Two days after being elected Pittsburgh’s next mayor, Corey O’Connor on Thursday named his first picks for his incoming administration.

He will appoint Dan Gilman as chief of staff and nominate Sheldon Williams as the director of the Department of Public Safety.

Gilman, who served as chief of staff to former Mayor Bill Peduto, currently is chief of staff to the president of Duquesne University. He’s spent about 18 years working in city government, previously holding roles as a city councilman and a city council chief of staff.

“We need to hit the ground running on day one, so we need leadership that knows the city, knows the residents, and knows how to get things done,” O’Connor said in a statement. “I’ve known Dan for nearly 20 years and we served on City Council together. I know his commitment to our communities and I know he can guide a seamless transition.”

Gilman, 43, of Squirrel Hill South, told TribLive the O’Connor administration will include people who have served in various mayoral administrations, as well as people with experience from City Council and the private sector.

“We are all there to support Mayor-elect O’Connor’s plans for Pittsburgh and his vision,” Gilman said. “It will take a team of diverse backgrounds and experiences in order to best serve the residents of Pittsburgh.”

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he was pleased to see Gilman, who had been a top figure in Peduto’s administration, return to City Hall.

“He’s cherry-picking the talent that’s out there,” Coghill said of O’Connor’s choice for chief of staff. “I think it’s a good strategy.”

Coghill said he still believed O’Connor will have “his own identity,” even if he hires people associated with former administrations.

Alison Dagnes, a political science professor at Shippensburg University, said hiring experienced advisors can signal a new administration plans to “hit the ground running.”

“He’s probably trying to signal that he may be new to the job, but not everybody around him is, that he’s going to bring in competence and effectiveness in order to do the job as best he can,” Dagnes said. “It’s just a smart move.”

Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, worked as chief of staff for Gilman when he was a city councilman.

“What I can say about Dan is he thinks quickly, acts quickly, gets things done quickly,” she said. “He cares about everything from big to small. He works quickly and tirelessly to get the projects done. He’s a great communicator with council members.”

Williams served 18 years in the Army Reserves and Air Force National Guard after launching his career as a Pittsburgh paramedic.

He then spent 13 years with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, where he was a member of the SWAT team and bomb squad as an expert in tactics and explosives. He earned certifications in all areas of public safety, including fire, hazmat and EMS.

After retiring from the police bureau in 2011, he spent over a decade as a pastor at Allegheny Center Alliance Church. In 2022, he started teaching at the Emergency Medicine program at the University of Pittsburgh, while consulting on public safety for various government agencies.

He also is a Pennsylvania State Fire Academy certified instructor.

“With a career in the military, emergency medical services, police, and fire, Sheldon understands what it’s like to be boots on the ground when you respond to a call,” O’Connor said. “As director, he’ll be able to bring those experiences together with his ministry and teaching to lead the department in community-based public safety.”

Williams, of the city’s New Homestead neighborhood, joined O’Connor for a campaign press conference in April, ahead of the Democratic primary.

“Addressing public safety issues requires practical solutions,” Williams said at the time. He advocated for O’Connor as a candidate who would be “action-oriented,” accessible and focused on realistic solutions to public safety challenges.

Williams told TribLive the city was “overly reliant on reactive strategies only.” He said he wanted Pittsburgh’s public safety department to focus more on preventative measures.

“When you’re lacking resources and you’re overworked and understaffed, you can never get to preventative and problem solving,” Williams said.

City Council will need to approve O’Connor’s nominee for public safety director.

Coghill, who chairs council’s public safety committee, said he did not know enough about Williams to comment on his nomination Thursday.

“I don’t have an opinion as to is he good or not? But that will be vetted out through council,” Coghill said.

Robert Swartzwelder, head of the city’s police union, also did not have an opinion to offer.

“I just got to let the mayor do his job,” Swartzwelder said. “This is way too preliminary for me.”

Ralph Sicuro, who leads the firefighters union, said he did not know Williams personally.

EMS union President Jon Atkinson said he met with Williams a few weeks ago to discuss staffing and fleet issues in the bureau.

Atkinson deferred to Williams to discuss his plans.

“I think Sheldon’s experience as a Pittsburgh police officer and a Pittsburgh paramedic gives him the unique perspective of knowing exactly what it is to work in the field in public safety,” Atkinson said.

Strassburger said she had not worked with Williams closely but was eager to hear his vision for the public safety department. She said she was particularly interested to hear his ideas on continuing the no-cost EMT training academy the city launched last year, bolstering police-community relations and improving staffing to avoid cost overruns in overtime pay.

Staff at the Pittsburgh Citizens Police Review Board burst into applause when news of Williams’ nomination arrived via text around 9:30 a.m.

Then-Mayor Bill Peduto appointed Williams to the review board on May 6, 2014, said Elizabeth Pittinger, the board’s longtime executive director.

Council voted to retain Williams on the review board on Dec. 2, 2015. His final board meeting will take place Dec. 2 — exactly 10 years later.

“We’re absolutely delighted,” Pittinger told TribLive. “Mr. Williams will provide leadership during the transition and, after, to all of the bureaus. We’re gonna miss him but he won’t be far away.”

In a 2020 interview with TribLive, Williams said he believed the police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis were completely at fault.

He said the fatal shooting in 2018 of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II by Michael Rosfeld, an East Pittsburgh police officer, was a “problematic use of deadly force.”

A jury in 2019 acquitted Rosfeld of homicide. Williams told TribLive Rosfeld should have been convicted.

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