Before he takes office in January, Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O'Connor has begun building his administration. 

That began on Thursday morning when he announced he was naming Dan Gilman as his chief of staff, and his intention to nominate Sheldon Williams as the director of the Department of Public Safety. 

O'Connor won the mayoral election on Tuesday, defeating Republican Tony Moreno.   

Dan Gilman's background

"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. "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."

Gilman currently serves as the chief of staff to Duquesne University President Ken Gormley. Before that position, Gilman held several city government positions, including a seat on the city council, a mayoral chief of staff, and a city council chief of staff. 

Sheldon Williams' background

Meanwhile, Williams spent 13 years with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and during his law enforcement career, he was a member of the SWAT team and bomb squad with an expertise in tactics and explosives. He was also just one of a few officers to achieve certification in all areas of public safety, including fire, hazmat, and EMS. 

"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."

Williams retired from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in 2011 and has since spent more than a decade at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church as a pastor. In 2022, he became a full-time faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh's Emergency Medicine Program. 

"He's going to do a great job," Blaine Workman, a pastor at the church who worked alongside Williams, told KDKA on Thursday. "Well, one thing you'll find out about Sheldon is he's a boots-on-the-ground kind of a guy. He's not going to sit up in an ivory tower somewhere and lead. He'll lead from right out there in the middle of things."   

He has consulted with various public safety government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He is also a Pennsylvania State Fire Academy instructor. 

Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board Beth Pittinger said, "You couldn't ask for a better candidate today than Mr. Williams."  

Williams has sat on the review board for the past 11 years. He is one of two law enforcement professionals on the board, Pittinger said.   

"He brings a perspective that is very critical to the board's understanding of the cases that they review," Pittinger said. "We know him in his role as a fact finder, as a person who looks at things and thinks about things before he says something about it."

It means he's been kept keenly aware of the challenges and controversies the bureau has faced. 

"One of the things we're very hopeful about is his shepherding of the intervention services that the police, EMS and fire need when they're dealing with individuals in crisis," Pittinger said.   

As a public safety director, he'd likely be tasked with working with the new police chief to create strategies for tackling issues the bureau faces, including violence and issues Downtown. 

"He's a good communicator, but he also comes at those things with a pastor's heart. So, he's a good listener and engages well with people, and I think those types of skills will serve him well," Workman said. 

Williams is progressive when it comes to his beliefs on law enforcement best practices, Pittinger said.  

"He's qualified, he's mature, he's a good leader," Pittinger said. "I think that today, the decision that the mayor-elect offered is very, very positive. Bodes well for the future of the city."  

The review board has long faced obstacles when trying to get information they are entitled to from police, Pittinger said, adding it will be good to have a public safety director who has experience on the board and knows what they face.   

Pittsburgh City Council needs to approve the nomination of Williams.