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Michael Dawida is Scenic Pittsburgh’s lead spokesperson and scenic visionary. He has more than 30 years of public service experience as a legislator, lawyer and teacher. As a Pennsylvania State Senator and Representative from 1979 to 1996, Mr. Dawida championed and passed many legislative firsts including the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act, the Pennsylvania Food Donor Act and the Pennsylvania Organ Donation Act. In 1996, Mr. Dawida was elected to the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners where, as Chairman, he overhauled the County Pension System, founded the Airport Authority, and created the Allegheny County 911 System. He also orchestrated several billion dollars of development projects that include the Heinz Stadium, PNC Park, David Lawrence Convention Center, and the “Waterfront” in Homestead. He currently serves as the Board President of Scenic America as well as serving on the board of EastShore, an economic development initiative spearheaded by the Enterprise Zone Corp. of Braddock (EZCB) that includes the communities of Braddock, North Braddock, Rankin and Swissvale. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and the Hamline University School of Law.

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Dave Demko works as Scenic Pittsburgh’s operations manager, resident zoning expert, and greenspace manager. With considerable expertise in the area of municipal ordinances as tools for community preservation and economic development, he has offered expert testimony in scores of hearings across SWPA in order to protect scenic and historic assets and prevent poor development. He also leads Scenic Pittsburgh’s efforts to work with communities seeking to improve their zoning and comprehensive plans. He contributes technical experience, an understanding of the private sector and a passion for community renewal as a lifelong resident of SW Pennsylvania. He has more than 25 years of experience in engineering research, and software and network development for both the private and public sectors. Mr. Demko is now a resident of the Central North Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.S. in Business Administration from California University of Pennsylvania, and is a Chubb Institute Fellow.

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Kate has almost 20 years of experience in for- and non-profit communication and non-profit development, with a particular emphasis on creating compelling messaging and storytelling around the missions and work of organizations. Kate handles all internal and external communications activities, leads Scenic Pittsburgh’s fundraising and development activities, and strategizes around programming and educational resources. She has a background in environmental non-profit work, from conservation and green infrastructure to ways to leverage green assets for sustainable economic development. Before working in the non-profit sector, Kate was a longtime freelance writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and has lived in Squirrel Hill since 2000. Kate holds a B.A. from the College of Wooster, and is A.B.D. and holds an M.A. in English from the Ohio State University. She received the Pittsburgh Section of the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Journalism Award in 2012.

Board of Directors

Daniel Sentz – President
Richard Wendell – Vice President

Frank Dawson
Emily Kinkead
Talia O’Brien
Vincent J. Quatrini, Jr.