As we ring in the start of 2026, the Business Times is looking ahead at what’s to come for the region’s business landscape. But in order to look forward, it’s necessary to look back — specifically, at some key announcements and leadership changes that were made in 2025. In this installment of Newly Minted, we asked many of the region’s new top executives about their thoughts and perspectives on challenges, as well as potential opportunities they see for growth as we head into the new year and beyond.
In August 2025, Daren Ellerbee took over as the new CEO of Pittsburgh Scholar House, a nonprofit with a mission of providing affordable housing and other support to working parents seeking higher education.
She assumed the role after Diamonte Walker helped to found the Pittsburgh offshoot of Family Scholar House, a Louisville, Kentucky-based organization, three years ago. Ellerbee comes to the post after leading the Pittsburgh Innovation Team out of the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and after serving as director of the University Educational Outreach Center within the Office of the Provost at the University of Pittsburgh.
What’s your biggest task for Pittsburgh Scholar House as you take over for its founder?
My biggest task is to steward this transition in a way that honors the remarkable foundation that has already been built while positioning Pittsburgh Scholar House for its next chapter of growth. Having opened high-impact centers in partnership with communities, including the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center in Homewood, I understand what it takes to build something from the ground up – earning trust, garnering buy-in and delivering consistently. In this new role, my focus is to strengthen our organizational infrastructure, ensure families feel supported from day one and deepen our relationships across the city.
What’s it like taking the lead of an organization with a housing mission at a time when the new apartments in the works are still being developed?
While housing is a critical component of our model, our mission is grounded in educational attainment. We ensure that student-parents have the stability and support needed to earn a post-secondary degree. Leading during a time when new housing is still in development could feel nerve-racking, but to me, it’s a powerful opportunity.
What’s the biggest mark you hope to leave on your organization through your leadership?
The greatest mark I hope to leave is an organization even more deeply committed to student-parent success through educational excellence. If my leadership can strengthen the structures that help scholars persist, graduate and build generational stability, then I’ll consider that a meaningful legacy.
To learn more and see all 28 of the “Newly Minted” leaders, click here.