About Us

James Santelli (he/him) serves as Communications Officer at Riverlife, working to cultivate and broaden Riverlife’s public reach and audience. He is the point of contact for all Riverlife media inquiries. James holds a BA in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of Southern California. He joined Riverlife’s staff in 2026.

James has more than a decade of experience working in Pittsburgh media and public relations. He previously worked as Communications Manager for the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), where he directed the expansion of RAD Days from a monthlong event into the “RAD Pass: Year-Round Fun for Everyone” free-ticket initiative. A longtime broadcaster, James is the Public Address Announcer for athletic events at his alma mater, Fox Chapel Area High School, and worked in broadcast news for WKBN-TV in Youngstown, Ohio, and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.

Outside of Riverlife, you can find James on the riverfront trails as he trains for his next half-marathon, at Bottlerocket Social Hall for the latest and greatest in live comedy, and at the ballpark as he cheers on the Pirates.