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Rona L. Nesbit ’81

Special Advisor to the President, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Bachelor of Science, Accounting

In a professional career spanning some 45 years, Nesbit has spent time in public accounting, healthcare finance, retail building products, and for the last 27 years, senior roles at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. In her roles at the Trust, Nesbit helped build the non-profit organization into one of the top five largest performing arts centers in the country, celebrated as a model for economic revitalization through the arts. She has served as the Trust’s financial and administrative partner for all three of the organization’s President & CEOs while the organization’s budget grew steadily from $20 million to $70 million.

She also helped oversee the physical transformation of the Pittsburgh Cultural District, a 14-square block area in downtown having served in major roles in the building of the O’Reilly Theater, Theater Square, Katz Plaza, the Allegheny Riverfront Parks and Arts Landing, a 4 ½ acre civic space in downtown Pittsburgh, which recently opened in April 2026. The Trust’s programming and other activity attracts over 600,000 people annually, supporting over 1,900 jobs and generating close to $200 million in regional economic impact.

Nesbit had the opportunity to lead other transformational projects while at the Trust. One example is the key role she played in establishing Shared Services, an innovative program that resulted in over $20 million in administrative savings for partner organizations and has also led successful mergers with several regional arts organizations.

Inside the venues, she championed accessibility including the creation of an accessibility coordinator position. She also led the Trust’s significant financial investment in presenting a sensory-friendly adaptation of Broadway’s The Lion King in 2013 with Pittsburgh becoming only the second city outside of New York to do so.

Caring deeply about community, Nesbit has served roles on various boards over the years such as the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, The Arc of Westmoreland County, WQED and the Frick Museum and Gardens of Pittsburgh.

Nesbit has been recognized for her work by peers and institutions alike. She is a member of the Pittsburgh chapter of the International Women’s Forum, an organization that advances women’s leadership worldwide. She has been named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania, awarded the YWCA’s Tribute to Women Leadership Award, named a finalist for the Athena Award, and most recently, was a recipient of a 2025 C-Suite Award by the Pittsburgh Business Times.