Port Authority Board Approves Leadership Change; Interim CEO Will Serve During Executive Search

The Port Authority Board of Directors voted this morning to terminate Steve Bland's contract as CEO effective immediately. The Board named Chief Financial Officer Ellen McLean as the Interim CEO while it conducts a search for qualified candidates.

During this period of transition, riders and those who rely on public transportation in Allegheny County will not be negatively impacted.

Ms. McLean has served as CFO since October 2010 and supervises multiple departments, including Financial Planning and Budgets, Grants and Capital Programs, Accounting and Treasury, Information Technology and Purchasing/Materials Management. Additionally, she serves as trustee for the Authority’s three pension plans.

Before joining Port Authority, Ms. McLean was managing director for Infrastructure Initiatives at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC, and served as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2005 during the administration of Mayor Tom Murphy. She was responsible for managing the City’s $450 million budget, and served as executive director of the City’s Comprehensive Municipal Pension Trust Fund and treasurer of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. Prior to that, she served as the City’s assistant director for the Office of Management and Budget, and assistant director of the Finance Department.

Over the course of her career, she has also served as a consultant in the areas of strategic and financial planning for public entities, nonprofits and foundations, including Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree in English from Duquesne University and a Master of Public Management degree in Financial Management from the H.J. Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a resident of Pittsburgh.