594661_pittsburgh_skyline.jpgI just got back from the first meeting of SSP, and I’m totally blown away. I knew about them before, especially how they really got involved in the city politics and government in the twenty-teens, but I didn’t realize how much they really did. Although I’m no expert, here’s how it basically went down:

 

  • 2010, SSP founded by a group of law students in Pitt Law School to advocate for women/minority/family friendly policies into Pittsburgh’s law culture.

  • 2011, membership started coming from other Pitt programs (Business School, GSPIA), and students from Duquesne, CMU, and Carlow also started to join. SSP held their first rally to promote sustainable policies in the region, which became a yearly event.

  • 2014, The first SSPers entered the workforce, and started making a commotion. Former SSP presidents Susan P. Yorlowski and Stacey Shinbolt participated in the Wallace v. Gorley case, giving them and SSP national attention.

  • 2020, for its 10-year anniversary, SSP released a report detailing their accomplishments, which included:

    • 35% of all law firms and major businesses in the region implemented SSP’s “Family First and Foremost” policy.

    • The pay differential between men and women was eliminated.

    • 40% of law partners in area firms were women

  • In 2022, SSP members Kelly Garcia and Greg Oliver were elected to the city council.

  • In 2024, as a result of Kelly and Greg’s efforts, the city adopted the “Family First and Foremost” policy.

 

In the past few years, they’ve focused on local government policy and public outreach to support progressive local politicians.

 

I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to get involved since this is my senior year, but I’m going to give it a shot.