TRICIA O’REILLY | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Tricia O’Reilly
Chief of Staff, Office of the President, Carnegie Mellon University

As Carnegie Mellon University’s youngest-ever chief of staff to the president, Tricia O’Reilly says her role is to advance and support the work of President Farnam Jahanian. During her tenure, O’Reilly says one of the things she’s most proud of is the university-wide Deeper Conversations initiative that launched earlier this year.

The goal is to facilitate respectful conversations on major events, such as the current Israel-Gaza crisis. At work, she aspires to be a collaborative, collegial teammate and says her aim is to approach life and work with kindness: “An important part of leadership is how you treat other people.”

The New York City native notes “Pittsburgh feels like home,” for its livability and cultural amenities. Outside of work, she is a board director for the revived International Poetry Forum.