Kaitlyn Hughes | news editor

After 20 years of working together, Mayor-Elect Corey O’Connor announced he will appoint Dan Gilman as his 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 in a statement.

Gilman is currently chief of staff to Duquesne President Ken Gormley. He spent 18 years working in city government, holding roles as a city councilman, city council chief of staff and chief of staff to former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.

Gilman said his and O’Connor’s long-lived friendship has created mutual trust and respect, which will help them run the city together beginning in January.

He said it is an incredible honor to be chosen for this role.

“He’s the right mayor at the right time to lead the city,” Gilman said.

O’Connor told The Duke that Gilman’s experience working at a university will give them a “leg up” when it comes to meeting with the presidents of institutions in the Pittsburgh region.

“It’s beneficial because he saw how colleges have adapted over the years,” O’Connor said.

On Monday, O’Connor and Gilman met with presidents of colleges and universities in Allegheny County on Duquesne’s campus.

Gilman, whose father was a faculty member at both Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University, grew up on a college campus.

He also served as the chair of the National League of Cities University Communities Council, and Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed him as a board member for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency in 2024.

“I have a unique perspective of universities and town-gown relationships,” he said.

The two are planning to focus on how to keep people within the city and also attract new people, which includes students, Gilman said.

He said this will be done by creating safer neighborhoods, focusing on economic growth through the medical and education industries and cultivating parks and public transit in the region.

Gilman said they hope to have a larger presence on college campuses by working with student organizations.

Gormley said that he wishes Gilman the best as he moves on to work with a Duquesne alumnus.

“Dan helped us better understand a host of city-and government-related issues, and I am certain that he will bring the same wealth of experience and expertise to his new role,” Gormley said.

The announcement of Gilman’s appointment came on Thursday, two days after O’Connor was elected. He will also nominate Sheldon Williams as the director of public safety.

On Thursday, O’Connor will announce his nominee for the chief of police.

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu