Retired UPMC executive will lead the board at the United Way of Southwestern PA

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania will welcome a retired UPMC executive as board chair Jan. 1, while it continues efforts to meet growing needs triggered by the ongoing pandemic.

The agency’s board of directors voted Robert DeMichiei, who has been a member of the board for nearly two decades, to succeed outgoing chair Richard Harshman.

United Way CEO Bobbi Watt Geer said DeMichiei, 56, who retired as UPMC’s chief financial officer in December 2019, has played an important role in the United Way’s planning and response as it responded to growing community needs across Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties.

“Rob has been an influential part of the United Way volunteer leadership team for years,” Watt Geer said. “As a valued board member, as a trusted adviser on our finance committee, as a strong voice in our executive committee, and as someone who cares deeply about our community, we are all better off because of Rob’s involvement with United Way. He has supported the community throughout the pandemic in various ways, including being a huge proponent and promoter of United Way’s PA 2-1-1 Southwest.”

The 2-1-1 help line has become a backbone of the region’s coronavirus response. Over the last year, it has logged more than 91,000 calls for assistance with housing, food, utilities, health care and related issues in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Watt Geer said DeMichiei’s work on the finance committee helped United Way maintain a decade of four-star Charity Navigator ratings for strong accountability. He also assisted in developing the Westmoreland and Butler County mergers and creating a successful five-county organization.

Harshman, the organization’s outgoing chair, commended the board on selecting DeMichiei. He said DeMichiei always made the good of the region a priority.

DeMichiei said he looks forward to deepening his work with the United Way in his new role.

“The pandemic helped to shed light on the true value United Way brings to our community,” DeMichiei said. “The organization’s response has been — and continues to be — truly remarkable. As a community, we have a long road ahead of us, and I’m looking forward to the work that lies ahead in my new role.”