40 Stories: Lynn Banaszak of Amazon

For decades, Lynn Banaszak has been a cornerstone in Pittsburgh's tech ecosystem, helping shape industries from education to life sciences. Currently, with Amazon as a Global Transformation Leader, Lynn's career journey reads like a blueprint for innovation and resilience.

Starting her professional path teaching high school marketing, Lynn quickly became immersed in Pittsburgh's nonprofit sector, working in public relations at the Children's Museum. Her early career also included a role with the Society of Automotive Engineers, where she organized international tech conferences. This laid the groundwork for her pivotal role in founding the first international regenerative medicine conference, which helped put Pittsburgh on the map as a hub for life sciences.

Her ability to connect diverse industries has been one of her greatest strengths. At Carnegie Mellon University’s Disruptive Health Technology Institute, Lynn was instrumental in connecting cutting-edge tech to healthcare. She helped with initiatives such as using facial recognition algorithms to detect polyps during colonoscopies, combining the region's strengths in healthcare and technology.

Throughout her career, Lynn has focused on building meaningful relationships—whether working with hundreds of tech startups through the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse or leading cross-disciplinary teams. Her efforts have always been aimed at one goal: making Pittsburgh a better place for innovation and business. Her journey underscores how essential it is to foster collaboration within tech ecosystems.

Now at Amazon, Lynn continues to use her vast experience to shape the future, staying at the forefront of discussions around artificial intelligence, data analytics, and preparing society for the tech revolutions ahead. Her story is one of continuous evolution, always with Pittsburgh at the heart of her efforts.