Anne J. Swager, Executive Director of AIA Pittsburgh, A Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, has always aspired to be part of the design process, instead of just a consumer of the finished product. At the AIA she uses her financial management and non-profit skills to represent architects, who are the place makers in our lives. Before joining the AIA, she managed Mt. Lebanon’s economic development corporation, Uptown Mt. Lebanon, and was the Executive Vice President of the South Side Development Corporation
Her civic life is also rich, including appointment to the Riverlife Task Force and co-chair of the Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force, where she helped ensure that Pittsburgh’s concerns were represented in the process the State of Pennsylvania undertook to award slots licenses. Finally she is a founding member of the Civic Design Coalition where she collaborates on how to ensure that good design and planning are the cornerstones of economic development in the city.