A True Pittsburgh Story
Kevin Acklin's story is a true Pittsburgh story: equal parts grit and guts, defined by hard work and personal sacrifice, driven by pride, and fueled by fierce loves of family and community.
South Oakland
The middle son of a mother who raised her boys largely on her own, Kevin grew up on Parkview Avenue in South Oakland, one of the many tight-knit, working-class neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. He grew up across the street from Dan Marino, a few doors down from St. Regis Church, and a block away from his grandparents. Kevin's early years were forged in the shadow of Schenley Park, on a hill high above the LTV steel mill, in a neighborhood rich with people who loved their city and looked out for one another during hard times.
Kevin's grandfather, Chuck Harris, was a Battalion Chief for the city of Pittsburgh Fire Department and head of Engine Company 14 in South Oakland. Kevin spent a lot of time at his grandfather's foot in the firehouse, learning the value of public service and wanting to be a fireman himself. Kevin's mother, Candee, was a nurse at Presbyterian Hospital, working long, hard hours to take care of Kevin and his brothers and put them through school. Kevin took on a lot of responsibility as a young boy, tending to his grandfather and to his great grandmother when they were ill, watching over his younger brother, and working several jobs to bring money home to a family that had little, but that never wanted as long as they had each other.
Kevin's grandfather, Chuck Harris, was a Battalion Chief for the city of Pittsburgh Fire Department and head of Engine Company 14 in South Oakland. Kevin spent a lot of time at his grandfather's foot in the firehouse, learning the value of public service and wanting to be a fireman himself. Kevin's mother, Candee, was a nurse at Presbyterian Hospital, working long, hard hours to take care of Kevin and his brothers and put them through school. Kevin took on a lot of responsibility as a young boy, tending to his grandfather and to his great grandmother when they were ill, watching over his younger brother, and working several jobs to bring money home to a family that had little, but that never wanted as long as they had each other.
South Hills
When Kevin was 10, his mother remarried, and the family moved to Banksville. Kevin played Little League Baseball for Banksville and was a ball boy at Brookline Park when his brother played football for the Knights. In Pittsburgh's proud, tight-knit, working class South Hills neighborhoods, Kevin found a second home.
Academic Scholarships & The Internship That Changed His Life
Academic Scholarships & The Internship That Changed His Life
Kevin, like his father, grandfather, and uncles before him, attended Central Catholic High School in Oakland. He earned a partial scholarship, working all four years at the school and at other jobs to help pay for his education. A two-sport athlete at Central, Kevin played both offensive and defensive tackle on the football team, for which he served as a team Captain. He was also an Alternate Captain and hard-hitting defenseman on the hockey team, racking up penalty minutes and inspiring his teammates to observe that even when he was on skates, Kevin still seemed to be playing football.
Kevin graduated from Central Catholic in 1994 and earned an academic scholarship to Harvard University, where he also played football while earning a bachelor's degree in government.
Kevin graduated from Central Catholic in 1994 and earned an academic scholarship to Harvard University, where he also played football while earning a bachelor's degree in government.
In 1996, while working a summer internship on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., Kevin met another young intern named Erica Hanson. Kevin worked as a full-time intern; Erica worked in the office three days a week. It wasn't long before people in the office joked that Kevin was most productive on Tuesdays and Thursdays – the days when Erica didn't work. By the middle of the summer, Kevin and Erica had become fast friends. By the end of the summer, they'd become much more.
Kevin graduated with honors from Harvard in 1998, then went to Georgetown University, where he earned his law degree. During his first year at Georgetown, Kevin worked in the Washington D.C. office of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.
After graduating with honors from Georgetown in 2001, Kevin took a job with Ropes & Gray LLP, one of New England's top business law firms. He had everything he could have wanted in that job – money, prestige, potential for advancement and a long, lucrative career – but the one thing he didn't have was his home. While living in Boston, Kevin had the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette delivered to his door, following Pittsburgh news and sports and politics from hundreds of miles away, knowing all the while that there was only one place in the world where he and Erica would raise their family.
Coming Home
Kevin graduated with honors from Harvard in 1998, then went to Georgetown University, where he earned his law degree. During his first year at Georgetown, Kevin worked in the Washington D.C. office of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.
After graduating with honors from Georgetown in 2001, Kevin took a job with Ropes & Gray LLP, one of New England's top business law firms. He had everything he could have wanted in that job – money, prestige, potential for advancement and a long, lucrative career – but the one thing he didn't have was his home. While living in Boston, Kevin had the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette delivered to his door, following Pittsburgh news and sports and politics from hundreds of miles away, knowing all the while that there was only one place in the world where he and Erica would raise their family.
Coming HomeIn October of 2003, Kevin came home. He brought Erica, to whom he was by then engaged, with him. They found a house in Squirrel Hill, just a short drive through Schenley Park from his old Parkview Avenue home in South Oakland, and Kevin took a job as an attorney for Kirkpatrick & Lockhart (now K&L Gates), working with venture capital, private equity, and tech companies. In 2005, Kevin joined Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius, where he still works today, as a business and finance attorney.
Kevin and Erica were married in July of 2004. Their first son, George, was born in 2005. Their younger son, Teddy, followed in 2006.
Public Service & Community Leadership
Kevin and Erica were married in July of 2004. Their first son, George, was born in 2005. Their younger son, Teddy, followed in 2006.
Public Service & Community Leadership
Busy at work and at home, fulfilled in ways both personal and professional, Kevin still felt a call to public service. Moved by a strong, persistent need to give back to a city that gave him so much, Kevin took action. He extended his reach at work, taking on pro bono cases for community groups, small business owners, and victims of domestic violence. He became a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, becoming a Big Brother to a young man from the South Side slopes, forging a deep bond that has lasted for four years and continues to this day.
Kevin also works to raise financial aid and scholarship money so that young men who are underprivileged like he was can afford to attend Central Catholic. Kevin celebrates his Irish heritage as an active member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, sits on the Board of Directors of the St. Thomas More Society, and currently serves as the President of the Economic Club of Pittsburgh.
Another venture near and dear to his heart, one that has its roots both in his love of the city and in his love of his old South Oakland neighborhood, is Renew Pittsburgh, a volunteer organization that works with residents and community leaders to revitalize the city's neighborhoods. Kevin co-founded Renew Pittsburgh as a way to channel his civic energy; it was his way to get out into the neighborhoods of the city he loves and make a real difference in the lives of his fellow Pittsburghers. The goals of the organization, for which Kevin still serves as Executive Director, were to produce a cleaner, renewed Pittsburgh, and to light a spark all across the city, inspiring people to roll up their sleeves and get down to the work of fixing some of the problems in their own communities.
Kevin's experiences in Renew Pittsburgh – from repainting the boulevard cannon in Brookline, to cleaning up the twice-vandalized Holy Rosary School in Homewood, to helping cleanout and shore up the August Wilson Childhood Home in the Hill District – reminded him that Grant Street can't solve every problem that we have as a city. But they also convinced him that Grant Street could be doing a lot more to help us come together with grassroots, innovative solutions to provide a better future for our neighborhoods.
A Chance to Make a Difference
Kevin also works to raise financial aid and scholarship money so that young men who are underprivileged like he was can afford to attend Central Catholic. Kevin celebrates his Irish heritage as an active member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, sits on the Board of Directors of the St. Thomas More Society, and currently serves as the President of the Economic Club of Pittsburgh.
Another venture near and dear to his heart, one that has its roots both in his love of the city and in his love of his old South Oakland neighborhood, is Renew Pittsburgh, a volunteer organization that works with residents and community leaders to revitalize the city's neighborhoods. Kevin co-founded Renew Pittsburgh as a way to channel his civic energy; it was his way to get out into the neighborhoods of the city he loves and make a real difference in the lives of his fellow Pittsburghers. The goals of the organization, for which Kevin still serves as Executive Director, were to produce a cleaner, renewed Pittsburgh, and to light a spark all across the city, inspiring people to roll up their sleeves and get down to the work of fixing some of the problems in their own communities.
Kevin's experiences in Renew Pittsburgh – from repainting the boulevard cannon in Brookline, to cleaning up the twice-vandalized Holy Rosary School in Homewood, to helping cleanout and shore up the August Wilson Childhood Home in the Hill District – reminded him that Grant Street can't solve every problem that we have as a city. But they also convinced him that Grant Street could be doing a lot more to help us come together with grassroots, innovative solutions to provide a better future for our neighborhoods.
A Chance to Make a Difference
Being out in the neighborhoods every week, talking to people in the community, seeing and hearing the hopes and frustrations, the dreams and aspirations of so many Pittsburghers, inspired Kevin to think about running for Mayor. The more he thought about it, and the more people started encouraging him to do it, the more he realized the time was right. And the more he understood that his whole life – from his childhood in South Oakland to the opportunities of his education, from his experiences in life to his experiences in community activism – was leading him to this moment. A chance to make the ultimate difference for the city and the people he loves.
