PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Jamilah Ducar
Associate Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Community Affairs, University of Pittsburgh

From the start of her career, Jamilah Ducar has focused on building bridges to foster collaboration. She says she “grew up as a human-services practitioner,” with a job in crisis in-home services for child welfare as her first full-time job.

“It taught me a lot about what it means to show a family respect despite really difficult circumstances,” she says.

She’s carried this empathy, knowledge and leadership into her current role at Pitt, where she oversees community affairs, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (for those 50 and older) as well as Pitt’s community engagement centers in the Hill District, Homewood and Hazelwood. The hyper-local centers serve as additional “front doors” to the university.

“We realize that there’s opportunity for all types of folks across our city to engage with the university,” she says.

Ducar is also a member of several local boards, including the Allegheny Regional Asset District, where she works to further inclusive investment in our libraries, parks and more.