William “Skip” Schwab had a simple way of bringing things into focus.
“‘80%!’ was his response to pretty much anything we were working on,” remembered Schwab’s friend and long-time colleague at ELDI, Ted Melnyk.
“80%” being shorthand for the Pareto Principle which states that around 80% of outcomes result from 20% of efforts. It was Schwab’s way of reminding those around him to focus on what truly matters and a lesson that guided a man who, to those close to him, will be remembered for his exceptional ability to put everything in perspective.
“Skip was a rock to so many. I will always recall his calming presence,” shared ELDI Executive Director Maelene Myers. “Whenever I became upset about community or news reactions, he would simply advise, ‘Keep out the noise.’ This simple phrase always helped me maintain focus.”
“If I was having a rough day, I could just text or call him and he’d say, ‘You got this. You’re okay.’—and that was all I needed,” said his wife of 36 years, Sue Schwab.
Born in Piqua, Ohio, on June 7, 1953, to the late John and Barbara Schwab, Schwab earned a degree from Bowling Green State University in Liberal Studies and went on to obtain a graduate degree in Business and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.
From a young age, he was passionate about the arts. Sue remembers the story of when he tried out for his college musical. When his chair tipped over during the audition, he found a way to make it part of the act.
“We just laugh at it to this day, picturing him,” she said. “Because even back then, he was able to dare to do something, to take a risk, adapt, and have fun with it.”
After college, Schwab moved to Pittsburgh and started his career in community development at the Northside field office of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) where he marketed housing programs. He eventually worked his way up at the URA to assistant to the Director of Housing.
Following eight formative years at the URA, Schwab and his friend Harvey Young founded a mortgage banking consulting firm, underwriting residential mortgages and loan applications in the Pittsburgh area. This experience, coupled with a two-year stint as a legislative aide for Pennsylvania State Representative Tom Murphy, provided him with invaluable experience in real estate and community outreach.
This background translated perfectly into his next roles. First, as Director of Real Estate at the North Side Civic Development Council where he successfully managed the redevelopment of Riverside Commons, an office building that houses the Riverside Center for Innovation. Then, as Program Director for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a non-profit financial institution that supports community development initiatives nationwide.
It wasn’t glamorous or easy work, but Schwab never shied away from a challenge.
“He always said his job was to fix anything nobody else wants to tackle or can,” remembered Sue.
It was at LISC where Schwab took on one of his biggest challenges—convincing funders to target resources to East End groups. This led to the creation of the East End Growth Fund and a venture capital model of grant-making that brought investment to neighborhoods deemed “risky.”
Through this work, Schwab got connected with ELDI and was able to use this model to help negotiate a game-changing deal that brought the Eastside development and Whole Foods to the community.
“He was able to use some of LISC’s money to help broker the deal between Mosites Company and ELDI,” Myers remembered. “He thought ELDI should act as an investor in the deal, which was a very novel idea for a community development corporation—he was a pioneer, the first to say it could be done.”
“He was really proud of that project,” echoed Sue. “People said that he could never pull it off, but he did.”
This unwavering persistence underscored much of Schwab’s professional and personal life—from his approach at work down to how he courted Sue.
“He sent me postcards every day for weeks at work, which would get read by everybody in the building because they were so witty,” she remembered.
Skip and Sue were married on November 25th, 1988, at Beulah United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.
He was also deeply connected to his family, keeping a close relationship with his parents until their passing and with his brother, John Schwab, whom he visited regularly.
In 1996, Skip and Sue adopted their son, Drew, and later, their daughter, Emily, in 2000. Little did he know then, but their decision to adopt would be the beginning of the deepest and most enduring passion of Schwab’s life.
“He was not sure about adoption at first, but he would still look at me sometimes with a smirk, because I was right—they were everything to him, absolutely everything,” said Sue.
That love grew larger with the arrival of his grandsons, Kaden in 2020 and Kooper Schwab in 2023.
“In the chaos of raising children and grandchildren, he was always the steady voice, and he will be missed every day,” Sue reflected.
The absence of Schwab’s steady voice is already being felt across the community development world in Pittsburgh as well. His unexpected passing on January 25th from cardiac arrest came as a shock to many, especially to those at ELDI, where he served for the last 18 years, first as Director of Operations and then as Deputy Director. Within the ELDI family, Schwab was fondly known as “Uncle Skip,” a testament to his constant support and wise counsel.
“Skip was always a supporter of me professionally,” said Tammy Thompson, Executive Director of ELDI partner and spin-off Catapult Greater Pittsburgh. “He was a mentor that taught me things you couldn’t learn in a book or in a classroom; he was a steady source of encouragement, especially when I had a ‘crazy’ idea. Skip would say, ‘Do it!’, often with his opinions and advice, but always with enthusiasm.”
“I will miss his warm smile at each meeting,” shared ELDI Board Vice President Lenore Williams. “Even if we disagreed, it was still open, honest, thoughtful, and human—never did I feel anything fake around Skip. He listened. There was a give and take—’what if…?’, ‘could we…?’”
Evidence of Skip’s vision and dedication surround Pittsburgh, from the transformation of East Liberty, blighted homes being restored to life, to safeguarding affordable housing in developments like Cornerstone Village Apartments, Fairfield Apartments, or at Dad’s House for homeless parents (now called F.A.I.T.H).
Skip also lent his expertise behind the scenes to many nonprofit boards, including ELDI’s three spin-off organizations, Catapult Greater Pittsburgh, Rising Tide Partners and Main + Elm Development Company. This, Sue notes, was perhaps one of his greatest professional joys.
“I think at the end he was most proud of the ability to offshoot some of these organizations,” she noted. “He loved the fact that these people would be self-sufficient, almost like his children. It was really important to him, because this community was really important to him.”
Always preferring to stay out of the spotlight, Schwab, instead, consistently found opportunities to highlight the good work of ELDI partners and staff. But he never needed to sing his own praises—his care and expertise were apparent to all who knew him.
“He was easily one of the smartest people I knew and somehow had a very simple solution to every problem,” said Shivam Mathur, project manager at Main + Elm Development Company. “From the tone and timing of sending out an email to what and when to say just the right things. Also, he very seldom lost his cool, which is a feat in and of itself in our line of work.”
“Skip’s persona and wisdom touched lots of organizations during his career in Pittsburgh, but in my opinion, his greatest legacy can be seen in his totally different redevelopment approach to the blighted and vacant East Liberty of two decades ago,” shared Melnyk, ELDI’s Director of Operations. “This approach involved ELDI being a small, but real, financial investor and having a seat at the table at the Eastside developments, Target, and others to ensure good design and local hiring. It’s what we call the PAFI model—Planning, Advocacy, Facilitation, and Investment.”
“Skip often stated, ‘Success follows success; you earn your reputation by what you do,’” shared Myers. “This philosophy not only defined him but also profoundly influenced us and is perfectly encapsulated in the PAFI Model. I am deeply grateful for his presence in my life. He served as an exceptional mentor, colleague, and friend.”
On February 21st, 2025, colleagues and friends of Skip gathered at the Hotel Indigo in East Liberty for a memorial and celebration of his life.
On June 7, 2023, the PAFI model, alongside his many other contributions to the city and community development world, earned Skip a proclamation from Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. Upon his passing, the mayor also issued a condolences proclamation honoring his life and legacy.
Though his professional accomplishments were many, those who worked closely with Schwab will always remember his humor and office antics, including hiding silly notes or photos on the desks of his co-workers, his Zoom call wave, or his classic line to Myers, “My you look wonderful today!” which was usually followed by bad news.
In his free time, Skip was a passionate sports fan, particularly of college basketball and squash, both of which he played for many years. And his lifelong love of the arts could be seen in his support of local PBS station, WQED, and his investment in long-time friend Rich Dieter’s former listening room and performance space in East Liberty, The Bridge Music Hall.
For someone involved in so much, those who knew him best were always impressed by his ability to make it all look easy.
“He did an absolutely incredible job of balancing career and family. Make no mistake—when he was home, he was fully present. He was a unique human being who was able to do both,” shared Sue.
It was this ability to stay centered and cut through to the heart of things that will live on in all who knew Schwab. While he never wanted the spotlight on himself, those who knew him best agree—his impact deserves to be recognized.
As his colleagues, friends, and family were doing just that at his Memorial and Celebration of Life on February 21st at Hotel Indigo in East Liberty, an electrical fire forced everyone to evacuate out into the winter cold.
Those who knew him best agreed that it was Schwab, tired of hearing people going on about him, having his last laugh—his final reminder to stay focused on the work in front of us and to have some fun along the way.
About the author
This piece was written by Elizabeth Sensky, ELDI’s communications director and founder of the creative copywriting studio escontentcreative.com.
“Working with Skip and ELDI has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my career. I am eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to be shaped by Skip’s wisdom and mentorship—and that he took a shot on a young freelancer more than a decade ago.”
– Elizabeth
Acknowledgements
We want to extend a big thank you to everyone who attended Skip’s Memorial and Celebration of Life on February 21st, and a special thank you to those who made a donation in Skip’s honor.
