Frequently Asked Questions.
What is Our Next 75?
Our Next 75 is an opportunity for the Pittsburgh region to take stock of where we are and where we can go, bringing together today’s and tomorrow’s leaders from across the 10 counties of southwestern Pennsylvania to better understand what each other is doing to make the region a better place, and how we can better support one another to make it happen.
Our Next 75 is encouraging the Pittsburgh region’s citizen leaders of all ages and backgrounds to renew their commitment to the “Pittsburgh Values” of putting the community first; building bridges, collaborating and seeking alignment; and setting audacious goals and working aggressively to make them a reality.
Who's doing this?
Our Next 75 is an initiative of the Allegheny Conference on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of its formation and of Pittsburgh’s Renaissance One. The effort is led by a steering committee comprised of today’s and tomorrow’s leaders from across the 10-county Pittsburgh region.
How do you define "leaders"?
We’re focused on the “do-ers” of the region: people younger and older who see a challenge and step up to take action, whether by running for office, serving on a board, organizing and leading others, or working on their own. They are taking personal responsibility to move the region forward.
Why now?
2019 is the 75th anniversary of the first of two generations of “Pittsburgh Renaissance,” times when the Pittsburgh region’s public and private sector leaders came together to tackle the twin challenges of improving the environment and reinventing the economy. At the suggestion of Robert Dougherty, president of Carnegie Tech, financier Richard King Mellon convened 30 CEOs during World War II to form a committee for postwar planning that later became the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Together with City of Pittsburgh Mayor David Lawrence, Mellon spearheaded efforts to improve air and water quality, reduce flooding, and revitalize communities.
A generation later, in the 1980s, civic leaders came together again amid the collapse of the region’s industrial base to diversify the economy and improve the quality of life. The leadership group had broadened beyond business and government to include universities, foundations and a broader non-profit sector, including regional chambers of commerce. Together, they engineered a comeback from 18 percent metro unemployment in the early 1980s to record high regional employment today.
Today, the Pittsburgh region is beginning the third generation of transformation , making this the perfect time to take stock of where we are and where we can go together and to rededicate ourselves to the “Pittsburgh Values” of civic leadership.
What are the “Pittsburgh Values”
As defined by the Our Next 75 Steering Committee, the people of the Pittsburgh region:
- Put community first
- Leave self-interest at the door
- Build bridges, collaborate and seek alignment
- Are intentionally inclusive and open to considering new ideas and points of view
- Embrace a global, innovative and future-oriented perspective
- Set audacious goals and work together aggressively to achieve them
- Demonstrate personal commitment through action
What do you hope to accomplish?
- Dedicate a new generation of citizen leaders in an intentional and inclusive way
- Identify the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the Pittsburgh region, with a better understanding of what everyone is doing to meet them
- Develop regional alignment on “the next big thing(s)” to improve our region for 2020 and beyond
- Connect the region’s citizen leaders of today and tomorrow , the Allegheny Conference, our Regional Investors Council, and our public and private sector partners on an ongoing basis to more effectively work together
How do I get involved?
Join us at a regional visioning workshop, share your vision and participate in #OurNext75 LinkedIn campaign, and attend the Our Next 75 Summit. Sign up here to receive our newsletter to learn more about what we’re doing and how you can get involved.