< Previous28 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS Spector Angelo was a gymnast at Pitt in the mid-1980s, earning NCAA All-Region recognition three times over the course of her collegiate career. While there, she forged a strong bond with Donna Sanft, who was her coach for three years before embarking on a trailblazing career in the University’s athletic department. They remain close today: Sanft, a Pitt Athletics Hall of Famer, occasionally lends her expertise on consulting projects at Compass. “Like any great leader, she was able to see what I couldn’t see in myself to help me to be my best,” Spector Angelo says. “That goes for both inside the gym and in life.” While studying at UMass, she became enamored with her organizational development class. She would take the motivational theories she was taught in the classroom and apply them to her job helping to coach the school’s gymnastics team. As she saw those lessons applied successfully in the real world, the idea behind Compass and Spector Angelo’s career was born. “That was sort of the biggest ‘aha’ moment: In order to spark people’s performance, you really have to understand them individually and as a team,” she says. Compass came from humble origins. After working in human resources at several companies, Spector Angelo started her business as a single consultant. In 2017, she bought out her partner and became Compass’ sole owner. In the years since, the firm has grown considerably, with 15 consultants under its umbrella and offices in Pittsburgh; Los Angeles, California; and Orlando, Florida. Over the course of its existence, the firm has assisted a broad base of clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in industries like health care, technology, manufacturing, energy and professional sports. Spector Angelo says that the most rewarding part of that journey had been the feedback from employees at companies that once had “very toxic” internal cultures before being transformed into something more tenable and productive after their work with Compass. In many ways, Spector Angelo ties her current life as a consultant back to her time as a gymnast. Though she was in a sport in which athletes were judged individually, their scores contributed to the success of a larger team. She understands the dynamics of winning organizations and how seemingly disparate parts must come together to make that success possible. She’ll often explain her work that way to executives: Success in business, like in sports, is all about having the right talent and knowing how to harness it. “All those things that happened at Pitt really did influence many of the things that I think about still today,” she says. SARAH ANDERSON SEWELL (A&S ’11) F or Sarah Sewell, a job has never just been a job. Throughout her professional career, and even before she graduated from Pitt in 2011, she has sought work that is less an occupation and more of a calling. Her passion for service led her to earning her master’s degree in public administration from Bowie State University. Now she’s working to help others answer the call to serve their communities, too. Sewell, a former track and field athlete at Pitt, is the founder and owner of Edit Genie, a company that provides on-demand consulting services to mission-driven professionals—or, as Sewell puts it, her venture helps to “make missions magical.” “A lot of times, folks do mission work, and they’re really driven by what they’re doing,” Sewell (née Anderson) says. Alisa is surrounded by her dynamic team of business experts, each of whom drive organizational performance and strategic guidance to their clients.H2P MAGAZINE FALL 2024 29 “They’re so driven that many of the supports that enable them to do what they’re doing—securing grants or contracts, being able to codify agreements with other partners, making sure their organizational documents are together, optimizing for impact—can often go by the wayside when knee-deep in the work. Folks just barrel through much of the time. What I do at Edit Genie is stand up all the infrastructure around those doing mission-guided work so clients can stay focused and leave the administration to me.” Edit Genie offers a valuable service assisting with the kinds of projects with which Sewell has significant experience but that can be daunting for many others. Among other undertakings, it helps with ghostwriting and editing, policy and program revamp, agreement and contract review and grant proposal and report curation. The company launched earlier this year and is actually Sewell’s second business in what’s still a relatively young, burgeoning career. From 2015 to 2023, she was the CEO of Lillie Leaf Solutions, a consulting firm that supported environmental stakeholders from grassroots to government (with the name for the firm coming from her middle name, Lillie). In her time working in the nonprofit sector, which also included stints at American Forests and City Parks Alliance, Sewell picked up a number of valuable skills that she now uses to help others through Edit Genie. For instance, she worked on federal grants, and she helped to author state and national policy, with some of her drafted legislation even finding its way into the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. During a recent two-year stint working in technology as a workforce program director, her eyes were opened even more to just how valuable a service like Edit Genie could be. “Things really clicked for me. Some things are just consistent no matter what industry you’re in, no matter what sector you represent,” she says. “Folks have the same challenges. Everybody needs grant funding. Everybody needs standard operating procedures. Folks are all looking to make change via programs and policies to improve the lives of those they’ve committed to serving.” Sewell’s dedication to helping others and striving for the greater good goes back to her time at Pitt. A New Jersey native, she arrived at Pitt as a walk-on for the track and field team as a thrower, be it for the hammer throw, discus or shot put. Her hard work and athletic successes ultimately earned her a scholarship for her final two years of college. While attending Pitt, she volunteered with the Student- Athlete Advisory Committee and was elected president her junior and senior years. During her summers, she supervised a recreation program for low-income children in Mount Holly, New Jersey, that provided them with lunch and a snack during a time of year when they were out of school. In the work she has done since then, Sewell sees a parallel with track and field. While many can mistakenly view it as an individual sport, it’s actually a team venture, with dozens of athletes pitching in however they can to help the squad move in a positive direction. It’s something that’s continually at the front of her mind as she works to grow Edit Genie in its nascent stage. “It’s yin and yang,” Sewell said. “We need each other in order to create a just and harmonious society that works for everyone. Much of my career is closing the gap between current operations and our dreams for the future through realizing present potential. That’s the most rewarding part of my job: putting my skill set in service of others’ missions to create some magic, and engineering the conditions for future success together.” Though they work in different industries and competed in different sports, Savini, Spector Angelo and Sewell are connected by their shared experiences as student-athletes at Pitt. For many, college is a formative experience, a time when an unrefined teenager becomes something at least vaguely resembling a functioning adult by the time they graduate. For those tasked with balancing their academic workloads with the rigorous demands of being a Division I athlete, it’s an especially instructive period. The lessons Savini, Spector Angelo and Sewell picked up during their athletic careers with the Panthers are ones that remain with them today. They’re all CEOs and proud Pitt alums, two labels that have been inextricably linked while they’ve achieved the success they’ve created for themselves. While CEO of Lillie Leaf Solutions, Sewell unveiled a program she developed for client American Forests at the 2018 Partners in Community Forestry Conference. During her three years supporting the Tree Equity: Career Pathways program, she helped raise $4 million to fund it, authored curricula and national policy to sustain it, and led a multimedia communications campaign featuring Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter SZA to spread awareness. 30 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS FEATURE Staying in the Spotlight with BOSTICK, DICKERSON and WALSH Written by Josh Rowntree hrough the years, Pitt athletes have constructed a storied history of excellence on the playing fields. Now, several athletes are creating a new legacy in the world of sports broadcasting. D orin Dickerson never anticipated that his professional life would look like this. But he’s certainly not complaining. As a 15-year-old budding high school star and top recruit at West Allegheny High School, Dickerson finished an interview after a Friday night football game and heard, for the first time, someone suggest to him what to do after his playing days ended. “Kevin Gorman from the Trib was like, ‘You know, whenever you’re done playing in the NFL, you should get into broadcasting,” says Dickerson. “I just looked at him like, ‘What?’ I was just a kid.” That comment, however, stuck in Dickerson’s mind for years. He went on to become one of the most accomplished and versatile WPIAL football players in recent memory, was an All-American tight end at the University of Pittsburgh and had a six-year career in the NFL. But Dickerson tore his Achilles tendon in 2015 while with the Tennessee Titans, effectively ending his playing career. Suddenly, he was left with plenty of uncertainty about what would come next. “I was sitting around, rehabbing my Achilles, and I got in contact with [KDKA radio host and Pitt football sideline reporter] Larry Richert,” he says. “He asked me if I’d ever be interested in getting on the radio. I was like, ‘Man, Dorin Dickerson (left) and Pat Bostick team up each fall Saturday to broadcast Pitt football on 93.7 The Fan. Dorin Dickerson earned first team All-America and All-Big East honors as a Pitt tight end. H2P MAGAZINE FALL 2024 31 I’ve never even listened to the radio before. But sure, I’ll try.’” He met with the management at 93.7 The Fan the next day and was thrust on the air shortly thereafter. Suddenly, a new career path opened just as one was closing. “I just kind of fell into it,” says Dickerson, who is now cohost of “The Fan Morning Show” alongside Adam Crowley. “I didn’t even know that this was a legit thing, to be honest. Now that I’m doing it, I see that there’s a whole different side to the media and the sports world. “It’s surreal at times that I get to sit down in the morning, turn the mic on and talk to sports fans here in Pittsburgh.” P at Bostick (A&S ’10, CGS ’10, LAW ’21) had a similarly unexpected start to his career in the industry. He was Pitt’s starting quarterback in its legendary 13-9 upset win over West Virginia in the 2007 Backyard Brawl and a former teammate of Dickerson’s, but the first suggestion that he go into broadcasting came even earlier. “A career in sports broadcasting would suit Patrick,” read a childhood analysis based on his interests. “I thought I wanted to coach,” says Bostick, who now works as Pitt’s senior associate athletic director for major gifts. “That was the first thing. But, as a quarterback, you interact with the media a lot. There’s some on-the-job training. “It wasn’t until I actually interned as a student-athlete with E.J. Borghetti and Celeste Welsh that I got exposed to all that went into it.” Bostick was asked to do color commentary for the Pitt Spring Game in 2011. Little did he realize that that game would serve as an audition for the radio color commentator role—a position he has occupied since, except for one season. “I think about it a lot,” Bostick says of the uncommon introduction to broadcasting. “It’s not something that I ever will take for granted. “People showed a lot of faith in me, E.J. being most notable. I don’t know what I did to deserve that. But I was given an opportunity at 22 years old to start broadcasting with an absolute legend in Bill Hillgrove and call Pitt football games.” Both Dickerson and Bostick rave about the foresight and guiding hand into media that was shown by Borghetti, Pitt’s executive associate athletic director for communications. He is one of the University’s longest-tenured athletics employees and is responsible for handling the day-to-day media communications of the football team while also overseeing Pitt’s athletics department communications. “That’s where it starts and where it ends, with E.J.,” says Dickerson. “I’d always meet with him in the offseason, even while [I was] in the NFL, just in case I got cut and it was the last time I ever played football. I did it to prepare myself and say, ‘Hey, what can I possibly do next?’ He really cares about the University of Pittsburgh, its students and its student-athletes.” Bostick adds, “E.J.’s been ingrained for so long and been around the best to ever do it. He’s won awards for how he serves the media from his chair. And he has a front row seat to cultivating and teaching 18- and 19-year-olds how to deal with the press.” W hile Dickerson and Bostick were natural fits in the football broadcasting world, Rich Walsh (A&S ’00)’s path to and current role in broadcasting has been a bit different. Pat Bostick calls signals during Pitt’s three-overtime win at Notre Dame in 2008. Dorin Dickerson interviews former Pitt running back James Conner. Rich Walsh was a standout middle distance runner for Pitt.32 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS Currently a sports anchor for KDKA- TV, Walsh grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills and was a WPIAL champion in track. He had numerous options for where to attend college, but Pitt became the obvious pick when he toured the campus and was offered a full scholarship. “My dad told me that if I got a full scholarship, he’d buy me a car, so it was a pretty easy decision,” says Walsh, who proudly drove his Ford Probe GT to Oakland until he graduated in 2000. Walsh ran the 800 meters at Pitt and was a team captain, developing a deep love and appreciation for the University and its athletic programs. But his future ambitions changed numerous times along the way. “I went to school thinking I was going to be a lawyer,” he says. “I was prelaw, then political science, then psychology. I didn’t know what I was going to do until I ran into [KDKA sports personalities] Bob Pompeani and Sam Nover during Pitt basketball practice, which happened to coincide with the track athletes running laps in the Fitzgerald Field House. “I kind of did play-by-play during track practice, just sort of as a joke when I was bored. But it piqued my interest, and I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’” Through the chats with Pompeani and Nover and another connection through From left to right: Rich Walsh on the KDKA-TV set with Charlie Batch and Bob Pompeani. his father, who knew a producer at KDKA-TV, Walsh netted an internship with the station. “It all worked out and I got to learn under Bob,” Walsh says of Pompeani, a man he admired as a young man and still does today. Following the internship, Walsh went on to work as a producer at WPXI; then in Wheeling, West Virginia; and then at Fox Sports Pittsburgh. He went back to WPXI briefly and then found a long-term home at KDKA-TV. “I had other opportunities, but I just wanted to stay home,” he says. “I grew up a huge Pirates fan, and I’m obviously a huge Pitt fan. My family is still in town. Obviously, my wife doesn’t want to go anywhere. “We love the city. It’s very uncommon for someone to come back to their hometown and for someone to stay. But being able to stay in Pittsburgh was a goal of mine.” D ickerson, Bostick and Walsh are far from alone when it comes to former Pitt athletes working in broadcasting. There are many of them here in the region and many more across the country at various levels of the industry. But these three all recognize how special it is that they have been given a chance to work in the city or with the University they care so much about. “I was blessed with the opportunity for some reason that I’ll never know, and I’ll never take that for granted,” Bostick says. “I’m so grateful for that today.” For Dickerson, it’s a chance to relive his playing days and keep alive the passion he has for the sport that opened multiple doors, including his role on the sideline each Saturday. “That’s been way, way more surreal than the talk show in the morning,” he says. “It’s the absolute closest I could ever get to putting a helmet back on. It’s probably the most rewarding feeling a former player can ever get, and I get that feeling every single weekend.” The two former football players draw on their experience to guide their careers now. And all three men—now proud fathers and partners in addition to their unpredicted careers—carry with them the passion needed in an industry that thrives on just that. “I love Pitt, honestly,” says Walsh. “I’m one of the biggest Pitt supporters in the entire media. And it’s because Pitt has really shaped me into who I am today.”H2P MAGAZINE FALL 2024 3334 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS PITT FOOTBALL ON THE ROAD with Timothy “Tim” Pecsenye f Tim Pecsenye (A&S ’84, LAW ’87) had a theme song, it no doubt would be Willie Nelson’s classic “On the Road Again.” Pecsenye’s primary residence is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, yet for the past40 years he has attended every single Pitt football home, road and postseason game. It’s a streak that may very well be unmatched in Panther fan lore. We recently sat down with Tim to take a walk down memory lane and share some of his ‘favorites’ while he is ON THE ROAD with the Panthers. Favorite Road Game Victory: My favorite road win was in a season where it was largely not a great season, but that win made the season ending so sweet. On Dec. 1, 2007, Pitt entered the game 4-7 against the number-two-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and a 28-point underdog. Pitt went on to win 13-9, and I fondly remember the incredible feeling of the walk out of Mountaineer Stadium (the Mountaineer fans were totally shocked and silent) and the drive back to Pittsburgh as the winner (and ruining West Virginia’s national championship aspirations). A close second favorite road win was on Nov. 13, 2016, in a high-scoring game that went back and forth. Chris Blewitt kicked the winning field goal for Pitt with six seconds left to beat the [Clemson] Tigers 43-42. Clemson was ranked number two in the country at that time and went on to win the national championship. Favorite Stadium (Aside from Acrisure Stadium): Although [it has been] a very difficult place to win for Pitt over the years, my favorite stadium to watch Pitt play on the road is at Notre Dame. The campus, [the] game-day crowd, the bands, the cheerleaders, the history and traditions make it in my mind the very best college football stadium. Favorite Bowl Game: My favorite bowl game and probably favorite Pitt game of all time was the 1982 Sugar Bowl played on Jan. 1, 1982, [in New Orleans, Louisiana]. I attended as a member of the Pitt Band and was in heaven when the number eight Panthers defeated the favored Georgia Bulldogs 24-20. I will never forget the fourth-down play where Dan Marino connected with John Brown for a winning touchdown with seconds left in the game. Pitt finished ranked number two in the nation that year! Best Home Game Memory: Although there were so many great home game wins and memories over the years, the memory that sticks out in my mind was actually quite sad despite culminating in a big win. That memory is of the final home football game played at Pitt Stadium on Nov. 13, 1999. I will never forget Pitt beating the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame 37- 27.I started my Pitt fandom as a freshman at Pitt Stadium in 1980, so that final game brought so many memories, emotions and bittersweet tears [after] watching the Panthers play there for 20 seasons. Best Place to Eat on the Road: My favorite dining spot on the road dates to when Pitt played in the Big East [Conference] for football. And that place was in the hometown of the University of South Florida [USF] Bulls, Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, Florida. It was always an incredible meal including a great dessert. I miss that trip every other year, not just because Pitt usually won but [because of] a great steak meal at Bern’s. Because Pitt no longer plays USF, although it is not comparable in taste or quality, I always stop by for a meal at Dinosaur H2P MAGAZINE FALL 2024 35 Bar-B-Que when the Panthers are traveling to Syracuse, New York, to play the Orange. Pitt usually wins, and the atmosphere, food and drinks at Dinosaur always make it a great football weekend on the road. Last Pitt Football Game You Missed: Prior to COVID, the only Pitt home game I missed since 1980 was the first night game played at Pitt Stadium on Aug. 31, 1985. I missed the game because I was the best man in my Pitt roommate’s wedding. I still remember watching the game after the wedding on tape: Purdue scored with no time left in the game and decided to go for two for the win. Just as the exciting moment was about to play out, a woman walked into the room and said, “I cannot believe they missed the pass.” Despite ruining the dramatic moment, I was delighted to watch Purdue quarterback Jim Everett bounce a pass into the endzone to a wide-open receiver, resulting in [a] failed two-point conversion, and a 31-30 Pitt win! Favorite Game-day Atmosphere: I think anytime there is a full house and Pitt is playing football is my favorite atmosphere. Sometimes it is when Pitt is at home, and sometimes it is when Pitt is on the road. There is nothing more exciting and energizing that watching a Pitt college football game in a stadium that is packed and loud. Best Hospitality: Although it was only a onetime visit so far, I believe the best hospitality on the road for visiting fans was from the Nebraska Cornhusker fans. It was amazing how friendly the Nebraska fans were prior to the game and after, offering food [and] drinks and welcoming me to Lincoln. The game itself was bizarre, with Pitt blowing an incredible opportunity to win the game in the closing seconds by missing not one but two field goal attempts (including a bonk off a helmet from the snap). Pregame Superstitions: I have a regular clothing routine for every Pitt game. I select a particular combination of Pitt clothes that I wear to the game. If Pitt wins, I wear that same combination until they lose. If Pitt loses, I change the Pitt gear combination each game until it results in a win. Rinse and repeat. I also follow the exact same path walking to the stadium prior to each game, which is why I think last season was not great with the Roberto Clemente Bridge closed to foot traffic. Travel Hiccups That Resulted Almost Missing a Game: I do not recall exactly what year it was, but I nearly missed a road game at Notre Dame in the 2000s. My normal routine for attending a Pitt road game at Notre Dame included flying into Chicago, [Illinois,] for the weekend and taking a commuter train from Chicago to South Bend, [Indiana,] and back for the game. This particular weekend, I slept late, ran to the train station and missed it. The next train would not get me there in time. So, I decided to hail a taxi and made it to South Bend prior to kickoff. After that expensive mistake, I changed my routine and no longer take the train! Best Halftime Performance from the Pitt Band: My fondest and best memories of halftime shows are from when I was a member of the Pitt Band [1980-84]. Any show that the music was arranged by Joe Campus had particular promise. His arrangements were unique [and] difficult but very timely and contemporary. My favorite shows were either the Blues Brothers or Charlie Daniels shows. Although it was not my favorite show, the game where the Pitt Band received the largest and loudest reaction was from a road game at Michie Stadium versus Army. I believe the year was 1980, possibly 1982. The Pitt Band took the field to perform a halftime show, which drew thunderous applause, cheers and a standing ovation received by the Pitt Band for that show. Best Person to Watch a Game with at Acrisure Stadium: My Pitt Band alumni crew are always the best people to join to watch the game. Many of us sit together in Section 211 for each home game. We typically all tailgate together prior to each home game as well. Our friendship and shared experiences of Pitt football in many cases date back to 1980, and it would not be the same without them! Favorite Pitt Tradition: Although it is somewhat modified with the change in stadiums, my favorite tradition is watching the Pitt Band come marching out of the “hole” to start each home game. It was more dramatic at Pitt Stadium, but the tradition continues at Acrisure Stadium and is certainly not to be missed. The continuation of that same tradition is the band playing “Hail to Pitt” and forming the script Pitt on the field. From left to right: Tim enjoying the Rutgers game with a fellow Pitt alum Anthony Orman. The Pitt band tailgate has become a tradition for Tim at every Pitt home game. Tim with Rick Gradisek and Gary Amelio cheering on the Panthers against the Utah Utes. Tim and Pitt Fan Laurie Hruska at the Pitt vs. Iowa game.36 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS PANTHERS UNITED he University of Pittsburgh proudly showcased its commitment to diversity and inclusion through active participation in three pivotal events: the Black Student Athlete Summit, the ACC Unity Tour, and the Athlete Activism Summit. Each event provided Panthers student-athletes and staff with invaluable opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue and drive positive change across collegiate sports. Black Student-Athlete Summit The Black Student-Athlete Summit is an annual three-day event that brings together student- athletes, administrators, coaches and faculty members. The 2024 summit was held May 23-26 in Los Angeles, California, at USC. Representing the University of Pittsburgh were Student-Athlete Development Coordinator Dallas Jackson and student-athletes Caleb Williams (football), Kendall Brown (softball), Jordyn Ewing (gymnastics) and Taylor Forbes (track and field). The summit aims to empower, educate and inspire Black student-athletes and staff, fostering opportunities and initiatives that support Black student-athletes beyond the realm of competition. ACC Unity Tour The ACC Unity Tour is an annual three-day event that unites student- athletes, administrators, coaches and faculty members from Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) institutions. The 2024 tour took place July 11-14 in Charleston, South Carolina. Representing the University of Pittsburgh were Alonzo Webb III, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for track and field, and student-athletes Jordan Villareal (wrestling), Haylee Mersereau (soccer), Ishmael Leggett (basketball) and Caleia Johnson (track and field). The tour is designed to promote unity, understanding and collaboration among ACC member institutions, highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion while providing a platform for student-athletes and staff to engage in meaningful discussions and activities. Athlete Activism Summit The Athlete Activism Summit is a collaborative three-day event aimed at promoting LGBTQI+ inclusion and allyship within collegiate sports. In partnership with adidas and the University of Louisville, Athlete Ally hosted the 2024 summit June 27-30 in Louisville, Kentucky. The event gathered college athletes, coaches and administrators from across the nation to build community, share knowledge and commit to actionable steps that enhance LGBTQI+ inclusivity on their respective campuses. Representing the University of Pittsburgh were Katie Berry, assistant athletic director of marketing, and Riley Patrick, lacrosse student- athlete. The summit is designed to empower and inspire participants to be proactive allies and advocates for LGBTQI+ communities in the collegiate sports environment. Pictured from left to right are Taylor Forbes, Kendall Brown, Jordyn Ewing and Caleb Williams Riley Patrick (second from right) and attendees from other participant schools celebrate the end of a uniting and empowering summit with a Day of Play to wrap up the event. Pictured from left to right are Ishmael Leggett, Haylee Mersereau, Coach Zo and Caleia JohnsonH2P MAGAZINE FALL 2024 37 Get$500 eaOpenanewchckingccount at Proud to be the Official Credit Union of the Pitt Panthers! clearviewfcu.org/panthersNext >