For the seventh consecutive year, SPIA alumni David Roger (MPIA ‘93) and Bobbi Watt Geer (PhD ’09) have landed among the most influential leaders shaping the Pittsburgh region, earning spots on the Pittsburgh Business Times Power 100, a testament to their sustained impact across philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, and civic life.
The Power 100 is compiled by the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Business Times and honors individuals whose leadership, vision, and connections help guide economic growth and community engagement across southwestern Pennsylvania. The list is not a ranking, but serves as a snapshot of the region’s most connected and impactful leaders at this moment in time.
The 2026 edition features 20 University of Pittsburgh leaders and alumni, including Roger and Watt Geer, reflecting the profound impact Pitt and SPIA graduates continue to have on the region.
David Roger, president and director of the Hillman Family Foundations, has played a central role in overseeing the mission and strategic direction of the family’s 18 affiliated philanthropies since 2001 and served as president since 2008. The foundations focus on initiatives that improve quality of life across Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania through investments in education, community development, and social services. His sustained influence in the philanthropic sector and commitment to community leadership have made him a consistent presence on the list.
Bobbi Watt Geer serves as president and CEO of United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, where she leads one of the region’s largest nonprofit networks. Since joining United Way in 2017 and becoming the organization’s first female CEO in 2019, she has leveraged more than three decades of nonprofit leadership experience to guide strategic investments that support essential services, community resilience, and collective impact efforts.
Both Roger and Watt Geer exemplify the values of public service and collaborative leadership that SPIA instills in its graduates, and their ongoing recognition on the Power 100 underscores the broad reach of Pitt’s public affairs alumni in sectors from philanthropy to social innovation. SPIA alumni have a notable history on the Power 100 list, with Brandon Mendoza (MPA ’11), Susheela Nemani-Stanger (MPA ’07), and others being named in previous years.