City of Pittsburgh and KM Strategies Group Announce New Partnership Housed in Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
Kindred Motes will serve as Senior Advisor as the new partnership adds research and strategic capacity focused on talent, Pittsburgh’s startup ecosystem, and economic development outreach at no cost to the City.
PITTSBURGH, PA: KM Strategies Group (KMSG), in collaboration with the City of Pittsburgh Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, is launching a new fellowship for a student from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy to expand the office’s research and strategic capacity during the 2026–2027 academic year.
Through the partnership, KM Strategies Group will fund a Heinz College graduate fellow who will work as an embedded member of the Office of Economic Development team. The fellow will support work focused on three priorities:
Malveena Hussain, a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management student at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, has been selected as the fellowship’s inaugural graduate fellow. Hussain brings a background in economics, policy research, and government, including research experience at Stony Brook University and work in the offices of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and New York State Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti. Her experience using quantitative research to inform policy decisions and drive improvement will support the City’s work on talent retention, entrepreneurship, and broader economic development priorities.
Malveena Hussain
Master of Science in Public Policy and Management student, Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy.
KM Strategies Group founder and managing director Kindred Motes will also serve as Senior Advisor to the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development for the 2026–2027 year.
In that role, Motes will work with Office of Economic Development Director Steve Wray, Deputy Director Mary McKinney Flaherty, and Hussain to frame strategic questions, guide research, advise on messaging and audiences, coordinate projects across the partnership, and ensure that resulting work is useful and actionable. KMSG is providing the fellowship and advisory support at no cost to the City.
“This partnership gives our team a unique opportunity to dive deeper into the questions that matter most for Pittsburgh’s long-term economic competitiveness, and to develop solutions that prioritize our city’s future growth. Kindred Motes and his team at KMSG bring experience that will help us translate these solutions into actionable next steps. The fellowship brings fresh perspectives to the challenges we face, allowing the next generation of Pittsburgh leadership to play a key role in carrying our work forward.”
Steve Wray Director, Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
“Pittsburgh has extraordinary institutions, companies, universities, neighborhoods, and people. The question is how those assets translate into more people choosing to build their careers, companies, and lives here. I’m especially interested in the space where technology, talent, entrepreneurship, and public purpose meet. That means understanding what emerging founders and leaders need to build here, where the City can have meaningful influence, and how Pittsburgh makes a compelling case to people who have choices about where they take their ideas and careers. We at KMSG are glad to contribute additional research and strategic capacity to those questions at the Mayor’s Office.”
Kindred Motes Founder and Managing Director, KM Strategies Group; Senior Advisor to the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
Motes founded KM Strategies Group in 2021 and has built a career spanning philanthropy, public-interest technology, organizational and institutional strategy, communications, and social impact. His work has included advising foundations, nonprofit and advocacy organizations, public-interest technology initiatives, and other mission-driven institutions, both in the United States and internationally.
He has also worked directly with dozens of emerging technology entrepreneurs and startup leaders, including as an advisor to founders participating in Robin Hood Foundation’s Blue Ridge Labs, a New York-based social impact incubator that supports entrepreneurs developing technology and new ventures in response to economic and social challenges. That experience has included helping founders sharpen strategy, position their work for different audiences, communicate the value of emerging ideas, and navigate the transition from a promising concept to an institution capable of delivering at greater scale.
That combination of experience will inform Motes’ work with the Office of Economic Development as Pittsburgh considers how to retain founders and technical talent, attract companies and workers from other regions, strengthen connections across its startup ecosystem, and communicate the city’s value to people deciding where to build their next company, career, or investment.
The partnership also reflects KMSG’s broader commitment to putting the firm’s resources behind public-interest work. In addition to the graduate fellow, KMSG will contribute staff and senior advisory capacity to City projects that require additional support. The City will define the questions and priorities, while KMSG will contribute research, strategy, communications, project development, and other support.