A veteran Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter who has spent the bulk of his career covering politics and politicians is the new communications manager for Mayor Bill Peduto.

Tim McNulty, 44, of East Allegheny has been named as Peduto's spokesperson effective today. McNulty joined the Post-Gazette in 1996 as the paper's Washington, D.C. correspondent. He was the paper's city hall reporter from 1997-2004 during the Tom Murphy administration covering topics including the Fifth-Forbes development, the city's financial crisis and even a federal probe of an agreement with the city's firefighter union. In recent years, McNulty has led coverage on the P-G's politics blog, Early Returns.

McNulty wasn't the only hire announced by the mayor's office this morning. According to a release, “Betty Cruz has been named nonprofit and faith-based manager, Grant Ervin sustainability manager … Katie O'Malley communications assistant and Sonya Toler, public information officer for the Department of Public Safety.

“I am excited to welcome these talented professionals to the City of Pittsburgh,” Peduto said. “We have dedicated and hard working employees in Pittsburgh, but if we are going to build the next Pittsburgh we need fresh faces and new ideas and this is part of that process.”

The full release and bios appear after the jump.

MAYOR PEDUTO ANNOUNCES KEY STAFF HIRES

PITTSBURGH, PA — Mayor William Peduto today announced the hiring of five new employees in the Mayor's Office, overseeing nonprofit and faith-based initiatives, sustainability, communications, and public safety information. All five are new to City of Pittsburgh government.

Betty Cruz has been named nonprofit and faith-based manager, Grant Ervin sustainability manager, Timothy McNulty communications manager, Katie O'Malley communications assistant and Sonya Toler public information officer for the Department of Public Safety.

“I am excited to welcome these talented professionals to the City of Pittsburgh,” said Mayor Peduto. “We have dedicated and hard working employees in Pittsburgh, but if we are going to build the next Pittsburgh we need fresh faces and new ideas and this is part of that process."

Cruz and Ervin are already working for the city in their new positions, while McNulty begins today and Toler will move today from her position as interim communications manager in the Office of the Mayor. O'Malley will start in the coming weeks. These mayoral hires are not subject to Pittsburgh City Council approval.

Ervin, McNulty and Toler were hired in coordination with Talent City, the initiative from the Pittsburgh Foundation and the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics to help Mayor Peduto and the City of Pittsburgh search for and hire leading professionals to help build the next Pittsburgh.

Betty Cruz
Nonprofit and faith-based manager
With 15 years experience spanning the nonprofit and private sectors, Cruz, 36, is skilled in building relationships. She has managed partnerships that met corporate and philanthropic interests in Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Miami and New York. As Director of the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership, she significantly expanded the membership and increased the organization’s advocacy efforts. Prior to working with the Partnership, Cruz was an account manager with KaBOOM! in D.C. Previous employment also included stints with the Heffrey Group, TARA, INck., and DeVries Public Relations in Miami and New York. A native of Miami, Cruz holds a Bachelor’s degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvan ia and a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She currently lives in Highland Park with her husband, Paul. Her salary is $65,249.

Grant Ervin
Sustainability manager
Grant Ervin, 37, brings Pittsburgh government 15 years of experience intersecting the worlds of environmental, community and economic development and infrastructure policy to create innovative and sustainable solutions for local governments, community development organizations and state agencies. Prior to joining the city Ervin, of Morningside, served as the regional director for 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a statewide smart growth and sustainable development advocacy organization, and as public policy manager for Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. Ervin graduated with a Bachelor's degree in History and Political Science from Washington & Jefferson College, and a Master's degree from the Unive rsity of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. His salary is $71,125.

Timothy McNulty
Communications manager
Timothy McNulty is an 18-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where he largely reported on local, state and federal government and politics. McNulty, 44, began working for the newspaper as a Washington D.C. correspondent in 1996, and from late 1997 through 2004 was its Pittsburgh government reporter, covering issues including stadium financing, the city's entrance into Act 47 financial distress and public housing. He has also written about the city's arts, sports and cultural institutions, and oversaw Early Returns, the Post-Gazette's award-winning politics blog. McNulty earned Bachelor's degrees in History and Philosophy from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. and a Master's in Journali sm from New York University, New York., N.Y. He lives in East Allegheny in the city's North Side. His salary is $71,125.

Katie O'Malley
Assistant Communications Manager
Pittsburgh Penguins employee Katie O'Malley, 30, brings a new dynamic to city government, with a background in television, radio and social media. O'Malley is currently a host for PensTV, where she conducts player interviews, writes feature stories and produces in-game entertainment elements for the team, its website and Verizon OnDemand. Since 2010, she has also been production coordinator for the hockey franchise, managing crews, bookings, scheduling and payroll for in-game entertainment, and was formerly a co-host for Penguins Radio 24/7 and for Inside Penguins Hockey on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh. O'Malley, of Shadyside, has deep philanthropic roots in the community, currently serving as a gala committe e member for the the Pittsburgh Kids Foundation, a volunteer for Team Sassy, and previously in charitable roles with Gilda's Club Western Pennsylvania, the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. She received a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado. Her salary is $51,055.

Sonya Toler
Public Information Officer
Most recently, Sonya Toler has worked as Interim Communications Director and will be moving to a newly created position in the Public Safety Department. A 21-year veteran of journalism and communications, she has experience writing both behind the scenes and being in front of the mic. She has worked for the New Pittsburgh Courier as News Editor, the Pittsburgh Business Times as Staff Writer, the Pittsburgh International Airport Magazine as Managing Editor, and has worked as a freelance reporter/editor and voice over artist. Prior to joining the administration, Toler was the communications director for the People for Peduto campaign for mayor. She returns to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia, where she lived while workin g as Executive Director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on African American Affairs in Harrisburg. She has also worked as Director of Communications for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Currently living in the Hill District, Toler, 43, earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Point Park University in Journalism & Communications. Her salary is $71,125.