News
Grantee Tributes to Jim Denova
20 Years of Strengthening Our Communities
Click on the images below to view grantee videos celebrating Jim Denova’s impact on our communities.
Education Alliance Business & Community for Public Schools
National and International Awards for Simulated Workplace
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New Senior Program Officer Announced
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2021
Contact: Jennifer A. Giovannitti, President
412-246-3642
Benedum Foundation Announces New Program Staff
PITTSBURGH (May 14, 2021) – Melanie Claxton has been named Senior Program Officer of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. She will join the Foundation on June 3, 2021 and will oversee the Foundation’s grants programs in education.
Ms. Claxton comes to Benedum with expertise in learning initiatives aimed at out-of-school time.
As the Coordinator, Out-of- School Time, for Pittsburgh Public Schools, Ms. Claxton implemented flexible policies that adapted to the needs of those served, specifically in informal learning environments. …
Preserving Democracy, Jen Giovannitti Guest Speaker (Video)
Why is bridging the rural-urban divide so important?
Thursday, April 15, 2021
If you did not have the opportunity to enjoy the April 15 live-stream event and/or would like to share this interview, please view and share using the video found here.
One of our polarized country’s most pronounced challenges is the growing divide between rural and urban America. It is a gap that includes significant variations in economic opportunities and what can be debilitating disparities in critical modern infrastructure, such as access to high-speed internet. It is a gap that also includes sometimes stark social and political differences. …
Benedum Referenced in Federal Reserve Bank Report
Bringing Broadband to Rural America
Alexander Marré, Author
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Community Scope, December 2020
Richmond Federal Reserve published a report on Broadband in Rural America, read the full report here.
Jim Denova Retiring from Benedum June 2021
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation announces the retirement of esteemed Program Director and Vice President, Jim Denova, effective June 30, 2021.
“Jim Denova has been essential to Benedum’s work over the last twenty years. Everyone knows Jim!” said President Jen Giovannitti. Dr. Denova joined the Foundation on January 1, 2000 as Senior Program Officer for Southwestern Pennsylvania. In his twenty years with the Foundation, he has worked with grantees throughout West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania to support and advance strategies in education, workforce, and economic development. In 2007 he became Vice President and assumed responsibility for regional planning, staff support to the President, …
Michael Benedum Remains A Pioneer
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation was delighted to learn that Christa A. Dotson, of Northeast Natural Energy in Morgantown, nominated Michael Benedum, posthumously, for the American Association of Professional Landmen (“AAPL”) Pioneer Award.
The AAPL is a nationwide professional organization for landmen working in the oil and gas industry. As a member of the AAPL and the local chapter, Michael Late Benedum Chapter, Christa took the initiative to nominate Michael Benedum for the AAPL’s Pioneer Award.
Christa alerted us that on June 18, 2020 at the 2020 AAPL Annual Meeting, Michael Benedum was posthumously selected as the winner of this year’s Pioneer Award. …
COVID-19 Overview
Approaching $6.5 Million in Response Grants
In our 75 years of serving West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation has worked carefully with our grantees during times of war recovery, economic volatility and community crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is raising new concerns that will undoubtedly affect many of our grantees who will need to navigate the future in a new way.
The Benedum Foundation has been reaching out to our vast network to see how we can best help. Many of the fundamental organizations that work statewide as core intermediaries are stepping up to meet this crisis head on. …
Rural Health Leader Larry Rhodes, M.D. Joins the Board of the Benedum Foundation
PITTSBURGH (September 17, 2019) – Larry A. Rhodes, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist and one of the nation’s leading advocates for rural children’s health, has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. He will join the board on January 1, 2020. He replaces Robert B. Walker, M.D., who has stepped down after 11 years of service on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. As Trustee Emeritus, Dr. Walker will continue his commitment to the region and the Foundation.
Dr. Rhodes has served as a Professor of Pediatrics in the West Virginia University School of Medicine since 2005 and is the founding director of the University’s Institute for Community and Rural Health. …
Benedum Foundation Names Jennifer Giovannitti as President
PITTSBURGH (August 13, 2018) – A community development manager for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and nationally known policy expert on rural development strategies has been named the first woman president of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. Jennifer Giovannitti, a Pennsylvania native who has worked extensively in West Virginia, will succeed William P. “Pat” Getty in mid-October.
Ms. Giovannitti, 48, currently leads strategic programs and community-based initiatives, most notably in community investment, human capital, and access to credit and capital, for the Fed’s Fifth District, which includes Virginia and West Virginia. She emphasizes the role of data-driven decision-making in regional projects. …