The Women's Press Club of Pittsburgh's current leadership stands on the shoulders of those who have led this professional organization for women for more than 125 years. Our leadership and members include print, radio, television and multimedia journalists as well as communications and public relations professionals. To join, apply online here.
2022-2024 Officers and Board Members
President: Francesca Dabecco is the newsletter editor for City Cast Pittsburgh, a new local branch of a growing national network of news podcasts and accompanying newsletters. Prior to that role, she was the director of The Incline, a daily Pittsburgh newsletter and freelanced for several publications, including Public Source, the Tribune-Review, The Pittsburgh Quarterly, and NEXTPittsburgh. She graduated summa cum laude from Point Park University with a B.A. in Journalism in 2018. She is passionate about Pittsburgh and understands the value of uplifting local journalism in the age of declining trust in the media and having a network of skilled, inspiring women making an impact in the media every day. As president, she is working to grow the Women’s Press Club so that this group, rich with history and moxie, can continue to foster strong, inclusive voices in our city’s media ecosystem.
Vice President: Cindy Hindle-Alexander is a freelance reporter for the Tribune-Review covering school districts and government in the North Hills, Shaler, Hampton and Ross Townships. She published her first article in her forties, and she wants to encourage other women, no matter their age or race, to live their dream of becoming a journalist. Prior to working for the Trib, she was a staff writer for Gazette 2.0 in McKees Rocks. She is currently majoring in Digital Journalism and Communications at Penn State’s World Campus and is passionate about sharing her knowledge to benefit and advocate for the profession. She also works for ADP Insurance Services as a senior client executive and mentor. Her years of experience running meetings with clients and team members would add to the meaningful skills and perspective she would bring to the board.
Treasurer: Jo Posti is Comcast's public relations director for the Keystone region. Previously, she was the senior external affairs specialist for Pennsylvania American Water. Her past volunteer board experience includes serving as a Mt. Lebanon School Director, the board of the Pittsburgh chapter of the WICT Network: Empowering Women in Media, Technology and Entertainment, and the executive committee of Friends General Conference. She holds an MBA and M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from Point Park University. Her interest in serving on the Women's Press Club board is to support local media, grow the industry via the scholarship program, and help to develop relationships among members. She feels the dynamic nature of Pittsburgh's media industry makes these relationships more important than ever.
Secretary: Chrissy Suttles is lead business, energy reporter, and assistant news editor at the Beaver County Times. A 2015 Kent State University journalism graduate, she was a business and health reporter at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for two years. Chrissy's priorities as a board member are cultivating relationships and providing support to emerging women in media, especially, as would working to attract new membership. She loves planning events and bringing people together in fun, innovative ways. She has been a member of various professional organizations, including Wyoming’s Society of Professional Journalists and the Wyoming Press Association.
Board member: Cyndy McGrath is the supervising producer and executive producer of Medical Breakthroughs at Ivanhoe Broadcast News. Medical Breakthroughs is a nationally syndicated medical series that is distributed to almost 100 commercial television stations across the U.S. Her previous roles include serving as a media relations manager for University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Pitt Public Health and general assignment reporter at WPGH-TV.
Board member: Susan Orr is Director of Communications and Media at University of Pittsburgh's School of Computing and Information. She has enjoyed a career in journalism, public relations and fund development. Her early career included being a reporter for Buffalo, NY-based Bee Publications, as well as Gannett newspapers in Pittsburgh. She has overseen PR efforts for such organizations as The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Girl Scouts-Trillium Council (now Girl Scouts of Western PA), Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force (now Allies for Health and Wellbeing), Foundation of HOPE, and Sojourner House.
She serves on the advisory board of The Joe Beretta Foundation. She also serves on Pittsburgh Technology Council’s ATHENA Award host committee, and is a member of 100 Women Who Care-Pittsburgh and United Way's Women’s Leadership Council. Orr volunteers for Sojourner House and Sojourner House MOMS, teaching life skills classes to MOMS residents who are in recovery, and she serves on Sojourner House’s annual Victorian Tea fundraiser planning committee. Orr earned an MA in journalism and communications from Point Park University and a BA in journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
She serves on the advisory board of The Joe Beretta Foundation. She also serves on Pittsburgh Technology Council’s ATHENA Award host committee, and is a member of 100 Women Who Care-Pittsburgh and United Way's Women’s Leadership Council. Orr volunteers for Sojourner House and Sojourner House MOMS, teaching life skills classes to MOMS residents who are in recovery, and she serves on Sojourner House’s annual Victorian Tea fundraiser planning committee. Orr earned an MA in journalism and communications from Point Park University and a BA in journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Board Member and Immediate Past President: Stacey Federoff is a senior account executive at public relations agency Red Havas. She recently earned an MA in Media Communications and MBA from Point Park University. Previously, she worked as digital producer at the Pittsburgh Business Times, copy editor at the Beaver County Times, and as a reporter with Trib Total Media in Greensburg. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Penn State. She has been a member of the Women's Press Club since 2010 and has successfully led the club as president for several years. She also serves as a board member for PRSA Pittsburgh. In her spare time, she volunteers for West Newton Avenue of Flags, loves collecting records, rock climbing and Halloween. Ask ask about what it's like to work at ScareHouse when you send her a tweet to @BySFederoff.
