The Accelerator team benefits from the collective wisdom and expertise of a broad community—board members, investors, technical assistance providers, educators, and many others. We bring in these resources as needed to assist with our ventures. Please visit our Resources and Tools section for links to community resources and assets that are available to the nonprofit community.

Gerald Driggs, CEO

Suzanne Pace, Lead Writer and Project Analyst

As Lead Writer and Project Analyst at The Accelerator, Suzanne works with a compassionate yet critical eye when distilling the words, ideas, and concepts of The Accelerator ventures. "Our ventures have incredible vision and brilliant ideas, but are sometimes limited by language and convention. My job is to help them tell their story; from a small kernel of an idea, to a logical beginning, middle, and end, so they can concentrate on being creative, and our Accelerator team can get to the business of making their vision a reality!"

Suzanne spent over ten years teaching literature, creative and professional writing, and English as a Second Language, to both young people and adults. After a decade in New York City, and two years in the Middle East (as a Fulbright Fellow), she returned to Pittsburgh where she dove into non-profit leadership and the arts. Her work as an independent consultant specializing in project management, development strategies/fundraising, and capacity building, fused her passion for the creative community with straightforward organizational and implementation practices.

Suzanne volunteers with several organizations throughout Pittsburgh including The Brew House Association, Bricolage, WYEP, The Mattress Factory, Cities of Asylum, Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, Planned Parenthood, and Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.

Amanda Samko, Communications Manager and Administrative Director

As the Communications Manager and Administrative Director, Amanda keeps The Accelerator machine humming and running. She has spent much of her career supervising general operations and implementing marketing strategies with some very cool Pittsburgh-based companies including; Sim Ops Studios, a start-up company that develops virtual training software for fire departments, and Landslide Technologies, also a software company that specializes in software communication tools for sales.

When she's not running The Accelerator she's running the streets of Pittsburgh. Literally! Amanda is an annual participant in Race for the Cure, the Great Race, and the YMCA Turkey Trot. Her interest in supporting non-profits and connecting with community-based initiatives are what brought her to The Accelerator. "It's great to be part of a company whose mission you support and stand behind 100%". Amanda fuses her professional background in business and marketing with her personal interest in supporting the non-profit community, and keeps everyone here at The Accelerator moving forward and on their toes.

Katherine Harrell, Director of Special Programs + Outreach

Katherine's expertise in marketing, business, and entrepreneurship ideally positions her for facilitating the Gauge, the Accelerator's bi-monthly networking and workshop sessions specializing in regional issues related to social enterprise and other special project-based initiatives.

While still in college, Katherine put her creative ingenuity, sense of design, business acumen, and love of vintage magazines and ephemera to work when she founded a handbag company with grant monies and prizes she received from West Virginia University's annual Business Plan Competition: $10,000 cash, free legal, accounting and printing services, and a year of free office space. K. Lianna Design was born.

With her combined degrees in Business and Textiles, Apparel, and Merchandising, Katherine has grown K. Lianna Design from a small, boutique-handbag company, to an internationally recognized business specializing in custom designed accessories, garnering recognized in trade publications such as WWD and Show & Tell magazine.

Katherine launched a line of K. Lianna bags for Little Earth Productions Inc., the Pittsburgh-based eco-fashion company before joining the national retailer, American Eagle Outfitters, where she worked in merchandising. Her team-orientated nature and organizational know-how keep the Accelerator moving forward and out into the community.

Heather Mediate, Venture Manager

As a Venture Manager, Heather gets to ask “the hard questions” and then bring together the combined resources of the Accelerator to solve them, including her own extensive experience in business management, marketing, and communications.  She works primarily with non-profit organizations who are engaged in social enterprise, as well as those who are considering social enterprise as a means of diversifying their income streams.

 Before joining the Accelerator, Heather worked with a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations in the Pittsburgh area, including the YMCA, B₂ Inc., Shady Ave Magazine, and Center for Creative Play.  She specifically enjoys bringing practical business approaches to the non-profit community, and helping them to identify ways in which they can successfully engage in social enterprise.

Heather enjoys getting out into the Pittsburgh community and exploring the many unique neighborhoods.  Originally from the mid-west, she has been a Pittsburgh resident for nearly a decade.  Through the Accelerator, she is able to engage at various levels with a variety of non-profit organizations dedicated to serving, and improving the place she calls home.

Mark R. Power, Venture Manager

Mark Power enjoyed a successful corporate/technology marketing career before co-founding and operating Kendra Power Design, a graphic/web design and marketing consulting firm, where he consulted with more than 20 non-profit organizations with operating budgets ranging from $250,000 to just under $40 million. Overseeing administrative and business development at the firm for nearly a decade, Mark continually kept profit margins steady, maintained a healthy cash flow, and operated the business with zero debt.

More recently, Mark served for two seasons as the managing director of Pittsburgh Public Theater where he was responsible for earned and contributed revenue via marketing and development initiatives. The organization consistently stays in the black and maintains a balanced operating budget.

Steve Taylor, Market Development Director

Steve has a very diversified sales management background ranging from Corporate Account Management in the hi-tech communications arena as well as being responsible for the opening of 26 tier two and tier three cities for a competitive communications provider. He also has owned and operated two retail stores specializing in casual living furniture as well as a full service fine dining restaurant. His skills in market recognition, market development and product positioning will be key in moving into new earned income initiatives for The Accelerator.

Chris Sandvig, Special Assignment

Chris brings nine years of business development and complex account management experience to The Accelerator, as well as healthy doses of social awareness, responsibility, and creativity. He combines these capacities to improve sustainability, something Chris has demonstrated through repairing and improving business relationships while building new interactions with complex customers.

Chris sits on the boards of the Highland Park Community Development Corporation and the Young Preservationists Association, and is an alumni Fellow of the Center for Progressive Leadership. His primary responsibility at The Accelerator is as interim Executive Director of the Heartwood Institute. In this role, Chris oversees the day-to-day operations of the Institute.  He is also working to develop strategic partnerships with educational institutions, foundations, and others that ensure the sustainability of this character education enterprise.

Erin Deasy, Research + Development

Erin is a recent graduate of the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy & Management at Carnegie Mellon University. Her graduate thesis project focused on identifying ways to stem the cycle of demolition in the neighboring town of Braddock, and much of her graduate studies concentrated on sustainable community development. As an Accelerator contractor, Erin adds a valuable perspective related to community initiates and neighborhood progress. Her hands-on team interaction and operational support and development are greatly valued. Simply put, she is a born and bred Pittsburgher, eager to give back to the city in every way possible.  

Denise Henning, CPA-Contractor

 
Denise has extensive experience working in Pittsburgh's financial community, bringing to the table her knowledge of standard accounting practices, non-profit auditing processes, accounting software, and the tax codes of the Internal Revenue Service.  She is able to quickly assess the financial status of an organization and make recommendations for changes in procedure that will allow for greater fiscal accountability, organization-wide.  Denise also works well in educating executive level staff, accounting personnel, administrative support, and non-profit Boards about their fiduciary responsibility and the "booking" and management of contributed income.  She is often able to take what is "in pieces" and put it together in such a way that creates a solid foundation for long-term financial, and thus social, success.