Inaugural Jim Roddey Leadership Awards to honor legacy of 1st Allegheny County executive

The inaugural Jim Roddey Leadership Awards will recognize two local leaders and honor the legacy of the first Allegheny County executive.

The first recipients are Laura Ellsworth, partner-in-charge of global community service initiatives at law firm Jones Day, and Mark Nordenberg, former chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.

Roddey died in March 2024 at the age of 91. Elected in 1999 as county executive, he led the new form of government, which replaced the three-person county commissioner system. He is widely credited for helping to make the new system work from the start. A Republican in a Democratic stronghold, he was known for his ability to work with everyone regardless of political party.

The awards aim to recognize people who embody Roddey’s values.

Roddey himself in 2023 chose Ellsworth and Nordenberg as the inaugural recipients.

“It was the honor of my life to create this award with Jim when he was still alive,” said Ethan Nicholas, president of Pittsburgh Business Exchange and event founder. “I promised him that his name and values would live on through this event and inspire future generations of leaders for decades to come.”

The inaugural recipients will be recognized May 21 at an event on the rooftop of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Ellsworth, who has led litigation on landmark cases for Jones Day, co-founded the Eradicate Hate Global Summit. She has held board positions at FNB Corporation, Magee-Womens Research Institute and the Heinz History Center.

She said Roddey was a mentor to her and to generations of Pittsburgh leaders. She remembered him as someone who always saw the good in people.

“His inspiring ability to bring people together for the good of the community with both incisive intellect and gentle humor was a unique gift,” Ellsworth said in a statement. “Jim taught me so much, and I am genuinely humbled and touched that he would consider me one of the inaugural recipients of this award in his name.”

Roddey chaired the search committee that installed Nordenberg as chancellor in 1996 at the University of Pittsburgh, a position he held for nearly two decades until stepping down in 2014.

“In a sense, anything I have done in my career I owe to Jim because he played such an important role in creating an opportunity for me,” Nordenberg told TribLive. “It does mean a great deal for me to be recognized in his name. This is even more important because I’m told Jim himself selected the initial honorees — so knowing this is something that would’ve pleased him also is very important to me.”

Roddey served on more than 40 nonprofit and civic boards, including at UPMC, the University of Pittsburgh, WQED and the Pittsburgh Public Theater.

“We are honored to be a founding sponsor of the Jim Roddey Leadership Awards,” Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto said. “Jim was a true leader and a friend, and his dedication to making Western Pennsylvania a better place for everyone was truly inspiring.”

The new awards, she said, are a fitting tribute.

“We’ve long admired the work of Laura Ellsworth and Mark Nordenberg, and their recognition alongside Jim’s name is a testament to their profound impact and their shared commitment to public service and regional growth,” Bertetto said. “They are truly deserving honorees.”