Pitt Professor Lauded for Community Service in Proclamation From Pittsburgh’s Mayor

Pittsburgh—Audrey J. Murrell, associate professor of business administration, psychology, and public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and the director of the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership in Pitt's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration, was honored for her volunteerism and service to the City of Pittsburgh with a proclamation from Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

Ravenstahl proclaimed Aug. 12 “Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s Citizens Service Recipient, Dr. Audrey Murrell Day.”

The proclamation recognizes Murrell’s accomplishments, including educating and encouraging students in service learning, dedicating her research to opportunities for women, and championing diversity among organizations. She has served numerous groups throughout the city as a volunteer consultant and mentor.

“It feels great to be recognized for the work, especially from a city that I love,” said Murrell. “The fact is the work—which involves championing nonprofits, minority- and women-owned businesses, and broad issues related to social justice—helps bring visibility to these issues.”

The award recognizes “community leaders who have contributed exceptional levels of service towards the advancement of Pittsburgh communities,” Ravenstahl wrote in an Aug. 12 letter to Murrell.

Murrell also credited the Kenneth R. Woodcock Fellows Program in partnership with Pitt’s Office of MBA Programs in the Katz School, the Berg Center, and Leadership Pittsburgh for the recognition from the mayor’s office.

Funded by University of Pittsburgh alumnus Kenneth R. Woodcock, who earned an MBA degree from the Katz School in 1966, the Woodcock fellowship program provides the opportunity for Pitt MBA students to work for 14 weeks with regional economic development or nonprofit organizations in the region.

In his proclamation, Ravenstahl also cited Murrell’s contribution as lead author of the books Intelligent Mentoring: How IBM Creates Value through People, Knowledge and Relationships (Pearson Publishers, 2008) and Mentoring Dilemmas: Developmental Relationships Within the Multicultural Organization (Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, 1999).

Murrell joined Pitt in 1989 and holds secondary appointments in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences. She was appointed director of the Berg Center in 2007.

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8/24/11/mab/lks/jdh