Our Team

Elisabeth (Lisa) Schroeder, Executive Director

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Lisa is Executive Director of Riverlife, a not-for-profit organization in Pittsburgh, PA established in 1999 by Mayor Tom Murphy to create a vision and master plan for the city’s riverfronts. Under her leadership, A Vision Plan for Pittsburgh’s Riverfronts was the winner of the 2002 AIA Honor Award in Urban Planning and Design and the 2002 Merit Award in Planning from the International Downtown Association.

Growing up in Baltimore, Md., Lisa developed a deep love for cities and has since worked to improve quality of life through downtown urban planning, historic preservation and environmental conservation. At the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, she coordinated restoration planning for a $40M revitalization of the Erie-Lackawanna Ferry terminal, a certified historic site on the Hoboken waterfront.  She was Director of the Harlem Research and Survey Project for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (1983-1985).  As a Historic Preservation Planning Consultant in the New York region, her clients included the New York State Council on the Arts and the Connecticut State Planning Department.  She moved to Pittsburgh from Maine, where she was Vice President of Maine Preservation; Education Director for Greater Portland Landmarks (1995-1998) and Chairman of “the Challenge of Sprawl” 1998 statewide conference.

Ms Schroeder was a featured speaker at the 2007 International Downtown Association Conference in New York, NY, and has been a keynote speaker at sustainability and waterfront development conferences in Lisbon, Naples and Toronto. In 2005 Lisa was honored by the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania for her work in the sciences, and she was recently named one of Pittsburgh’s “Top Environmental Heroes” by Group Against Smog and Pollution.

Lisa is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of William Smith College and received a Masters of Science from Columbia University School of Architecture, where she was awarded a William Kinne Fellows fellowship for her work in teaching children about architecture. She is currently a Director at Dollar Bank and also on the Board at the Regional Industrial Development Corporation and the Pittsburgh Foundation. Ms. Schroeder is also a member of the International Women’s Forum.

Jay Sukernek, Chief Financial Officer

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Jay brings over ten years of experience in auditing and financial management to Riverlife. Prior to joining Riverlife, Sukernek worked as an auditor at Schneider Downs & Co., Inc., where he oversaw planning and managed the execution of audit, review and compilation engagements for local and international clients.  Sukernek received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the E. Claiborne Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond. He is also a member of the Master Builders Association of Western Pennsylvania’s Young Constructors Committee, and serves on the Audit and Finance Committee for local nonprofit Animal Friends, Inc. A graduate of Shady Side Academy, Sukernek lives in Upper St. Clair with his family.

Edward A. Patton, PE, Director of Capital Projects

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Edward brings over 25 years of project oversight, management and technical support experience to the Riverlife team. He has served as chief engineer and project manager for numerous building, transportation, landscape architecture and water resource projects including TIOGA Bridge, (Tioga County, PA), St. Joseph Health Center (Warren, OH) Alice Falls Hydroelectric Project, (Long Lake, NY), 1285 Avenue of the Americas (New York, NY), G.E. Computer Facility, (Niskayuna, NY) and Hyatt Hotel (Jersey City, NJ). Prior to coming to Riverlife, Edward served as Manager of Engineering for Vollmer Associates’s Pittsburgh Office. Pittsburgh project oversight includes Northshore Riverfront Park/ Carnegie Science Center Connection, Mon Wharf Landing, and the Point State Park/Point State Park Fountain renovation. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engerineering from Pennsylvania State University and is a registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, West Virginia and Ohio.

SEAN BRADY, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

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Sean joins Riverlife after a lengthy tenure at Venture Outdoors, most recently as Assistant Executive Director. He has been intimately involved with Venture Outdoors’ growth in membership, programming, and overall sustainability. Sean studied Biology at Allegheny College and earned a Masters degree in Professional and Technical Writing at Carnegie Mellon. He and his wife, Robyn, live next to Riverview Park in Observatory Hill and enjoy exploring the nation’s natural areas, from kayaking the Everglades to backpacking and fly fishing Wyoming’s Wind River Range. Sean chairs the Northside Bike-Pedestrian Committee and leads volunteer efforts as the PTAG Trail Steward for Riverview Park. He also serves on the Public Input Advisory Committee for ORSANCO, whose eight member states seek to improve water quality in the Ohio River Basin.

Stephan Bontrager, Director of Communications

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Stephan has been a part of the Riverlife team since 2009. Prior to coming on board, Stephan was Director of Education and Community Engagement for public radio station 91.3 fm WYEP, where he also served as the on-air Midday Mix host from 2002-2007. Stephan was honored as one of Pittsburgh Magazine’s ”Top 40 Under 40” in 2008 for his work in developing community public broadcasting programs. He received his Bachelor of Communication degree from Goshen College in Northern Indiana and a Master of Journalism and Mass Communication degree from Point Park University in Pittsburgh. He originally hails from Denver, Colo., and is proud to claim Pittsburgh as his adopted hometown. Stephan is currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Sprout Fund, and as Vice Chair for the Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience (PULSE).

Megan Driscoll, Environmental Planner, AICP

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Megan’s technical expertise includes environmental and planning aspects of development projects that have incorporated a range of conditions such as Brownfield redevelopment of industrial sites, transportation components of mixed-use developments, environmental permitting for natural gas pipeline construction and repair, and revitalization of riverfront areas for open space uses.  Throughout the planning, design, permitting and implementation stages of the projects Megan has contributed to, she has coordinated with various federal, state and local government agencies, engineers, architects, environmental and planning consultants, property owners, and developers.  Her work has also required knowledge of federal and state environmental regulations as well as local zoning regulations.  Megan obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Urban Planning degree from New York University.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the American Planning Association, and the South Side Local Development Company’s Design Review Committee.  Megan has been with Riverlife for almost 2 years.

Charles Alcorn, Planner

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Chuck has been with Riverlife since September 2005. He has a degree in Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, with a concentration in Urban Planning. Before coming to Riverlife, Chuck worked for the Pittsburgh Department of City Planning as a research consultant in the development of Pittsburgh Art in Public Places: Downtown Walking Tour. He also was an assistant for the Charleroi Main Street Program and wrote the Elm Street Plan for the surrounding neighborhood. Chuck serves on the board of the Young Preservationist Association of Pittsburgh and recently renovated his house in Lawrenceville and was runner-up in the 2010 Post-Gazette Renovation Inspiration Contest.

Deborah A Cerminara, Executive Assistant

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Deborah (Debby) worked for Equitable Resources for 20 years prior to coming to Riverlife. She worked at various jobs including data entry operator, Senior Secretary and Executive Assistant to the President of Equitable Production. Debby has been at Riverlife for six years.