William Generett, Jr., J.D.

As senior vice president of civic engagement and external relations, William Generett Jr. provides guidance and oversight over several of the University's external relationship functions. He leads the Office of Civic Engagement and External Relations, which oversees the Office of Community Engagement, the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations and the University's Government Affairs' function. 

Service and the practice of civic engagement—the exchange of resources between Duquesne and its surrounding communities and partners—have been central to Duquesne University's mission and identity since its founding in 1878. With Generett's guidance, the University is working to build upon the University's legacy of service.  Learn more about how the Office of Civic Engagement and External Relations connects Duquesne University and its partners across five areas of impact: growth and innovation, health and wellness, education, individual empowerment and volunteerism. 

Generett, who also is an executive-in-residence in Duquesne's Palumbo-Donahue School of Business and an adjunct professor in the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, is a very active member of the Pittsburgh region's civic community. His current and past board and advisory committee memberships include service to The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Carnegie Museums, Center of Life, Shady Side Academy and the Business Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Chapter. In 2018, Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf appointed Generett to the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, one of the largest state technology development programs in the nation. In 2014, he was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Pritzker to serve as a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

Prior to joining Duquesne, Generett was president and chief executive officer of Urban Innovation21, a unique entrepreneurship and community-based economic development focused public-private partnership. He received local, national and international recognition for the organization's fierce advocacy for equality and its groundbreaking work to connect underserved communities and underrepresented populations to Western Pennsylvania's innovation economy. 

A Pittsburgh native, Generett earned his J.D. from Emory University School of Law and is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of Morehouse College. He is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and Georgia and for several years he practiced real estate and corporate law with an Atlanta, Ga., law firm. Generett also serves as a consultant in many venues. In 2016, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Carlow University.