SmithGroup Hires Energy and Development Specialist Dr. Katrina Kelly-Pitou

Katrina Kelly SmithGroup Pittsburgh Urban Design

SmithGroup, one of the nation’s largest integrated design firms, has hired Katrina Kelly-Pitou as an urban systems strategist at its Pittsburgh office. An economist and specialist in policy creation, large-scale electrical systems, and urban development, Kelly-Pitou will work closely with multi-disciplinary team members within the firm’s Urban Design practice and across the U.S. to create strategic energy initiatives that drive the development of more resilient, sustainable communities.

An internationally recognized authority in the fields of environmental economics, power systems, and smart and sustainable cities, Kelly-Pitou has been involved in a range of global energy-related projects, including hydroelectric, solarization, and nuclear initiatives. She comes to SmithGroup from the University of Pittsburgh, where she served as Manager of Strategy and Business Development at the Center for Energy. Prior to that role, she acted as the program manager for the Resilience Initiative at the World Energy Council where her efforts focused on extreme weather resilience, cybersecurity, and financing resilient energy infrastructures. Additional notable experience includes work with the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management Mining and Reclamations Division; International Finance Corporation; World Bank Group; and Nestle S.A.

“Katrina has extensive experience working alongside public and private entities, governmental agencies and policymakers to enact programs that drive sustainable economic development at a variety of scales,” said Dan Kinkead, co-director of SmithGroup’s Urban Design Practice. “Adding her expertise to our integrated design team will expand the impact that our projects have on the environment, the economy, and the communities that we serve.”

Kelly-Pitou earned a PhD in Comparative Energy Infrastructures from the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in the United Kingdom. She also holds a Master’s in International Relations from Hult International Business School in London and a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Philosophy and Economics from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Her background has earned her invitations to serve as a governmental adviser to the British House of Lords, the European Commission, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Department of Energy. She also supports the City of Pittsburgh Mayor’s Office and the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development in energy policy formation at the local and state levels.

A recognized lecturer and author, Kelly-Pitou been published extensively by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Energy Journal, published by the International Association for Energy Economics; and Energy Technology Perspectives, a publication of the International Energy Agency. She is also a member of Women in Economics and the Society for Women in Engineering.

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