PITTSBURGH TECHNICAL COLLEGE EARNS CEO OF THE YEAR, INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR HONORS AT PITTSBURGH TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL TECH 50 AWARDS
PTC President Dr. Alicia B. Harvey-Smith Honored Among Top Local Executives
PITTSBURGH—November 12, 2021 – Pittsburgh Technical College (PTC) president Dr. Alicia B. Harvey-Smith was named CEO of the Year, while PTC also earned the honor of Innovator of the Year in the non-profit/education/community category at the 2021 Tech 50 Awards, hosted by the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
Held on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown, the event celebrates the most successful and innovative companies in southwestern Pennsylvania, with this year marking the 25th anniversary of the event.
“Pittsburgh Technical College works every day to deliver innovation through our wide range of programs helping to build the next generation of our region’s workforce,” said Dr. Harvey-Smith. “To be recognized with this award in a city rich with innovation is such an honor and we will continue to push for future innovation in our more than 30 programs of study.”
As president of PTC since 2019, Dr. Harvey-Smith has taken great strides in increasing the college’s exposure to the public, government officials, business leaders, community partners and numerous other constituents. The college’s first president since becoming a non-profit organization, her guidance has opened new doors for PTC to the community, access to funding and enrollment opportunities.
Under Dr. Harvey-Smith’s leadership, PTC was ranked for the first time by U.S. News & World Report in four categories in its annual Best Colleges guide, while PTC’s Information Technology programs earned designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Two-Year Education (CAE-2Y) through the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). PTC is now one of only four colleges in the Pittsburgh region offering study in Information Systems, advanced laboratory facilities, NSA and DHS designation and evolving bachelor-level course offerings, including Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
In the past year, PTC earned three National Science Foundation (NSF) grants totaling more than $1.5 million, the first research funding in the college’s 75-year history. With these grants, PTC is partnering with the Beaver County Career and Technology Center and more than 17 local school districts to develop summer camps, cybersecurity competitions, conferences and mentoring programs to broaden participation in tech fields for the region’s youth.
In addition to programmatic innovation, Dr. Harvey-Smith has also worked diligently to develop an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to build a culture of acceptance and bring together a diverse community at PTC, and a Corporate College division offering industry certifications, stackable credentials and specialized training. Dr. Harvey-Smith has also taken the lead on working with organizations like the Forbes Funds to build PTC’s outreach initiatives supporting underserved students while opening a new Student Health and Wellness and Fitness Center on campus this month.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized as the Tech 50 Awards’ CEO of the Year,” said Dr. Harvey-Smith. “But this would not be possible if it weren’t for the great team at Pittsburgh Technical College. I am so excited for the college’s future and the opportunities we are able to provide for our students.”
As a testament to the caliber of education PTC provides, Jon Zeolla, a 2009 PTC graduate, accepted the Tech 50 Award for Innovator of the Year: Start-up Company, on behalf of Seiso LLC, an information security firm. The co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Seiso, Zeolla is a graduate of PTC’s Information Technology associate degree program.