Business as Usual: Sabrina Saunders Mosby, Vibrant Pittsburgh

So good afternoon, everyone. This is Audrey Russo, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, always thrilled to be here mid day and talking to some really incredible people each and every day, you couldn't ask for more fun. And this is just an honor to be able to do this. So we in a moment, I'm going to introduce our guest who's at the helm of vibrant Pittsburgh. But before we do, I'd like to just set up the show and get a few things out of the way. But Jonathan Kersting with us, Jonathan, I don't mean you're out of the way, that's not what I meant. But Jonathan kersting is vice president of all things, media and storytelling at the tech Council. And he's doing a lot of interesting things, including developing our micro site, which is get PGH, you're gonna see some new things that come out of there, as well as all the storytelling and interviewing that he does each and every day, he's going to be monitoring the chat to see if we have any questions, and make this sort of a lively discussion. So I'm thrilled about that. I also want to give a shout out to Huntington bank who's been with us every leg of the journey, they've been fantastic partners. And I know they're very busy with the second round of PPP. But if you don't know anyone at Huntington bank, let us know, we're happy to connect you with all the services that they actually offer. And then there's 40 by 80. That's the longitude and latitude of Pittsburgh. But more importantly, it's the wholly owned subsidiary of the Pittsburgh tech Council, it's our nonprofit. And you're gonna see a lot of exciting things that come out of 40 by 80. We've done a bunch of things this year, this last year, with educators and with teachers and with students. And the focus there is on on entrepreneurship and development of pipeline. And for the people who are here in our region, making sure that they have access to tech and innovation. So happy about that. And you'll hear more about that as the months go by. So we've muted your chat, just so that we can make sure that we hear you know our guest today with as much clarity as possible, and an opportunity to ask questions. We try to run this casually. But our guest is our focus. So today we have Sabrina Saunders Mosby She is at the helm of an organization called vibrant Pittsburgh. She like many others are joining us from her home office, where she's been, she just told me since March, but we are going to safe and sound but I want to bring her to the forefront. And just say first of all, thank you for joining us. Second of all, how are you?

Well, good afternoon, everyone. And hello again, Audrey. Thanks so much for having me. How am I I am managing is how I'm doing. So it's noon, my day typically starts about quarter to six. And that time I'm trying to just get through some emails before my amazing new six month old son wakes up smiling and ready for action. I typically do not put on a lip gloss or brush my hair until about noon. So we're right on the

look great. You look great. It looks like it's right about time. So how are you holding up through all this? you doing? Okay? Your mother have a new have a newborn? Although he's he's not a newborn anymore. Yeah, I'm doing.

I'm doing I'm doing as well as can be expected. I'll tell you that. You know, motherhood has certainly changed the way that I lead beforehand, obviously. And before the pandemic, we were in office, we were really just getting into the swing of things. I started vibrant in 2019, November 2019. So right before the pandemic hit. So my leadership and motherhood, my new leadership and motherhood collided. And so I will say that this new perspective that I have leading a family, and also an organization that is right in the middle of working to support our region's businesses, as it relates to diversity, equity inclusion, in the middle of two pandemics has been quite a challenge, but one that has stretched me in ways that I think will benefit the region, and hopefully myself in some way for years to come.

Hopefully, you're doing some things to take care of yourself as well.

Absolutely. I have a flexible schedule. And I have the, you know the ability to do that, as the leader of an organization. Not everyone is afforded that, that flexibility, but I have a flexible schedule that I try and stick to and create barriers that allow me to be productive at work, and also manage my family and my personal life.

So So tell us a little bit about your background, your professional background, and just some of the stops you've made along the way.

Absolutely. So I mentioned that I joined vibrant Pittsburgh in November of 2019. My background includes a tour in local and federal government. And then I took a long trip over to what I consider the lighter side of life into nonprofit. I spent my earlier years working in local government in the mayor's office and a former United States Congressman, working on policy issues that always in some way, shape or form focused on education, young and young people, but a bit of time focusing on our immigrant population and an immigration specifically, my passion and commitment to community, I would say, is what pulled me into the work of nonprofits working for the Urban League, running education and youth development there under Esther Bush, to leading nonprofits, like strong women, strong girls and the choral Center for Civic leadership. I we mentioned and I and we joked a little bit earlier that Audrey has pretty much been an integral part of creating many of the organizations that I have come to lead. And so you're part of my I would say, my background as well.

Yeah, it's pretty funny. It is. And so it's great to see you here. You know, being you're in the middle of just such an interesting times right now, right, I mean, and in debt. And I'm saying that just superficially, because there's a lot more depth to that. The Count, the tech council actually was part of the original planning committee to form vibrant Pittsburgh, and I can't remember what year that was, was that 2007.

It was around 2007, where it was originally decided that the organization would form but vibrant as it stands has been in existence for about 10 years in this current state.

Right, so Neela Wani, who is a longtime entrepreneur, and passionate about Pittsburgh, and all good things has really been at the forefront of trying to drive that agenda. And he was on our board at the tech council at the time. So it's just great to be able to see what's happened over this over this journey. So now let's just dive in a little bit to vibe and Pittsburgh talk about what give us your pitch, what do you do? Why do you do it? And we're gonna get into the index a little bit and some of the other things that you're you're spearheading?

Sure. So, as I mentioned, it's been about 10 years. So for the last decade, vibrant Pittsburgh has been at the forefront of moving diversity, equity and inclusion into the strategies of our region's businesses. And so what we know to be true is that region just won't move forward if anyone is left behind. And so we work to make sure that we're diving deeper, and committing in ways that we've we've never before under my leadership, and in the midst of this untimely and unseen pandemic of social unrest, and also COVID-19. We have seen how racial inequity has really plagued our country in our region. We've seen numerous numerous companies and local businesses implement things like furloughs and numerous layoffs. And as we turn the corner, and and see people coming back to work, one of the things that we're focused on as it relates to our work at vibrant is making sure that there's an equitable return. We believe that inclusion is something that you build into into the structure of your organization. And so if you want a diverse and inclusive environment, you build it that way. Now, companies have an opportunity to do that.

And so talk about some of the services talk about you know, talk about your products. And if and if there are people who are on this call, want to understand how to get engaged, why, why should they what are the kinds of offerings that you have?

Absolutely, and so vibrant. Pittsburgh is a membership organization. We support our region's businesses through memberships. Focusing on welcoming and retaining diverse population, we know that we really need to beef up our efforts to not just attract but retain the diverse talent that is already here. And fiber in Pittsburgh helps to support our employers, colleges, universities, by promoting and implementing efforts designed to welcome and retain more diverse talent, specifically, something that's well known throughout the region is our dine around. So we welcome executive members of color those that have relocated to the region and those that have been elevated within companies to join a diverse group of individuals that really helps to build a culture of inclusion for them and increases retention. It's really popular Also data and education, we serve as the region's central resource and spokesperson and convener on workforce diversity and inclusion issues. And so we can provide benchmarking data, support information around industry, and sector to help you determine how you want to show up in this particular space and diversity, equity inclusion, work with a diversity diversity practitioner that you have on staff or support you if capacity in that area is an issue. And then, for years, we have worked in the talent, attraction space, we are really working with our members at this point to support the retention of the talent that they are able to attract by really creating a new narrative for for our region, we know that this is an area of challenge. Diversity is an area of challenge. But there are wonderful stories of success around retention and diverse talent elevation in Pittsburgh, and vibrant Pittsburgh is working with our members to to increase it. So data and education, talent, attraction and retention. And then of course, our resources like the vibrant index.

Yeah, we'll talk about that in a moment so that we can dive into actually our team at the tech Council. I'm reminded that back in, let's see 2020. And I think and I know before that as well, we actually joined you and your predecessors on outbound routing missions. So for example, the National Black MBA Association, just that's just one example. You know, there are many activities. And now that we've transitioned to virtual, can you talk about your recruiting efforts now and COVID? So can you give us some examples of what you've been doing and facing those issues?

Absolutely. So one of the areas that we've been focusing on is our camp initiative, that's the connection accelerator, mentorship program, we have about 12 universities that participate with diverse students who are matched with mentors in the region. It's number 10. It's retention effort, of course, to connect our college students with opportunities, jobs, internships, and of course, to be deep, deeply rooted in the region by connection with a professional of the reason that's an area of focus for us is, you know, everyone is virtual, it's, it's easy to connect in that particular platform. And we were already set up and somewhat of a virtual environment for that particular program. retention of our college students is vital. We use, we lose about half of our college students each year. And so we have worked to, to really strengthen that program, to invite more mentors to participate to showcase what their companies have to offer, and get in front of the talent that we already have here. That also creates a space for us to, to build exposure around the members that are part of vibrant Pittsburgh within that community, and connect them with their peers and share good practices that are happening across the region. We are utilizing this virtual environment to showcase some of our training and development efforts. We also are showcasing things that our members are doing in the space of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion during our webinars and seminars that are occurring every month. We have invited participants to to view and to become engaged from all over the country. And so we are sharing the good news of what's happening in the region outside of the region as well hoping to attract individuals to Pittsburgh just to find out what we're doing and what this good work is is all about. We know that telling the story is important, far and wide. And so we're utilizing our our resources to do that through our book salons. And also, as I mentioned our training and development offerings as well.

Yeah, there's a quick question, Jonathan, just that Dan's asking if you can just grab it.

Yeah. Great question here. Good to see Dan on the call. And Sabrina, thanks for joining us today. It's great to see it. So Dan wants to know, I'm designing Pittsburgh, Austin help nonprofits who need to find more diverse board members.

So I have been personally working with not just nonprofits, but the for profit organizations that are looking to diversify their boards, I'm actually going to be conducting a training for one of our members on inclusive inclusion efforts and attraction for diverse board members and what the culture of your board and organization needs to look like before you even start that journey. And so the quite the answer to that question is yes, we we do provide support in that particular area. We have a talent community of over 5000 individuals in our network that we can share information with around opportunities for boards for employment more specifically, as well. And so yes,

so what are some of the hard truths? What are you hearing when you're interviewing candidates or when you're talking to candidates and when you're providing the services that you Just conveyed for people who are looking for jobs and you're trying to be a matchmaker. Are there any common themes that you're still hearing about Pittsburgh? I mean, I'm not happy about the maternal health report that came out, for example, you know, we've gotten national attention on a couple of things that seem to be sticking with us. And I wonder if what you're hearing.

So Audrey, I mean, that's really what I'm talking about. When I say changing the narrative, we still do have somewhat of a negative stigma that's attached to Pittsburgh. That we are we are, of course, I think closing the gap around our EDS, tech, and med space where people are, are definitely thinking of Pittsburgh, more in the innovative space. However, when it comes to individuals that are racially and ethnically diverse, Pittsburgh is still not on their radar, we've got to do a better job of elevating the diversity of talent that is already here. So we have better ambassadors for our region, and also providing offerings to the talented individuals that our companies seek, that are competitive, right, this is a competitive space for talent across the country, globally. And so Pittsburgh has to show up and really say we want diversity here in the region, we want to see more racially and ethnically diverse, talented individuals come into Pittsburgh. And so what we're hearing is that, no, they don't, you know, the the the talent doesn't feel coveted. There doesn't seem to be a space that's been carved out, but created at a foundational level, across all industries in sectors, we are still working hard to change the minds of individuals that have this deep seated feeling that Pittsburgh is just not moving fast enough to become more inclusive of a place for black and brown people to live work in thrive. There's work being done, but the narrative, right all of the press, I talked more recently as as a number of amazing leaders were named power 100. And I was grateful to be one of them, that I'm not a fan of list. Pittsburgh is on a number of lists, right? Really great list that that we top of the work that we're doing in the region. But the ones that matters relates to diversity, we still write the bottom. And that's known. It's widely known if you do if you google black and Pittsburgh, the only thing that comes up or negative accounts of people's experiences, and of course, the data. And so Pittsburgh, certainly is on the map, we've got to change that narrative and vibrant is working hard to change that narrative by pulling the stories and the strides that our businesses are making and trying to push them out as far and wide as possible. And that the Allegheny conference is also doing work with the work that mark Thomas is doing to really change the narrative as well.

And so I just want to say a couple of things there before we start talking about some of the comments that are in here. One is, yeah, we can go down the path of lists. Right, so let's push that aside, maybe for another time. But one of the things is that there's a lot of people who are actually working in the space, right, that are trying to how do you collaborate with these other organizations and initiatives, and we've had some of them on our show, like, including, you know, Jessica, strong, we've had, you know, the work that's being done over at the Forbes fund, you know, in terms of, you know, disparity, you know, among the board of the Urban League, there's lots of there's lots of people who are sort of coming at this, how does vibrant sort of work across that?

Sure. So one of our areas of focus is, of course, supporting and elevating in the space of collaboration. We do not need to be a leader in all of these efforts. As you mentioned, there are a number of organizations doing great work, including a one that you didn't mention is sustainable Pittsburgh also. And so he so I am, you know, thankfully, I have a really great relationships with the individuals leading some of the organizations that you mentioned, and some that you didn't. And so, you know, my calendar is full with the synergy meetings. So we're trying to build areas of synergy figure out how we can build upon what what each other, you know, is doing, and help to just move in the same direction. And we're doing that with our companies as well. Our our councils, that's a space where we we we so collaboration, so that for instance, the DNI council where diversity equity inclusion practice Engineers come together from across sector and industry to talk about the good practices that they're seeing in their industry that they're really exhibiting in their companies and sharing how those things came to be with their peers. We're leading that in that space. And so we're hoping to be a convener in the space of collaboration across, you know, our peers in the region as well. And so I've already hit the ground running with trying to build momentum in the synergy meetings with my peers, as well. And so you should see some really great work coming out of our partnership, our partnerships with the Urban League, with sustainable Pittsburgh and partner for work, as well as the Allegheny conference, we're going to talk about the vibrant index. So so much to come in on the horizon.

That's great, Jonathan, grab some of these questions, because Donna has a statement. And then there

are questions fantastic. Donna says, I'm a black woman that loves Pittsburgh has found some success here, despite the report that came out in 2019. That said, Pittsburgh, is the worst city for black women. What can I do as a black woman, business owner to help those like me, that may have not had a positive experience here?

Hey, Donna, good, good to hear from you. Your work is amazing. And shout out to Seoul pit, I would say that, you know, I had I've had a similar experience, right? I'm a black woman who has found success here in the region. And I try and share my story. And I try and share the stories of others. As much as possible, I will say that we cannot ignore the reality that a number of individuals have not had a positive experience. And one way to break down that barrier is, of course, to reach out and reach back. And to build connection. I'm all about relationship building. And so if we find out that, you know, a person of color, a woman has not had a great experience, especially in the business space, and we can do something about it by connecting, creating a bridge, trying to troubleshoot, let's do it. I'd say as we all committed to doing that, we probably can break down some barriers, I've learned that, you know, if you haven't had a conversation with the person that you think has wronged you, the organization or the business, then you're definitely missing out on solution and growth. And we can break down those barriers, we can make introductions, we can continue to tell the story. You know, Donna just reminded me that I need to do a better job of advocating for additional stories to be told in the media, about what's happening within with within our community and all of the great transitions. If anyone is connected with me on LinkedIn, you know that I tell positive stories every single day about how many of our companies are elevating talent that is diverse into the C suite into leadership and decision making spaces in places let me know when this is happening now continue to bring it to the forefront so that people can connect and and learn from each other and partner to work together to move this region forward.

There's a couple of more, I just want to remind everyone that we also are working on this microsite called get PGH. And we're really trying to put these stories in a much more authentic way. So that it's not necessarily just sending words into the vapor sphere. But we're really actually trying to craft Who's that whole person What's it like to live and work here. So I'm glad that we're all doing this work. So Jonathan, grab a couple more of these questions, because I want to get to the in depth.

Absolutely. So want to know, are there any surveys highlighting why Pittsburgh is not a favorite of more and more diverse populations?

I think that there is there's a lot of again of competition for talent in the space. I see that Olivia mentioned, the just the made the point that for clarity purposes, that the worst city in the in the country for black woman as it relates to health care disparities. I think it's important to note that that's something that has been shared widely, it's been in national news. And so as a black woman, having conversations with other black women about moving to Pittsburgh, it comes up. So the surveying piece about it, obviously, you know, our region is looking into, you know, who and who is moving into the region who's moving out and trying to compare and gain insight into the data. But I think it's pretty clear. If we are receiving national news that states that you know, Pittsburgh is not a place that you want to move to or move your family to if you're black woman. We've got to do With that directly. And so the social determinants of health is, you know, that's a real issue that we have to tackle. I think that considering the fact that we haven't really seen the needle move, as it relates to progress in this particular space, it's something that it needs to be at the top at the top of the agenda for many of our companies. the wage gap continues to widen. That's something that I think is going to be challenging when you're trying to attract talent to Pittsburgh, but people want to be paid equitably. And it's something that's something that's happening across the country clearly. But I heard this from a very bright woman, and leader in this region when joining vibrant Pittsburgh, and she said, I could move to any place in the world and experience racism. Why should I move to Pittsburgh? And that's the answer. I mean, that's the the answer that we should all be seeking. And I think that no survey is really going to get us to that. This is the hearts and minds piece. This is looking at our communities, then personally looking at our friendships or networks, and trying to determine what we personally can do to change this narrative.

Okay, so we have a couple of other questions in here that I want to get to. And I am hoping that we have a minute for you to just talk about the index that you're working on. So Jonathan, you want to grab just a couple of them. Absolutely.

So let's talk about education. How do you bridge or migrate businesses that are perhaps doing some work in this area to combat the public view, giving lip service versus authentic change,

or training is is vitally important. I should mention that, you know, one shot training is not enough. I want to be clear, a lot of our companies and you know, Pat, in the past, no have checked the box and said, Oh, we do training for around unconscious bias. And so we're doing our part eight is certainly a nice, a nice thing to do. However, if you want to see real change, you need to have a plan of action that is going to impact policy. And so that includes measurement of how you're doing in that particular space. So if you are instituting training and education for your employees, and your board, that's also important, making sure that that training is backed up with a measurement of how training is put into practice within the company, and how that training has impacted your, the way that you view pay elevation within the company, benefits of flexibility, things that really are going to hit home for the population that typically is underserved. And, and the kid is being left behind in this particular space. So education is very, very important. But it's not a one shot deal. It's something that should be continuous, we always want to continue to evolve to evolve. Obviously, you've got to start somewhere. But the goal should be always to continuously learn and to build upon how you start.

Jonathan, is there anything else?

I think the decks are clear, we only got a couple minutes left. So I think we should talk about the index.

Just talk about the index. And just what what's driving that. And you know where you are in the development of that survey are they are the collating of all the data.

Absolutely. So this is a second year of the vibrant index. And for those that are unaware, it's actually a collaboration between vibrant Pittsburgh and the Allegheny conference on community development. And so it drives Diversity, Equity and Inclusion changes across industry and sector. We've identified areas of success as well as critical actions that are needed to improve the practices, policies and cultures of organizations in the region. This year, we have actually opened the index diagnostic to members and non members of both vibrant Pittsburgh and the Allegheny conference. So all of our region's organizations can participate. It is at no cost to participate. And it is also a confidential survey that's completed this information will not be shared. Outside of a comprehensive summary report that will be provided in the summer. You receive a summary of of your data as well as recommendations on how to improve in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. I should mention that this year's criteria we added 2020 organizational response to deal with the two pandemics

awesome. So we're wrapping up what do you think what do you want to Tell me, is there anything that I've overlooked? Is there something that you want me to make sure that I'm doing in the role that I have in serving the tech community? Is there anything that I've overlooked? I mean, you can be bold, you can say what you want. This is this forum is about driving change.

And I think that measurement is important. We talked about lip service. And so if you've been putting your money where your mouth is, so where are you investing your dollars? Where are you investing your time? And how are you measuring the impact, to continue to improve? That's the point that I want to drive home. What are the policies that will be changed? How will your organization look after they've been implemented? If you don't? If you can't answer that question, then you should start over.

Okay. Well, you heard it here. Thank you, Sabrina Saunders moseby. She is home with a six month old in the middle of this pandemic. And she actually started her job a few months before the pandemic. So she is a new mom and running an organization and in the middle of all the murders that have occurred through this period of time, it's just, it's just sort of a, you know, insanity, but I have hope, I actually have hope. And that's no BS. And I believe that we can do this. I believe we can. So we've put your link out there. Anyone wants to reach her, she's totally accessible. I want to thank everyone for joining us today. And we're gonna continue to make sure that we are talking about the issues that are going to move this region forward and highlight those people who have the passion and the wherewithal to help do this. So thank you, Sabrina. What do we have coming up Jonathan?

Well, you know, I jumped the gun on this one yesterday, Audrey, but tomorrow is the actual day we have lined electric stopping by to talk about your goals. Very fun stuff.

So thank you, everyone. Stay safe. Thank you again, Sabrina for taking the time with us. Really appreciate it.

Thanks, Audrey. Have a good day.

You too.

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