Mitch received a BS in organizational communications from Ohio University and was awarded a Jefferson Fellowship from the Jefferson Center for the Arts in Columbus. He also completed a Harvard Business School Executive Education course in performance measurement for effective management of nonprofit organizations.

Mitch, his wife Tracey, and their three children, Ellen, Kate and Will, live in Allison Park with Rex, their Golden Retriever. In his free time, Mitch enjoys family activities, playing drums and motorcycles.

Some of his volunteer commitments include the board of Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania, Advisory board for Future Tenant and the leadership council of his church.

Tiffany Wilhelm
Director of Development and Membership

Tiffany Wilhelm joined the Arts Council team in September 2007. Prior to her arrival in Pittsburgh, she was the Executive Director of the Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum in Stevens Point where she loved playing with creative kids. In addition, she taught in the undergraduate Arts Management program at the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point and served on the board of Arts Wisconsin. She has an MFA in Arts Management from Florida State University.

Tiffany lives in Lawrenceville with her life partner Kyle Bostian, a theatre faculty member at Point Park University, and two crazy cats. A dance and theatre performer in her younger days, she is happy to be putting her “manager” side to work helping her passions—arts, culture and creativity—thrive.

Sue Mencher
Internal Systems Administrator

Sue Mencher joined the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (then ProArts) in 2000. Sue brings to her position a professional and educational background in maintenance of internal network, security, software/hardware, technical budgeting and website. Previously, she worked with Computer Solutions Today to create a database, and she has worked on freelance projects in computer set up, Internet connectivity and software support.

At the Arts Council, she administers the network using Windows 2000 small business server and Windows 2003 small business server. Along with her networking, she develops the Arts Council databases and website, and manages the office building, phone systems and human resources. Before coming to the Arts Council, she was employed by McMillen Hairstyling, where she learned skills in management and communication. She plays a little piano, reads books and bicycles/hikes.

Sue graduated with high honors from Pittsburgh Technical Institute, with an Associate degree in Specialized Technology, Computer System Specialist. There, she was presented with the Richard Caliguiri Renaissance Award. Her certifications include A+ Certified, Certified MS Access programmer, Human Resource and The Law, Dreamweaver and HTML.

Ryan Freytag
Manager of Cultural Policy & Research

Ryan Freytag joined the Arts Council in October of 2006, bringing the passion, creativity, open mind and sense of humor that are key elements of his artistic work with him. As the Manager of Cultural Policy and Research, Ryan is working to expand the overall participation and involvement of the local cultural community with the Arts Council's efforts on their behalf.

After earning his BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, the desire to assist other artists in their creative endeavors lead Ryan to study law at the University of Pittsburgh where he earned his JD. While still in law school, he was able to combine his passion for the arts with a newfound interest in the nonprofit sector through an externship at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. This experience lead him to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector rather than practicing law.

As an artist, Ryan is especially concerned with improving the lives of other artists, both locally and nationally. Using both his legal and artistic backgrounds, Ryan hopes to foster a better understanding and further communication between the two very different sectors.

In between knee surgeries, Ryan likes to draw, paint and write. Ryan lives with his wife Marcele and step-daughter Blue.

David Seals
Programs Manager

David Seals is the Programs Manager at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, where he administers a variety of programs that serve artists and arts organizations in the region. He oversees two consulting programs, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Business Volunteers for the Arts, which connect attorneys and business professionals with arts clients who need pro bono consulting. David also administers five grant programs that award nearly $400,000 annually to more than 100 grantees. During his 5 years at GPAC, David has assisted with the development of more than 100 professional development programs, has played a key role on projects in marketing and communications, and has managed production logistics for the biennial Work of Art Awards ceremony and performance.

David currently serves as Vice Chair of the Emerging Leader Council of Americans for the Arts, a national advisory body focused on workforce development in the arts management field. In 2007, he co-founded the Pittsburgh chapter of the Emerging Leaders Network. David serves as a volunteer facilitator for the Power of 32, a regional visioning initiative that crosses 5 states and 32 counties. He is a member of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, of Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, and a member ex officio of the Arts & Law Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association. He has served on the local host committee for the 2010 Performing Arts Exchange conference, the Borough of Wilkinsburg Public Art Steering Committee, and has worked as a volunteer grantwriter and for several local nonprofits.

David holds a B.A. in English literature and Spanish language from Grove City College. He is married to Angela Seals, Program Manager at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

Dek Ingraham
Development and Membership Coordinator

As an actor, he has performed in more than fifty productions throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. Along the way he's played the Marquis de Sade twice (Quills and Marat/Sade) for Marietta College, acted in melodramas on The Show Boat Becky Thatcher, and appeared locally with Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, among others. As a director, he helmed the North American premiere of The Master's Boy and was Associate Director for the London premiere of The Guys. He currently serves as Managing Artistic Director for Phase 3 Productions and has recently been elected to join the board of South Park Theatre.

Kathy Mahoney
Bookkeeper

Christiane Leach
Executive Assistant

A recipient of a 2003 PCA Fellowship for music composition, she continues to perform with Soma Mestizo, global dub rebels, who released their latest musical effort, Telomere, in conjunction with the Three Rivers Arts Festival’s "4th River Project." Her lyrical and vocal talents are also featured on albums by 3 Generations Walking and Indigenous Resistance. She is also one of many songwriters for the jazz chanteuse, Phat Man Dee. She has CO-produced various music events, such as "Momentum" with Element Five, two MINIm music festivals and "Listen To This" with Brooke Schooles, which brought in the world renowned performance poet, Ursula Rucker.

Her play Saffronia, debuted at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre, and she was seen in the Playhouse REP’s Mother Courage. She poetically shared the stage with Sonia Sanchez as part of the "She Said" series and was recently honored, at the New Hazlett Theatre’s gala, “Celebrating Women in the Arts”. Her visual work has been shown at Digging Pitt Gallery, 709 Gallery, SPACE, the August Wilson Center’s gallery 209/9. She has curated several exhibits, such as “From Point A to Point B”, “LOADED”, "Locker: beauty of the male nude," and most recently, "POWER" at Future Tenant.

Lauren Robison
Box Office Manager for ProArtsTickets

Lauren Robison joined the Arts Council as part of ProArtsTickets in 2008 and was recently promoted to Box Office Manager of the department in 2010. Prior to joining the Arts Council she attended Indiana University in Bloomington IN where she earned a BA in Theatre & Drama with a side focus in Arts Administration.

Always wanting to be in an environment where there is performance and art, Lauren has worked on the front of house staffs for multiple theatres across the country, including the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, the Musical Arts Center in Bloomington, and currently Heinz Hall in downtown Pittsburgh.

Lauren is a published writer and poet and keeps active in the local Pittsburgh theatre scene. She enjoys reading, making sarcastic comments, and body surfing whenever she can get herself to an ocean. She is a resident of Banksville but makes trips to her hometown of New Eagle PA to visit the love of her life, her black and white basset hound named Buddy.

Renee Piechocki
Director, Office of Public Art

Renee Piechocki is an artist and public art consultant. She is the director of Pittsburgh's Office of Public Art, a partnership of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and the Department of City Planning which provides technical assistance and educational programs to the public and private sectors in Pittsburgh. She was the Facilitator of Americans for the Arts' Public Art Network (2000-2004), the only national service program for the field of public art; was the studio manager for Vito Acconci and Acconci Studio (1998-2000); and a public art project manager for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (1994-1998).

Her publications include the Call for Artists Resource Guide published by the Public Art Network, "Beyond the Ribbon Cutting: Education and Programming Strategies for Public Art Projects and Programs" in Public Art By the Book, edited by Barbara Goldstein; and Pittsburgh Art in Public Places: Downtown Walking Tour. She collaborated with artist Tiffany Ludwig as part of Two Girls Working on a national, interview-based public art project "Trappings." Their book, Trappings: Stories of Women, Power and Clothing was published by Rutgers University Press in 2007.

Renee Piechocki was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Long Island. She received her BA in Studio Art and Honors Program from Hunter College of the City University of New York. After living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she served as the co-chair of the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission, she moved to Pittsburgh in 2003.

Lea Donatelli
Program Manager, Office of Public Art

Lea Donatelli is the Program Manager of the Office of Public Art, a partnership of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and the City of Pittsburgh which provides technical assistance and educational programs to the public and private sectors in Pittsburgh.

In addition to assisting with several lectures and workshops dealing with the field of public art, Lea was involved in the development and currently maintains the Pittsburgh Artist Registry - a free on-line database of visual, literary and multidisciplinary artists living in southwestern PA. She also produces a monthly e-mail listserv, the Artist Opportunities Listserv. The listserv highlights national, regional and local public art, exhibition, and professional development opportunities.

Lea was Assistant Director of Artists and Cities, Inc. (2005) a non-profit developer of live/work space for artists in Pittsburgh and Project Manager for Javo Studios (2004-2006) a commercial and fine art photography studio. For six years she has been on the Planning Team for an all night art event, Art All Night, which celebrated its 10th year in 2006. She is a native of Pittsburgh and received her BA is English Literature from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Lea has been known to sing Tom Jones and Carpenters tunes at karaoke bars and lives in Lawrenceville with her dog, Jones.