Yarone Zober, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, (born March 24, 1975, in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, to American parents) served as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Luke Ravenstahl Luke Robert Ravenstahl (born February 6, 1980) is an American politician who served as the 59th Mayor of Pittsburgh from 2006 until 2014. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he became the youngest mayor in Pittsburgh's history in Septe ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, from 2006 until 2014. He also is a former chair of the

Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) is the City of Pittsburgh's economic development enterprise, committed to building a prosperous and equitable economy for the City. The URA helps bridge public and private interests to invest ...

. He has previously served as Acting Mayor of Pittsburgh during the illness of Mayor Bob O'Connor during his illness. A graduate of Peabody High School, Zober earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in public management from Carnegie Mellon University's

Heinz College The Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, also known as Heinz College, is the public policy and information college of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It consists of the School of Information Systems and ...

. He also earned a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from

University of Pittsburgh School of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law (Pitt Law) is the law school of the University of Pittsburgh, a public research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and became a charter member of the Association of American ...

in 2003. Zober has previously worked, among other things, as an aide for Jim Ferlo’s successful campaign for

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

, and as city policy director for Mayor Bob O'Connor’s administration. He was elected and served as the President of the Pennsylvania Young Democrats from June 2005 until June 2007. In July, 2006, he was named Director of Pittsburgh's General Services Department. On August 6, 2006, Zober was appointed by O’Connor to the position of Deputy Mayor. Due to O’Connor’s continued struggle with

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

and his uncertain prognosis, Zober was granted authority to run the city. His tenure as Deputy Mayor ended on September 1 when O'Connor died and City Council president

was sworn in as mayor. In Ravenstahl's first speech as mayor, he appointed Zober as chief of staff. At the time, he was considered to be "Pittsburgh's chief deal sealer." According to Senator and former President of the

Pittsburgh City Council The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh. It consists of nine members. City council members are chosen by plurality elections in each of nine districts. The city operates under a mayor-council sys ...

Jim Ferlo, "If you want to attribute a third Renaissance to this administration, which I think it's fair to do, none of that would have happened without Yarone's leadership." In 2013, he testified to a grand jury after he was "subpoenaed to testify as a fact witness" about the activities of Pittsburgh Mayor

. Outside of his professional career, Zober has experience in dance and theatre. As a high school senior, he was a nominee for the

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

Award for Excellence in High School Musical Theater.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zober, Yarone Politicians from Pittsburgh 1975 births Living people Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy alumni Pennsylvania Democrats 21st-century Pennsylvania politicians