Southwestern Pennsylvania Robotics Talent Advisory Committee (RTAC)

Originally from Wisconsin, Jenny founded two startups during college before coming to Pittsburgh as a Venture For America Fellow. With a passion for helping others discover entrepreneurship, Jenny later took on a more significant role as Director of Pittsburgh for Venture for America, reflecting her growing involvement in and dedication to fostering growth in the region. Over the last nine years in Pittsburgh, Jenny has also served as former Program Director at Ascender, where she led initiatives to promote entrepreneurial literacy. In her current position as the Director of Workforce Development for the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, she plays a crucial role in preparing the region for future jobs in the rapidly growing robotics sector.

A resourceful and strategic People Operations/HR professional with a proven record of solving business challenges. Experience includes business process improvement, system implementation, project management, workflow management, policy development, human resource strategy, vendor relations, compliance and audits, cost estimations and budgets, and developing employee communications. Committed to building a cooperative and productive work environment that fosters employee development and achieves corporate goals.

Brian founded Hellbender because he saw an opportunity to support AI enabled IOT and robotics companies by engineering and manufacturing products in the U.S.A. Through innovation in the manufacturing process, supported by an expert hardware and embedded software team, he offers clients a dependable, faster, cost-effective alternative to manufacturing overseas.

Brian is a former USMC active-duty NCO and ARNG infantryman with more than 12 years of service. During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Brian served as an Assault Section Leader for Bravo Company 1st Battalion 2nd Marines. After active duty, he worked at Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center as a staff engineer where he led the development of payloads and UX for the USMC Gladiator, DARPA UGCV, and DARPA UPI Crusher programs.

Brian joined Carnegie Robotics in 2011 where he spent the next decade developing defense and commercial products including Inertial Navigation Systems, rugged stereo and monocular cameras, and integrated robotics systems. In 2014, he led the effort to win the $24M AMDS contract and served as the lead systems engineer and project manager for the resulting Standoff Robotic Explosive Hazard Detection (SREHD) system, a semi-autonomous combat engineer mine and IED detection robot. Brian left his Chief Product Officer role in 2021.

Hellbender emerged from Brian’s continued desire to serve his community and country. He established Hellbender as a benefit corporation, with legally defined goals to create dual-use technology and provide economic opportunity for military veterans. Brian has committed Hellbender to meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance while reshoring electronics manufacturing for the United States.

Robotic and intelligent autonomous systems have tremendous potential to change our lives. Throughout my career I've worked to find ways to apply creative robotic solutions to real-world problems that improve lives in some way. Whether it was researching ways to detect and prevent vehicle rollover, developing novel object ID and manipulation algorithms for autonomous ordinance and hazardous waste disposal systems to help reduce underwater UXD, creating intuitive AR interfaces for ROV pilots and remote robotics operators, or leading the software efforts for fielding world leading autonomous picking systems in warehouses, the main goal is always to use the vast technology at our disposal to try and improve peoples lives.

Faith Collins is the Community Capacity Coordinator at the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), providing technical assistance to nonprofit entities to secure federal economic development grants. SPC is the Local Development District and Economic Development District for southwestern Pennsylvania. Prior to her role as Community Capacity Coordinator, Faith provided technical assistance to for profit companies interested in entering the government marketplace as Manager, Government Contract Technical Assistance at SPC. Faith has a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Anthropology.

Scott leads the program development and delivery of Catalyst Connection’s workforce initiatives. Over the past 19 years, Scott has consulted with manufacturing companies and schools on talent pipeline and career pathways across 12-counties of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Scott leads grant funded efforts for incumbent worker training, job seeker training, and various STEM initiatives. He is a frequent speaker for school districts, industry consortiums, and conferences on the topics of STEM education, manufacturing, and workforce programs. Annually, Scott works with more than 60 local school districts, 100 local manufacturing companies, and over 1,500 regional students.

Scott has been involved in human resource and workforce education, with expertise in the manufacturing, retail, financial, and consulting industries, since 1999. As a recruiter for Mellon Financial Corporation, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and a small consulting firm, Scott has recruited technology and management talent, delivered training, developed internship programs, and conducted outreach with local nonprofit organizations and youth programs.

He holds B.S.B.A. degree in Human Resource Management from Robert Morris University.

Brandon Duncan is a seasoned leader with a decade of experience in Pittsburgh’s dynamic robotics industry. As Head of Operations at Thoro.ai, he leverages his extensive expertise in building and scaling high-performance teams to drive operational excellence and expand the reach of Thoro’s global product suite.

Prior to joining Thoro.ai, Brandon played a pivotal role in shaping the operational foundations of two major autonomous technology companies. At Uber Advanced Technologies Group and later at Argo AI, he was an early operations leader responsible for designing and implementing comprehensive training programs, as well as developing scalable frameworks for hiring, onboarding, and continuous workforce development.

Brandon’s background in education has been instrumental in his ability to cultivate high-growth teams, ensuring they are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in fast-evolving environments.

Shandra is an experienced HR professional with 6 years of experience supporting a robotics autonomy company. Over the past several years, she has played a key role in navigating rapid growth, scaling HR operations, and building people-focused strategies to support company success.

Nicholas Kirsch, Ph.D., is the Director of Software Engineering at Omnicell, where he leads initiatives in robotics and AI to advance autonomous pharmacy solutions. With nearly a decade of experience in robotics, he has developed autonomous systems for various applications. Nicholas earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and remains actively involved with the university as an Alumni-In-Residence, career mentor, and volunteer with the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He is also deeply engaged in the broader robotics community, serving on advisory boards, contributing to industry standards, and mentoring future engineers.

Prior to accepting the role of Industry Liaison - Manufacturing and Technology at Partner4Work, I spent over 15 years working in advanced manufacturing. Starting as an unskilled production technician and working my way through the industry to lead R&D teams developing processes and materials for metal and ceramic additive manufacturing technologies. In my current role I intend to help job seekers take advantage of career opportunities in the Manufacturing and Tech sectors while helping businesses leverage the talents of individuals skilled through non-traditional routes.

With over 10 years of experience in recruiting and people operations, I have spent 8 years in the robotics sector, specializing in self-driving technology and artificial intelligence. My career includes 7 years at Argo AI and Latitude AI, where I contributed to building teams and talent strategies in high-growth environments. Currently, as Senior People Operations Manager at Stack AV, I lead initiatives including people programs, academic research partnerships, intern programs, and the development of people systems to support organizational growth and strategic development.

John Quayle is a seasoned operations specialist with over 16 years of experience in business operations and entrepreneurship. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Four Growers, where he leads operations, HR, marketing, and logistics, while also supporting finance. Previously, John founded StartNow Pittsburgh, a news media brand that highlighted tech and innovation within Pittsburgh's ecosystem.

Tricia has been in Human Resources for 20 years as a generalist in various industries. She believes that regardless of industry, the most important asset is the people, and my passion is helping people succeed and reach their goals.

John is the Director of Product Management at the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute. With 30+ years of experience developing software-based services to enable lifelong learning, he is responsible for developing and promoting services that connect people with robotics opportunities in manufacturing.

During his career, he helped to found and serve as CEO of EdLink, LLC a leading provider of tuition assistance management services.  Under John’s leadership, EdLink grew to manage over $220 million in education funding and was acquired by the Fortune 500 firm Bright Horizons Family Solutions.