On May 3, 2023, the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed Governor Josh Shapiro’s nomination of Rick Siger as the Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development.
In his current role, Rick leads the commonwealth’s efforts to grow our economy and build a better future for Pennsylvanians. He is committed to helping small businesses thrive, spurring innovation, and increasing opportunities in communities to make Pennsylvania a national leader in growth and innovation.
Prior to his current role, Rick served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the President at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh and led CMU’s growth strategy at Hazelwood Green, a former Pittsburgh industrial site re-envisioned as a new model for economic development and translational research.
Rick served President Barack Obama for more than seven years in multiple roles, including as Chief of Staff at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of Commerce. He also worked as former Governor Tim Kaine’s Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Rick was born and raised in Pittsburgh and currently lives there with his wife Kinsey Casey, daughter Margaret, and dog Amos. He holds a B.A. in political science from Columbia University.
Jennifer has spent the last 10+ years accelerating early-stage life science companies through direct investing, as well as creating ecosystems for them to thrive.
As a VP at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), she designed and executed the Commonwealth’s investment strategy with a particular focus on developing underserved and underrepresented markets and talent within the industry. Before this, she served as a management and strategy consultant at Back Bay Life Science Advisors.
She began her career as a licensing professional at MIT’s Technology Licensing Office working with faculty, entrepreneurs, and investors to commercialize early-stage life science innovations. Jennifer holds a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where she studied the genetic basis of mycobacterial cholesterol utilization.
