About Us

Inspired by other walks of fame across the country, the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame is a vision that has been nurtured for more than a decade by dedicated individuals who are excited to see the project finally on the cusp of becoming a reality. The nonprofit organization behind the endeavor is now officially incorporated and moving forward to determine a site for the Walk.

Our Leadership Team

The course ahead for the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame is being charted by a committed group of civic, corporate, and community leaders who have a deep appreciation for the Pittsburgh region and who share an enthusiasm for celebrating the highly talented people of southwestern Pennsylvania who have left their mark on America.

Nancy Polinsky Johnson

Executive Director

Known to many in the Pittsburgh area for her 30-plus years as the co-host of cooking shows and other public television programs on WQED, Nancy is also the former publisher and editor of Shady Ave, a quarterly magazine highlighting Pittsburgh’s East End, the Fox Chapel area, and Oakmont. In 2022, she sold the magazine specifically to focus on bringing her vision of a Pittsburgh Walk of Fame to fruition. Nancy was inspired to launch this initiative after visiting other walks of fame around the country.

Board of Directors

James Rudolph

President

An entrepreneur and developer, formerly with McKnight Capital Partners, Jim has extensive experience as both a franchisor and a franchisee in the food and beverage industry, leading numerous businesses to success. A native Pittsburgher, he is involved in numerous philanthropic causes in our area and beyond, and he dedicated himself to the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame in the project’s earliest stages. He says he looks forward to someday taking his grandchildren to the site of the Walk and telling them he helped create it.

Tripp Clarke

Vice-President

Co-founder and formerly an owner of the local marketing agency Blink, Tripp is currently the director of operational initiatives for the company. He was also a founding board member of what is now Aspinwall Neighbors, and he served on the board of Foxwall Emergency Medical Service and as vice-president of the Fox Chapel Racquet Club. In addition, Tripp co-authored Pittsburgh Born, Pittsburgh Bred for the Heinz History Center, a book highlighting 500 noteworthy people who have called Pittsburgh home.

Michael Goldstein

Treasurer

Michael is the chief financial officer for Walnut Capital, one of Pittsburgh’s premier real estate management and development companies. He is a certified public accountant and a licensed Pennsylvania attorney with nearly four decades of experience in financial management, tax law, and real estate finance. Michael has also been a founding board member and president or treasurer of several local nonprofits, including Dress for Success Pittsburgh, Bike Share, and Carriage House Children’s Center.

Geraldine Jones

Secretary

Serving as president of California University of Pennsylvania from 2012 to 2020, Gerri was the first woman, and the first person of color, to hold that position. During her tenure she instituted a system of shared governance that brought faculty, staff, and students into the decision-making process, and she launched Cal U’s first doctoral programs. Now retired after 46 years in education, Gerri sits on several boards, including Adagio Health and the Washington County Community Foundation.

Kenya T. Boswell

As the senior vice president for community affairs at Highmark Health, Kenya oversees the company’s community affairs in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and New York. She previously served as the director of global impact citizenship at BNY Mellon, as well as president of BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Kenya also worked at Duquesne Light Company as a senior community relations representative. She sits on a variety of nonprofit boards.

Diana Bucco

President of The Buhl Foundation and former president of The Forbes Fund, Diana launched the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, a growing coalition of more than 500 nonprofit organizations leveraging their collective power. She was also the founding executive director of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership and The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Diana has extensive experience sitting on boards, including Point Park University and Riverlife.

Joel Burstein

Joel is the CEO and founder of BEAM Collaborative, an advisory firm that creates strategic partnerships between large regional institutions and small, minority-owned businesses that generate job creation and regional growth. A successful entrepreneur, Joel’s first startup was Keep it Simple Training and Development. He previously led a team of 70 at Raymond James and has consulted at all levels of management, from the CEO to the front-line supervisor. Joel has sat on many boards.

Hilda Pang Fu

Hilda is a social entrepreneur and advocate for inclusiveness and gender equality. She founded and is president of Luminari, a nonprofit summer program for teens, with a mission of broadening minds and promoting community engagement. Hilda has sat on a number of nonprofit boards. In addition, she founded Pittsburgh Regional Champions and served as director of external relations at University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences and as executive director of summer programs at Point Park University.

Martha Isler

Retired from a public policy career focused on early childhood education, Mardi is now a busy community volunteer. She is currently president of the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition and sits on the board of Community College of Allegheny County. Among her many other activities, Mardi was also a founding board member and president of Allies for Children, chair of the City of Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission, president of Uncover Squirrel Hill, and a founding board member of Tree Pittsburgh.

Rick Sebak

A nationally recognized public television producer, writer, and on-air host, Rick is one of Pittsburgh’s most beloved media personalities. During his 37 years at WQED, he has chronicled local and regional history and highlighted numerous people in a series of popular and engaging documentaries, becoming Pittsburgh’s premiere storyteller. His TV specials have covered topics ranging from Fred Rogers, Kennywood Park, and roadside attractions to Pittsburgh churches, rivers, and neighborhoods.

A Note from the Executive Director

More than a decade ago, my older son and I were on a trip to St. Louis when we stopped to visit an impressive walk of fame celebrating famous people from that area. My immediate thought was, “How in the world does Pittsburgh not have such a monument?”

From medicine and music to theater and technology, Pittsburgh has left its mark all over the world. It's sometimes easy to take for granted the impact that southwestern Pennsylvania has had around the globe—and more strongly across America. This nonprofit initiative is intended to remind locals, as well as show visitors, what a special place Pittsburgh is, along with its surrounding region.

—Nancy Polinsky Johnson