Mark Nordenberg received the first Jim Roddey Leadership Award

University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Emeritus Mark Nordenberg is a recipient of the inaugural Jim Roddey Leadership Award, honoring the legacy of a Pittsburgh business leader, civic leader and Pitt emeritus trustee.

Roddey was a businessman and the first elected chief executive of Allegheny County. After serving as a U.S. Marine Corp captain, Roddey moved from North Carolina to Pittsburgh and rose to leadership roles in business and in civic leadership, serving on at least 40 nonprofit or municipal boards. At Pitt, he was a special trustee from 1993 to 1995 and term trustee from 1995 to 1999. He died on March 7, 2024.

Roddey was known for his ability to unite people from all backgrounds and for his public service and civic engagement, and the award honors local leaders who share those qualities — Roddey himself chose the award’s inaugural pair of recipients: Nordenberg and lawyer Laura Ellsworth (LAW ’83).

Nordenberg’s Pitt career spans close to 50 years, including as dean of the School of Law and as chancellor of the University from 1996 to 2014. In his time leading Pitt, Nordenberg oversaw a period of growth and of advancing Pitt’s prominence among American universities, as well as building key partnerships.

A committed public servant as well as an academic leader, Nordenberg has chaired a number of committees and served on the board of foundations and several of Pittsburgh’s largest employers. In the wake of the Tree of Life attack, he played a key role in the launch of the Collaboratory Against Hate and the Eradicate Hate Global Summit.

Nordenberg now holds the position of Distinguished Service Professor of Law as well as serving as chair of Pitt’s Institute of Politics and director of the Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law and Public Policy. He has received numerous awards, including being named Pittsburgher of the Year by Pittsburgh Magazine, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Ellsworth also has a Pitt connection: After graduating from the School of Law, she went on to become a trial lawyer for over 40 years. Her civic contributions include serving on the board of organizations such as the Heinz History Center, United Way Women’s Leadership Council and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

The pair was honored at an event on May 21 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.