Kelly Strayhorn Theater Co-Executive Directors Joseph Hall and Melanie Paglia join Heinz Endowments President and podcast host Chris DeCardy to kick off the seventh season of “We Can Be.”

Named after two legendary Pittsburghers — actor and dancer Gene Kelly and jazz composer, pianist and lyricist Billy Strayhorn — the Kelly Strayhorn Theater is a vibrant hub for creative theater and dance experimentation, community dialogue, and collective action in the liberation of Black and queer people.

The Kelly Strayhorn’s arts-focused career development, innovative ticket-pricing model and thoughtful, dynamic programming have made it a beloved regional arts anchor while garnering national attention for its inclusive approach to all it does.

“Inclusivity cannot only live in our mission statement or on the stage alone,” says Melanie. “It has to affect who has access to the space, who is resourced, who is centered and who's paid. It has to affect who feels welcome, who gets to experiment, who gets to make decisions and who gets to shape what comes next.”

Joseph and Melanie both bring extensive management experience from other renowned arts entities to their roles as co-executive directors. Joseph served as Deputy Director of the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance in New York City, and Melanie was a director at the Andrew Carnegie Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.

Joseph and Melanie are respected leaders, holding a strong belief in community-centered cultural institutions owning their space, and successfully guiding playwrights, performers, and directors to acclaimed careers.

“Culture is the soul of community, and art is the expression of that soul,” says Joseph. “I think art looks at our culture, it looks at us, and It reflects back. It asks questions about how we are living.”

Notes on this episode: Special commentary for this episode by Jasmin DeForrest, Endowments Managing Director of Arts & Culture. Produced by Scott Roller with research assistance by Becky Brindle; Technical production by Josh Franzos and Tim Murray of Treehouse Media. Guest image: Josh Franzos. Subscribe, listen and share episodes on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

Andy Conte, founding Executive Director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University and author of “Death of the Daily News: How Citizen Gatekeepers Can Save Local Journalism,” joins Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy for this episode of “We Can Be.”

From the arrest of journalists in Minneapolis to the loss of legacy newspapers like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the future of the news is on everyone’s mind.

Andy Conte knows the power of investigative journalism through his past reporting for the Cincinnati Post and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He is also at the forefront of the future of journalism through his leadership at the Center for Media Innovation.

Since its founding in 2015, the Center has become a national leader in supporting local journalism by advancing technology, training and collaboration between both long-time reporters and student journalists.

Beyond the loss of government accountability that comes with the closing of local news outlets, community cohesiveness is also at risk, according to Andy. “What's most interesting about local news now is how it knits people together,” he says. “And when it diminishes, those connections get frayed.”

Despite the extraordinary challenges facing the industry, Andy is optimistic about the future of news if it is approached with an openness to technology and collaboration between news outlets and trained citizen journalists.

“This current generation of young reporters is the most engaged and interested that I've seen since the Watergate era,” he says. “They want to hold power to account, and they want their communities to be better places because of their work.”

Notes on this episode: Special commentary by Matt Barron, Endowments Director of Civic Participation. Produced by Scott Roller, Endowments Strategic Communications Manager; technical production by Josh Franzos and Tim Murray of Treehouse Media. Subscribe, listen and share episodes on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

Sonya Tilghman, Executive Director of Hazelwood Initiative, joins Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy for this episode of “We Can Be.”

Communities experiencing the exit of major economic drivers often face a fresh challenge when revitalization opportunities arise: how to ensure that their voice will be heard and respected so new business investments don’t push them out of their longtime homes and neighborhoods.

Raised in Washington D.C., Sonya came to Pittsburgh through an AmeriCorps position that sparked her interest in the intricacies of public policy, especially how it often seemed to lack input from the very people it was meant to serve.

Sonya has spent nearly 25 years empowering individuals and communities so they can share in the success of revitalization efforts. For the past decade she has led Hazelwood Initiative, an organization that works to build futures in communities where economic reinvention doesn’t mean displacement, and residents have healthy homes and thriving green spaces.

Located on the shore of the Monongahela River three miles from Downtown Pittsburgh, Hazelwood is obviously dear to Sonya's heart as demonstrated by her commitment to its people, organizations and environment.

Her work to ensure the residents benefit from the major research and tech entities that have moved into the community’s Hazelwood Green development has gained her much-deserved respect.

Likewise, her emphasis on uplifting the community’s greenways and trails has brought recognition from the United Nations Climate Conference and the National Recreation & Parks Association.

“I think we can be a place where we all prosper,” Sonya says. “And I also believe we can be a place where that cost doesn’t come at the expense of vulnerable people.”

Notes on this episode: Special commentary by Rob Stephany, Endowments Senior Director of Community & Economic Development. Produced by Scott Roller, Endowments Strategic Communications Manager; technical production by Josh Franzos and Tim Murray of Treehouse Media. Subscribe, listen and share episodes on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy welcomes Gillian Graber, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Protect PT. The grassroots community-based nonprofit works to protect southwestern Pennsylvania residents from the harmful health and environmental impacts of fossil fuel activity.

Gillian and her family settled in Penn-Trafford, an idyllic borough located along the border of Westmoreland and Allegheny counties near Pittsburgh, in part because of its promise of clean air and water.

Shortly after moving into their home, the oil and gas industry encroached on their neighborhood. Legal roadblocks and frustration with the ineffectiveness of government agencies spurred Gillian and her husband to found Protect PT in 2014.

Protect PT’s early grassroots fundraising included selling candy bars and popcorn to cover attorney fees. “I literally ran behind the school bus, handing out flyers to moms after they got their kids on the bus,” Gillian tells Chris. “I became an accidental activist.”

In the past decade, the organization has grown to a staff of nine and expanded its work to include policy analysis and community environmental education. This increased impact has led to international recognition through a partnership with outdoor apparel company Patagonia’s Dublin, Ireland, location.

“One person speaking up is not enough. Communities need to speak up,” Gillian said. “Despite the disparity, despite the amount of money that this industry has, people really have to be fearless and have a sense of conviction.”

“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Special commentary in this episode by Endowments Senior Director of Climate, Environment & Health Philip Johnson. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. Host and guest photos: Josh Franzos. Guest inquiries: Scott Roller at [email protected]. Subscribe, listen and share new “We Can Be” episodes every two weeks on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy welcomes Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Kendra leads the Trust in overseeing one of the largest and most complex downtown arts and culture districts in the country.

With a dedication to inclusive and diverse programming, she began her arts management journey with a Duquesne University undergraduate internship with the Pittsburgh Opera. Kendra circled back to the city in 2023 after two decades of leadership positions at renowned arts organizations across the United States.

“We’re an economic engine that is utilizing arts and culture as the vehicle to drive excitement, community and activation in Downtown,” says Kendra. “We use data and community input to understand exactly what those who attend our performances and events want from a Downtown experience, and we work with our partners to provide it.”

In the past four decades, that approach has helped the Cultural Trust spur a dramatic transformation of Downtown Pittsburgh’s red-light district of the ‘70s and ‘80s to a vibrant, nationally recognized destination for arts and culture programming. The multitude of historic venues and outdoor public spaces managed by the Trust cover more than a million square feet of Downtown real estate across 14 blocks.

With a $600 million Downtown revitalization plan underway that includes Arts Landing, a 4.5-acre riverside park with performance spaces and public art installations, Kendra and the Trust will have even more opportunities to bring an increased range of arts and culture to residents and visitors alike.

“We work to showcase national and internationally recognized artists as well as our region’s own top-notch creatives in world-class spaces,” says Kendra. “That magic combination gives us one of the most vibrant arts ecosystems in the country.”

Learn more about that creative magic in this episode of “We Can Be.”

“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Special commentary in this episode by Endowments Managing Director of Arts & Culture Jasmin DeForrest. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. Host and guest photos: Josh Franzos. Guest inquiries: Scott Roller at [email protected]. Subscribe, listen and share new “We Can Be” episodes every two weeks on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy welcomes Chris Baxter, CEO, President and Founding Editor of Spotlight PA, an independent, non-partisan and nonprofit news organization dedicated to holding those in power accountable.

Mr. Baxter has more than two decades of journalism experience and has built his impressive career on a commitment to challenging that status quo. He leads Spotlight PA’s partnerships with over 90 newsrooms, the largest collaborative distribution network of its kind in the United States.

“Spotlight PA holds our elected officials accountable because they are making decisions that affect everyone’s day-to-day life,” said Mr. Baxter. “We need trusted regional news that fights back against the noise of the national conversation, which threatens to overpower our dialogue with local, county, city and state officials.”

Founded in 2019 to address Pennsylvania’s declining state of local journalism, Spotlight PA has had substantial impact that has made it a model of independent journalism for other states across our nation. The organization’s investigations have saved taxpayers an estimated $20 million dollars and prompted 36 local, state and federal policy changes that enhance transparency across the commonwealth.

Mr. Baxter was awarded the 2025 News Media Industry Executive of the Year by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association for his innovation, integrity and commitment to the future of local news.

“The Spotlight PA model is an opportunity to retake journalism and bring people back into the fold,” he said. “And with that trust comes an incredible power to help people solve the real problems in their lives.”

“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Special commentary in this episode by Endowments Program Director of Civic Participation Matt Barron. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. Host and guest photos: Josh Franzos. Guest inquiries: Scott Roller at [email protected]. Subscribe, listen and share new “We Can Be” episodes every two weeks on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy welcomes Women for a Healthy Environment Executive Director Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis to “We Can Be.”

In 2007 a group of about 20 women attended an information-sharing conference in Pittsburgh that addressed links between environmental factors and women’s health. After the gathering, they determined that there was a need for continued questions and answers, research and community organizing. Three years later, with support from The Heinz Endowments, Women for a Healthy Environment was born.

“When Women for a Healthy Environment was publicly launched, we were bringing a lot of new information to communities about environmental hazards that they hadn’t heard about,” Michelle said. “Fifteen years later, I feel like our research, education and awareness-building about environmental hazards has helped drive a transformative journey to more awareness, knowledge and organizing.”

The daughter of a police chief and school superintendent, Michelle followed in her parents’ footsteps by choosing a path focused on public service to the community.

In recent years, she has guided Women for a Healthy Environment as the organization expanded its work with a significant presence in Philadelphia. That partnership with the Philadelphia Regional Center for Children’s Environmental Health and the University of Pennsylvania aligns with WHE’s data-focused approach to its work.

Michelle shares how Women for a Healthy Environment is making a national impact on lead removal in schools and homes, why significantly more women than men identify the environment as a primary concern, and how the organization’s Eco-Student Stewardship Program is inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.

“Our work has shown us that our youngest environmentalists are informed and ready,” Michelle says. “We are in good hands.”

“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Special commentary in this episode by Endowments Senior Director of Climate, Environment & Health Philip Johnson. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. Host and guest photos: Josh Franzos. Guest inquiries: Scott Roller at [email protected]. Subscribe, listen and share new “We Can Be” episodes every two weeks on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy welcomes Matt Galluzzo, the president and CEO of Riverlife, which serves as the north star for the redevelopment of Pittsburgh’s riverfronts with high-quality design, accessibility and environmental integrity.

From ancient Greek philosophy to our country’s own Native American history, cultures around the world have embraced variations of the phrase “water is life.” Millions will see the life that the Pittsburgh region has built along its rivers when the NFL draft comes to Pittsburgh in April of 2026.

Much of the beauty, public green space and vibrant activity along Pittsburgh’s Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio rivers can be traced to Riverlife. The organization was established in 1999 with key support from the Endowments and Heinz family members who recognized the enormous potential of visually and environmentally sound riverfronts.

“For me, the real beauty of what we’ve accomplished is that generations from now, people we will never meet are going to benefit from our work,” Matt says. “It is with this longitudinal view that we have developed our community-informed plans to ensure that folks in 30 or 40 years are going to have a healthy, high-quality experience on our riverfronts.”

Prior to joining Riverlife in 2019, Matt led the creation and implementation of the first Community Land Trust in western Pennsylvania and oversaw $200 million in public and private investment for the thriving riverfront neighborhood of Lawrenceville.

Immerse yourself in Riverlife’s successes, challenges and the high bar it has set as a national leader in riverfront preservation and sustainable development on this episode of “We Can Be.”

“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Special commentary in this episode by Endowments Managing Director of Arts & Culture Jasmin DeForrest. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. Host and guest photos: Josh Franzos. Guest inquiries: Scott Roller at [email protected]. Subscribe, listen and share new “We Can Be” episodes every two weeks on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

“Together, a network of public health professionals, air quality scientists, advocates and community groups can move the needle on air pollution,” Breathe Project Executive Director Matt Melahik tells host Chris DeCardy, president of The Heinz Endowments.

Founded with support from The Heinz Endowments in 2011 and now an independent organization, the Breathe Collaborative and its communications platform Breathe Project have set a national standard for community-centered, data-informed environmental groups.

Two of their innovative tracking systems have gained national attention. Their Breathe Cam project is a 24/7 live video feed showing visual components of air quality in multiple locations. Their Smell PGH app, developed in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab (Community, Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment), gives citizens an easy way to report their air quality experiences.  

With a doctorate in systems engineering and as a professor teaching sustainability and environment policy at Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, Matt has helped guide a new generation of young people to environmental action.

Matt is co-author of “Ethical and Environmental Challenges to Engineering,” and is smart, caring and deeply dedicated to improving the air we share. Listen, learn and be inspired to act with this episode of “We Can Be.”

“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Special commentary in this episode by Endowments Climate, Environment & Health Senior Director Philip Johnson. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. Host and guest photos: Josh Franzos. Guest inquiries: Scott Roller at [email protected]. Subscribe, listen and share new “We Can Be” episodes every two weeks on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”

“My dream for every child is that they understand that there are no limits,” Demeshia Seals tells Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy.

Demeshia is chief executive officer of the Sarah Heinz House, established by food entrepreneur H.J. Heinz’s son Howard Heinz on Pittsburgh’s North Side in 1901 as a resource for boys from immigrant families.

Two years later the Sarah Heinz House had the distinction of being the first organization of its kind in the country to serve both boys and girls at a time when doing so was unprecedented. It has given youth community-building experiences in sports, nature, well-being and life skills ever since. Its accomplishments gained national attention once again when the organization became a charter member of the national Boys and Girls Clubs of America in 1930.

Demeshia joined the Sarah Heinz House in 2023, bringing decades of experience with companies including Massaro Construction and Nike Inc., where she led its skills development programs.

She now leads the Sarah Heinz House in serving more than 1,000 youth annually and in recent years has expanded its programs to include adults over age 60 and to focus on STEM, robotics and workforce development.

“It’s important that we change the manner in which we speak about what opportunity looks like and what success truly is for our young people,” Demeshia says. “Let's not shackle them with our limited understanding of what their opportunities could be. Let’s give them space to dream and become who they are meant to be.”

“We Can Be” is hosted by Heinz Endowments President Chris DeCardy, and produced by the Endowments, Josh Franzos and Tim Murray. Special commentary in this episode by Endowments Vice President Carmen Anderson. Theme music by Josh Slifkin. Host and guest photos: Josh Franzos. Guest inquiries: Scott Roller at [email protected]. Subscribe, listen and share new “We Can Be” episodes every two weeks on all major podcast platforms. Use search term “Heinz We Can Be.”