PITTSBURGH, Pa., September 18, 2024 – Sameera Fazili, an economic policy expert who was Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House’s National Economic Council (NEC) in the Biden administration, and Patrick Gallagher, former chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, have been appointed to The Heinz Endowments' Board of Directors.
“For generations the Endowments has cared deeply about giving back to this region and connecting it with greater impact more widely,” said André Heinz, chair of the Board. “We are delighted that Sameera and Pat will bring their experience and perspective to our Board, which blends deep family commitment with the issue expertise of non-family Trustees.”
Ms. Fazili and Dr. Gallagher will each serve for an initial three-year term, beginning October 2024, bringing with them a wealth of experience and knowledge that will be invaluable to the foundation in the years to come.
“Interwoven global opportunities and challenges of this era uniquely impact Pittsburgh and southwest Pennsylvania, yet this region also has unique resources to shape a future so every resident thrives economically and culturally,” said Endowments President Chris DeCardy. “Pat and Sameera each bring a breadth of individual, organizational and network experience from the very local to the national that will be an invaluable addition to the leadership of our Board in extending our mission.”
Ms. Fazili has more than 20 years of experience in economic policy development, program execution and crisis management across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Her expertise spans multiple industries including financial services, manufacturing, clean energy, housing, small business, transportation and logistics.
She is founder and CEO of Zoon Ventures, LLC, a firm offering advisory services to companies, philanthropies and nonprofits on energy transition, supply chain resiliency, industrial policy and inclusive economic development. She is also a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and an advisor with Lafayette Advisors.
As Deputy Assistant to President Joe Biden and Deputy Director of the NEC from 2021 to 2022, Ms. Fazili led the Biden administration’s work on industrial policy, supply chains, regional economic development, energy communities and responses to supply chain crises. She played a leading role in the passage and implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Her other positions in federal government included serving in domestic and international economic policymaking roles in the White House for both President Biden and President Barack Obama, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve System.
Ms. Fazili also has worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as a senior researcher and as Director of Engagement for community economic development and served in research roles at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Urban Institute. She taught development finance at Yale Law School and worked at ShoreBank, the nation’s first community development bank, which was founded and headquartered in Chicago. She currently sits on the boards of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta.
“The Pittsburgh region stands on the frontlines of many of the most pressing global challenges –from a just transition to clean energy to income inequality – and has the potential to be a beacon for others on how people can come together to solve these challenges,” she said.
“The Heinz Endowments is a leader in place-based philanthropy, and it is an honor to join its Board to support that legacy. I look forward to supporting its important mission of helping all people in southwestern Pennsylvania thrive.”
Dr. Gallagher was University of Pittsburgh chancellor from 2014 to 2023. Rather than leave the region after stepping down, he joined the faculty and currently is a professor in the university’s department of physics and astronomy.
Under his leadership, Pitt released and later updated its first strategic plan, advanced a master plan for new construction and campus expansion, and established an Office of Sustainability to centralize campus-wide sustainability activities, strategies and partnerships. Dr. Gallagher launched a program in which the university matched federal Pell grants, helping to make Pitt accessible to more students. Pitt also established an Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion during his tenure to increase diversity among staff and student populations.
Before holding Pitt’s top post, Dr. Gallagher served for 21 years in various roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), including Director of the NIST Center for Neutron Research between 2004 and 2008 and NIST Director and Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology between 2009 and 2014. Between 2013 and 2014, he was concurrently acting as Deputy Secretary of Commerce. His role was to advance U.S. innovation and competitiveness in ways that enhance the quality of life and promote economic prosperity in the country.
Dr. Gallagher has served on many independent boards, including those of the American Association of Universities, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, and Internet2. In the Pittsburgh region, he has served on the boards of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, UPMC and The Dietrich Foundation.
He considers being asked to join the Endowments board “an enormous honor” because of the “remarkable Heinz family’s commitment to make this a better region for every Pittsburgher.”
“It is hard to imagine southwestern Pennsylvania without thinking of the outsized role played by its foundation community, exemplified by The Heinz Endowments,” he said.
Ms. Fazili is a graduate of Yale Law School and earned an A.B. degree in social studies from Harvard College. Dr. Gallagher received a bachelor’s degree in physics and philosophy from Benedictine College and a doctorate in physics from Pitt.
For further information, contact:
Carmen Lee
clee@heinz.org
412-338-2628