Andrea Fitting

President/CEO; Brand Strategist

Andrea Fitting, an entrepreneur since 1986, is the President & CEO of Fitting Group, the Brand Spanking® agency. Under Andrea's leadership, Fitting Group earns numerous accolades every year for creativity and effectiveness from a variety of business and industry groups. She is responsible for creating the Brand Spanking® process, helping Fitting Group clients reach their organizational goals by challenging conventional thinking and developing winning brands.

Andrea holds B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Pittsburgh and has served as adjunct faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, California University of Pennsylvania, The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and Carlow University. A former Fulbright scholar, Andrea changed careers in her early 30s.

Since becoming a businesswoman, Andrea has won a number of awards for her work as well as her involvement in the entrepreneurial community over the last fifteen years. As an organization, Fitting Group has received top honors as an industry leader from regional, national and international groups.

Andrea has served on a variety of boards and commissions including the MIT Enterprise Forum, PowerLink and Executive Women's Council. Formerly, Andrea served as an appointee to the Consumer Advisory Council of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. During her tenure, the Commission was primarily concerned with electric utility and telecommunications deregulation throughout the Commonwealth. From 1998 to 2003, Andrea served as then Governor Tom Ridge's appointee to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission where she helped bring communications and cultural tourism to the forefront.

In addition to her position as President & CEO of Fitting Group, Andrea's current activities include:

• Fourth term as first and only female director, Parkvale Bank (Nasdaq:PVSA), the tenth largest bank headquartered in Pittsburgh with assets of $1.9B
• Board Member, Bennett Supply Company, privately-held building products distributor
• Advisory Board Member, Palate Partners, purveyor of wine, wine-tasting accessories and wine education
• Emeritus Board Member, Pittsburgh Social Venture Partners; Partner since 2001
• Mentor, The Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh
• Charter Member, TiE Pittsburgh
• Board Member, West Pittsburgh Partnership, the community development organization of the West End Village
• Steering committee member and PR Chair, Amy's Army, a grassroots organization dedicated to finding a bone marrow donor for young Amy Katz and to significantly increasing the number of people on the International Bone Marrow Registry