Board of Directors

Ms. Sylvia C. Wilson

District 8 PIAA Athletic Advisory Committee Representative

Committee Co-Chair

Safety and Operations

About Ms. Wilson:

Ms. Wilson is a retired PPS teacher who worked for 26 years at Spring Hill, Miller, and Manchester Elementary Schools.  While teaching, she served on the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Executive Board from 1977 through 2010.  She was the elected secretary on the board from 1979 through 2010.  She later was a full time staff member of the PFT as the Assistant to the President for 14 years prior to her retirement in 2013.  Sylvia Wilson has been active in the community with various organizations.  For more than twenty years, she was an active volunteer with community youth baseball and football organizations. Additionally, Ms. Wilson serves on the ALCOSAN Board as the joint city-county appointee and is currently the Board Chair (first woman and first African American to hold the position).  Ms. Wilson is also active in the Democratic Party as a committee woman, ward chair, and DNC member representing PA.   Ms. Wilson can be reached by email at swilson1@pghschools.org.

Ms. Devon Taliaferro 

First-Vice President- District 2

Pennsylvania Schools Boards Association PSBA Representative

Committee Chair:

Government Relations

Committee Co-Chair:

Policy

 

About Ms. Taliaferro: 

A native of Pittsburgh and resident of North Side, Devon Taliaferro currently serves as Community Engagement Coordinator for The Midwife Center for Birth & Women’s Health. Ms. Taliaferro’s commitment to public service began early with Public Allies, where she served a year of AmeriCorps service at Amachi Pittsburgh (2015-2016). As a former Program Associate with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, Ms. Taliaferro worked to facilitate mentoring matchups with elementary students in PPS and community enrichment opportunities for students at Pittsburgh Brashear through mentor 2.0. Ms. Taliaferro has been recognized for her efforts as part of The Incline’s Who’s Next: Community Leaders & Activists (2017), Pittsburgh Circle of Courage in Education (2018) and The New Pittsburgh Courier’s Women of Excellence (2018). Ms. Taliaferro can be reached by email at dtaliaferro1@pghschools.org.

Mr. Sala Udin

About Mr. Udin: 

Native Pittsburgher, born and raised on the historic Lower Hill District, Mr. Udin has decades of leadership and activism in civil and human rights. In 2002, Mr. Udin and Rev. Johnnie Monroe founded the Hill District Education Council (HDEC). He hopes to help create a major transformation of education, to provide high quality education for all public-school students, but most especially for black and poor students who compose most of the students in District 3. Mr. Udin resides in the Hill District with his wife, Jacqueline. Mr. Udin can be reached at sudin1@pghschools.org.

Ms. Yael Silk

District 4

Committee Chair:

Safety and Operations

About Ms. Silk:

Yael Silk has called Pittsburgh home since June 2011. Ms. Silk developed a career in arts education with a focus on professional learning, program evaluation, and advocacy. Currently serving as Executive Director at Arts Ed Collaborative, Ms. Silk obtained a bachelor’s degree in Music from Barnard College and a master’s degree in Arts in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Ms. Silk can be reached by email at ysilk1@pghschools.org.

Dr. Tracey Reed

Second-Vice President | District 5

 

Committee Chair:

Education

Committee Co-Chair:

Business & Finance

About Dr. Reed: 

Tracey Reed grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Beltzhoover Elementary School.  She taught high school English in Frederick, Maryland.  Currently a Program Officer at The Grable Foundation, Dr. Reed has obtained a B.A. in English from the University of Pittsburgh and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Educational Policy from the University of Virginia.  Dr. Reed serves on the boards of A+ Schools, Connecting Champions, and Women for a Healthy Environment.  

Dr. Reed can be reached by email at treed1@pghschools.org.

Ms. Emma Yourd

District 6

Right to Education Liaison

Committee Chair:  

Business and Finance 

About Ms. Yourd:

A Pittsburgh-area native, Emma Yourd spent six years in Washinton D.C. managing international development programs before moving home in 2018 to focus her skills on making Pittsburgh a more equitable city. Ms. Yourd is the ARM Institute’s Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Partnership Manager, where she facilitates all aspects of EWD regional and community outreach with the goal of building bridges between Pittsburgh’s tech sector and our most under resourced communities.

Ms. Yourd joined the ARM Institute in 2022 from the Forbes Funds, a philanthropic foundation in Pittsburgh, where she co-created capacity building solutions with Allegheny County nonprofits. Her career has always been driven by working in collaboration with under resourced communities to address systemic issues.

Ms. Yourd holds a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA in Economics from Smith College. She currently resides in Beechview with her husband.

Ms. Yourd can be reached by email at eyourd1@pghschools.org.

 

Jamie Piotrowski

District 7

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees Liaison

Committee Chair:

• Policy

Committee Co-Chair:

• Education

About Ms. Piotrowski: 

Pittsburgh native, Jamie Piotrowski, has worked in equitable community planning, and development initiatives in Pittsburgh, and towns, cities, and boroughs throughout the United States. She is currently employed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh as a Program Analyst. She previously served as a caseworker for several Pittsburgh based non-profit organizations before returning to graduate school.

Jamie is a licensed Social Worker in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, holds a B.A. in Sociology-Family Studies from Waynesburg University, a Master's Degree in International Development (Governance and International Public Management), and a Master's in Social Work (Community Organizing), both from the University of Pittsburgh. During her time at Pitt, Jamie completed the Bridging the Gaps program to promote public health initiatives in underserved neighborhoods, and studied abroad in Havana, Cuba, and Kathmandu, Nepal. 

Ms. Piotrowski resides in the Carrick neighborhood with her husband, Geoffrey, and their daughter.

Ms. Piotrowski can be reached by email at jpiotrowski1@pghschools.org.

Mr. Dwayne Barker

District 8

Committee Co-Chair: Personnel / Negotiations

About Mr. Barker:

Dwayne Barker is a graduate of Pittsburgh Public Schools, and a parent of three children. An advocate for young people, he has been a leader in the educational field for over 15 years. Mr. Barker has been a powerful community organizer, an advocate in our schools, and an effective mentor to students. His dedicated work has bridged the home-school connection, helped to improve students’ performance and supported teacher practice.

Mr. Barker was recently appointed to the PA Title 1 State Parent Advisory Council where he serves as a parent advisor to the PA Department of Education. He has received awards from the PA State AfterSchool Youth Development Network, Youth Works of Western PA, United Way of Southwestern PA, and more.

As a member of the School Board, Mr. Barker will prioritize improving family/community engagement, increasing access to mental health services, and expanding and funding community schools. 

Mr. Barker can be reached by email at dbarker1@pghschools.org.

Gene Walker

President | District 9

Council of the Great City Schools Representative

About Mr. Walker: 

Gene Walker has worked in finance, education, direct support, marketing, and nonprofit management. He is a graduate of Peabody High School and received his bachelor’s degree in business and accounting from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Walker returned to Pittsburgh in 2009 to work alongside the team at the Pittsburgh Promise in various capacities, including becoming the first Director of Workforce Development in 2015. During his time with the Promise, he was responsible for creating numerous programs, including the District’s We Promise program focused on African American male mentoring, The Promise college tours, and The Promise ambassador program. In 2018, Mr. Walker left The Promise to launch a new nonprofit, Mission C, to provide financial education and support for families facing eviction. In 2019, he left Mission C to support adults with intellectual and physical disabilities with Gene Cook Supports Inc. That same year he became an Accredited Financial Counselor and now provides affordable personal finance management counseling to individuals and families. Mr. Walker and his wife Jenny have two children, both recent graduates of Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Mr. Walker can be reached by email at gwalker1@pghschools.org.