InnovatePGH's Inclusive Innovation Manager Starts by Listening
Kalyani Singh is InnovatePGH’s newest staff member, but she’s not new to the work she will be doing, or to the organization. In the Fall of 2019, Kalyani was placed at InnovatePGH as part of the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, “a leadership development program that engages fellows in capacity-building projects at different placement organizations and strengthens understanding of how local actors across sectors are addressing critical urban issues,” in Kalyani’s words. After completing the fellowship, she was asked to join the team full-time, beginning in early June of 2020.
To understand the roots of this new position, one would need to dive into the 2017 Brookings Institute report, “Capturing the Next Economy: Pittsburgh’s Rise as a Global Innovation City,” the mandate that motivated stakeholders in Pittsburgh to create InnovatePGH. Throughout the report, the authors highlight how economic inequities and lack of diversity in the innovation industry present significant risk to Pittsburgh’s growth as a “Global Innovation City.”
“Pittsburgh faces significant demographic and competitive pressures to its innovation workforce that if left unaddressed will stymie the city’s growth. A clear conclusion of these pressures is that the innovation workforce must be far more inclusive than its current level in order to meet demand. Unfortunately, specifically within the innovation district, the expansion of a technology-based economy has not yet coincided with broad-based workforce opportunities for middle-skilled workers.”
- Capturing the Next Economy: Pittsburgh’s Rise as a Global Innovation City, page 29
As InnovatePGH formed projects such as the Pittsburgh Innovation District and grew to include tangible assets like Avenu, a collection of workspaces in the District, the need for an Inclusive Innovation Manager became apparent. Through Kalyani’s fellowship placement, the InnovatePGH team learned about her passion for social justice and equitable entrepreneurship, as well as her ability to think critically and at a high level about the tech sector’s impact on Pittsburgh’s citizens. As Kalyani passes the one-month mark in this position, I had the opportunity to learn more about the new position, and her plans over the next year.
InnovatePGH: Hello, Kaylani! Welcome back to InnovatePGH. Tell me what your position is, and why this new position brought you back to the team?
KS: My role is the Inclusive Innovation Manager, and I'm working to create equitable opportunities in the tech and innovation sector for historically marginalized communities adjacent to the Innovation District. I'm so excited that this focus of equity and inclusion has been integrated into the mission of InnovatePGH's to accelerate Pittsburgh as a global innovation city.
InnovatePGH: It's so great to have you! If you were to meet a stranger on a zoom happy hour, what would you tell them you do at work? What's a normal day like for you?
KS: As I settle into this new position, I am going on a "listening tour" with individuals and organizations playing an active role in talent/entrepreneurial development, community-economic development, and the tech/startup world (especially startups led by people of color). In addition, I am increasingly carving out time to research and learn about how to advance intersectionality in tech and furthermore, how to center entrepreneurs of color in innovation ecosystems. So, a lot of virtual meetings and time spent reading on my computer.
InnovatePGH: It sounds like you’re very excited about what you’re working on, so this might be a little redundant, but what excites you most about this position?
KS: I am excited to engage in the coalitions that are dedicated to creating meaningful, sustainable community benefits from the tech and innovation sector. Further, I am hoping that if we start think about racial and social justice at the crux of advancing the city as a whole, we will also start to reimagine or broaden our idea of what innovation looks like and what we expect from technological "progress." So overall, I'm excited to bridge my world of thinking about socioeconomic and political systems that perpetuate inequalities with this sector that has so much potential to create deep and longstanding positive change. And in order to support this, learning and listening will be at the forefront of my work!
InnovatePGH: Listening sounds like a fantastic place to start, especially in a new position. Final question: what does your role look like in one year from now?
KS: In a year from now, I cannot imagine what the world will look like given this time of the pandemic and the burgeoning movement for transformative justice. But I am prepared to set forth on this moment with a lot of bravery and adaptiveness. There is no time to waste being complacent with the status quo AND we cannot wait quietly for the pandemic to be over. So I am challenging myself to think as creatively as possible about how we can rise to the occasion to be innovative in how we serve communities in need during this time.
“Social justice and the arts form the backdrop of my life. I am an actress and musician and a life long practitioner of yoga philosophy. I'm passionate about spending love for vegan cooking and eating, and I am working on ways to become more sustainable and environmentally-conscious in my everyday life. Overall, I'm excited to continue becoming part of the Pittsburgh community!”
Learn more about Kalyani here.