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Melanie Harrington is the first president and CEO of Vibrant Pittsburgh, a nonprofit economic development organization established to build a more diverse and inclusive Pittsburgh region by spearheading initiatives to attract, retain and elevate a diverse workforce.   

From 2001 to 2010 Harrington served as president of the American Institute for Managing Diversity Inc. (AIMD), a national nonprofit diversity think tank founded by Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. and based in Atlanta, Ga.  As president, she directed a broad range of initiatives.

From 1995 to 2001 Harrington was general counsel for D.J. Miller & Associates Inc. (DJMA), a national management consulting firm that specializes in serving federal, state and local government agencies. Prior to that role, she was a senior associate at the Ewing Group Law Firm, specializing in employment litigation, from 1992 to 1995.

Harrington currently serves on several boards, including the Center for Global Inclusion, Pittsburgh  Downtown Partnership, and the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. She was an expert panelist for the 2016 Edition of the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks and a graduate of both Leadership Pittsburgh and Leadership Atlanta. She also is an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of International and Public Affairs.

Harrington received her Juris Doctorate from Emory University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.