Koresh Dance Company. Board Member of the Fleisher Art Memorial. Sharon has material experience in both nonprofit fundraising and management. At Pittsburgh Gateways she is responsible for grant writing and development for multiple initiatives and incubator client selection and management. Previously to her work in the non-profit sector Sharon spent almost 20 years on Wall Street. She began her financial career on the International Trading Desk at JPMorgan, and built a successful Institutional Sales Trading desk from the ground up during her 14 year tenure at INTL FCStone. Sharon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Dance from Bucknell University.
Owen Hassell
Business Operations Manager – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP; EIC Management, LLC; and EIC Master Tenant, LLC
Owen Hassell joined Pittsburgh Gateways in 2022 after receiving a BSBA from West Virginia University. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Fellows class of 2023 and has experience helping companies develop tools for scaling businesses. Owen is a 3rd generation Pittsburgher and has a deep passion for the city and the neighborhoods around it.
At Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation and the Energy Innovation Center, Owen’s current responsibilities include leasing management, back office management, executive team support, process improvement, and manager of the Pittsburgh Green Innovators, Inc. co-workshop and incubator.
Holly Merriman
Project Manager, Clean Energy – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP
Holly Merriman joins Pittsburgh Gateways as the Project Manager for Clean Energy. The Project Manager position was created in response to a need for a partnership between corporations in the Clean Energy sector and the schools, vocational schools, apprenticeships and community agencies in Allegheny County to meet the increasing demand for skilled workers, with a focus on creating a pipeline of individuals from underserved communities to fill the gap in this growing sector.
Holly serves as Councilwoman and Finance Chair for Glen Osborne Borough and is a board member of The Pittsburgh Fellows. She comes to us with a background in Human Resources and Administration in banking, small business and the non-profit sector.
Holly was raised in New England and holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Allegheny College.
Stephen A. Guenther
Chief Operating Engineer – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP
Operating Engineer since 1997, I have worked in a variety of different building settings, to include: Central business district high rise office towers, suburban office complexes. The Energy Innovation Center is a mixed-use LEED Platinum project with equipment to include CCHP (combined cooling, heat, and power) micro turbines, chillers, ice farm, cooling towers, condensing boilers, single pass air systems, Laboratory equipment, DOAS systems and a commercial kitchen.
Daily responsibilities include developing written programs for compliance, operating, maintaining, and repairing the HVAC, plumbing, electrical, building automation, security, and life safety systems. Retro and continual commissioning of many subsystems to work cohesively as one system and to operate as efficiently as possible. Researching new technology feasibility and integration to the facility.
Steve works with architects, engineers, and contractors to provide planning and budgeting for renovations, adaptive reuse, and operation.
Joy Weber
Controller, Pittsburgh Gateways Corporations, Energy Innovation Center, LP, EIC Management LLC, IEC Master Tenant, LLC and Pittsburgh Green Innovators Inc.
Joy joined Pittsburgh Gateways in May 2023. Her background in accounting is deeply rooting in non-profit. She is a graduate of Duquesne University with a degree in business and accounting. Joy’s current responsibilities include all accounting functions as well as working with clients to assist in their successful business development.
Stuart L. Bell, CPA
Finance Director – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP; EIC Management, LLC and EIC Master Tenant, LLC
Stuart has over 40 years of tax and public accounting experience, including time with American Express Financial Services and Price Waterhouse. He has worked with Pittsburgh Gateways since 2004 handling financial transactions involving new market tax credits and historical tax credit investments during the various financing phases of the Energy Innovation Center project. He has significant experience in the venture and start-up arena, especially with early-stage funding. He was a co-founder of Idea Foundry, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit economic development company that provides funding to early-stage companies.
Stuart holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, an BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is licensed as a CPA in both Pennsylvania and California.
Karen Benner, LEED-AP, CGP
Director of Building Performance Programs
Karen fell in love with the idea of designing and building homes through a sixth-grade assignment. After earning degrees in engineering and construction management, she held a variety of roles in the production homebuilding industry for 20-years, contributing to the development of over 3,000 homes in six states. Early in her career, she recognized the significant impact the built environment has on our planet and our society. She holds several professional accreditations in sustainability and continues to educate herself on the intersection of housing, sustainability, health and environmental justice.
Prior to joining Pittsburgh Gateways, she spent 5-years as an independent consultant, helping contractors improve profit margins and reduce risk through better project management tools, collaboration, and operational efficiency.
As the Director of Building Performance Programs, Karen promotes workforce development & training, contractor growth & apprenticeships, and community outreach and awareness. She believes everyone deserves to live in a better built home & community, and she loves to collaborate with and support others who feel the same way.
Karen is a Pennsylvania native with family roots in the apple orchard industry in Adams County. She now resides in the Northside of Pittsburgh with her husband Billy; she is excited to contribute in the transition towards a healthier and more sustainable future for Western PA.
Advisory Team
C. Elise Arsenault
Elise is a senior executive with more than 20 years’ experience building global businesses. She is the founder and principal of Empire Eleven, a boutique strategy firm headquartered in New York. Elise consults with C-suite and senior management, Boards of Directors, Private Equity and Venture Capital principals. She provides advisory services and strategic operational support to optimize companies performance and accelerate growth. Her core competencies include merger integration and turnaround management as well as go-to-market strategy development. Elise has extensive experience in a wide range of industries, from industrial equipment to consumer packaged goods, with both public and privately held companies. She has worked with clients throughout North America, the UK and the Australia Pacific Region.
At Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation (PGC), Elise works with business incubator clients, and participates in various development and communications activities for PGC’s initiatives. Elise holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Economics from Bucknell University.
Reginald Cox
Facility Manager – Cox Management MPP
Reggie received his MPM from Carnegie Mellon University where he was part of the 2010 $1Million Hult Global Case Challenge winning team. He and his team designed a solution addressing early childhood education for OLPC. In addition to a CMU Master’s Degree, he holds several Homeland Security certificates and was certified by the NGICP in green infrastructure construction, inspection & maintenance.
Shannon Kelly David
Events Director – Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation; Energy Innovation Center, LP Innovation Center complex.
Board of Directors for Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation, Energy Innovation Center, LP; EIC Management, LLC; and EIC Master Tenant, LLC
Reynolds Clark
Board chair
Retired Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, University of Pittsburgh
Dan Leri
Vice-Chair
Director, Innovation Park, Penn State University
Ann Dugan
Senior Managing Director, Family Office Exchange, Retired Founder and Assistant Dean, Katz Graduate School of Business, Institute of Entrepreneurial Excellence, University of Pittsburgh
Tim McNulty
Associate Vice President of Government Relations, Carnegie Mellon University
Steffan Johnson
Founder and CEO of R Kyndall Development Group, a Pennsylvania Minority
Business Enterprise
Linda R. Thomson
President and CEO of Johnstown Area Regional Industries (JARI)
Michael Kane
President, Community Foundation for the Alleghenies
Eleni Lucido
Vice President Global Business Services for
MSA Safety, Inc. (MSA), a NYSE listed, global leader in safety products and solutions.
Paul Svoboda
Senior Governmental Relations Representative at Duquesne Light Co
Robert Meeder
Senior Advisor to Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation
Stephen Robinson
Stephen Robinson
Managing Partner, Pittsburgh Equity Partners LP