The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh will vote to approve a new executive director on Thursday. Susheela Nemani-Stanger is expected to become the first woman and first person of Indian descent to lead the agency.
Nemani-Stanger assumed the role of acting executive director of the URA upon Greg Flisram’s departure late last month.
“We are confident that Susheela's business acumen, inclusive leadership style, and care for our communities will facilitate the organization's mission with distinction,” URA board chair Kyle Chintalapalli wrote in a statement Wednesday.
“While I know other women have held the title of Interim and Acting Executive Director, this is the first time in the URA's history that a woman will hold this post on a permanent basis, and we could not be prouder,” he continued.
Nemani-Stanger first joined the URA in 2007 as a project specialist on economic development initiatives, eventually leading that department. According to Luis Segovia, director of HR at the URA, Nemani-Stanger was responsible for public-private partnerships related to the City’s Tax Increment Financing and Parking Taxing Diversion programs.
She went on to become deputy director of Allegheny County’s economic development office in April 2021, and returned to the URA last August as deputy executive director.
The URA’s board will vote on her appointment during its monthly meeting Thursday afternoon.
