Pittsburgh Mayor-Elect Corey O’Connor announces choices for chief of staff, public safety director

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Mayor-Elect Corey O’Connor has begun building his new administration.

On Thursday, O’Connor announced that he will appoint Dan Gilman as Chief of Staff and nominate Sheldon Williams as the Director of Public Safety.

Gilman, who is currently the chief of staff to the President at Duquesne University, served many roles with the city, including councilman, mayoral chief of staff and city council chief of staff.

“We need to hit the ground running on day one, so we need leadership that knows the city, knows the residents, and knows how to get things done,” O’Connor said of Gilman. “I’ve known Dan for nearly 20 years and we served on City Council together. I know his commitment to our communities and I know he can guide a seamless transition.”

Williams began his career with the city as a paramedic before spending over 13 years with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. During his time there, he was a member of the SWAT team and Bomb Squad as an expert in tactics and explosives. In addition, he served 18 years in the Army Reserves and Air Force National Guard.

After retiring from PBP in 2011, he was called to ministry and spent over a decade at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church as an Administrative Pastor and Homestead Campus Pastor. In 2022, he became a full-time faculty member at the Emergency Medicine program at the University of Pittsburgh, while also continuing to consult on public safety for government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“With a career in the military, emergency medical services, police, and fire, Sheldon understands what it’s like to be boots on the ground when you respond to a call,” said O’Connor. “As Director, he’ll be able to bring those experiences together with his ministry and teaching to lead the department in community-based public safety.”

At the same time, 11 Investigates obtained an email that current Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt sent to the Department of Public Safety, saying he will be transitioning out of his role and calling it a “bittersweet moment.”

Schmidt ended the letter thanking the department:

"I am deeply honored to have served as your director, to have witnessed your selflessness firsthand, and to have called you colleagues and friends. The upcoming transition will be smooth and well-planned, with me remaining in my role until January to oversee the handoff and ensure continuous leadership. My successor will be announced later today, and I am confident that the department will stay strong and continue to thrive under new leadership. Change is simply a new chapter, and with your unwavering dedication and spirit, Pittsburgh’s public safety and our communities will continue to be protected and well cared for.

“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your courage, compassion, and service to this city and to each other. Working alongside you has been the greatest privilege of my career. I leave knowing that Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Safety will keep evolving and excelling, guided by the same unbreakable spirit that defines all of you.”

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