By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on Just Three Questions: Segment No. 4 with Bill Woodrum
“JUST THREE QUESTIONS!” – Segment No. 4. WV Secretary of State Kris Warner’s guest this week is Bill Woodrum with the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. Secretary Warner and Woodrum discuss how the Foundation supports entrepreneurs and the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.
By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on Podcast: The Flow of Capital Into Rural Communities
Listen to the “Speaking of the Economy” podcast hosted by Tim Sablik, featuring Benedum Foundation’s President, Jen Giovannitti, and Emily Corcoran, Senior Regional Manager of Regional and Community Analysis at the Richmond Fed.
By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on WV Living: Michael Late Benedum
In December 2024, WV Living Magazine highlighted an excerpt from the Benedum Foundation’s 80th Anniversary Special Report. Read the excerpt to learn more about the Foundation’s work.
By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on Foundation for Growth: Benedum’s 80-Year Legacy
The Summer 2024 edition of the West Virginia Executive magazine, featured an article on the Benedum Foundation and its 80-year legacy. Learn more about Benedum’s impact in West Virginia over the last eight decades.
By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on Benedum Hires Director of Strategic Initiatives
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2024
Contact:
Jennifer A. Giovannitti, President
412-246-3642
PITTSBURGH (January 9, 2024) – Rochelle (Rocky) Schrecongost Goodwin has been named Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, a senior leadership role at the Foundation.
Jen Giovannitti, President of the Benedum Foundation, noted the importance of this position with the Foundation, stating, “Benedum is turning 80 this year and I can’t think of a better way to increase our staff talent than to bring on Rocky. She will lead some of our most interesting work and help shape our upcoming years. Rocky brings to Benedum a deep commitment to the region and subject matter expertise in a variety of areas. She is a perfect fit for Benedum.”
She was congratulated by the Chair of the Benedum Board of Trustees, Thomas A. Heywood, who said, “I welcome Rocky to the Benedum Foundation, and I congratulate her on being chosen for this important leadership role. Working with President Giovannitti, our program officers, our staff, and our Board, Rocky will help the Foundation conceive and execute several exciting strategic initiatives in the years ahead.”
Ms. Goodwin is a recognized leader who has devoted her career to helping make West Virginia a better place through law, public service, and policy. After starting as a lawyer for Legal Aid of West Virginia, she served Senator John D. Rockefeller, a distinguished five-term U.S. Senator, as his Deputy Director and then as his State Director, leading professionals across five offices. After the Senator retired, Ms. Goodwin joined West Virginia University where she has served in various roles, most recently as Vice President for Policy and Strategy at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.
The Benedum Foundation has a long and valued history with West Virginia University. President Giovannitti noted that four WVU presidents have served on Benedum’s Board of Trustees (Harlow, Heflin, Miller, Stahr) and she has had a close working relationship with current WVU President Gordon Gee, saying “WVU is an important partner of Benedum and Rocky in this new role will only deepen the partnership.” “Rocky is a valued member of the West Virginia University community and we have greatly benefited from her expertise, particularly in the launch of West Virginia Forward and most recently at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute,” said WVU President Gordon Gee. “As the Benedum Foundation prepares for its future, I am certain that her talents and her love for West Virginia will be a tremendous asset.”
Ms. Goodwin earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Marietta College, where she now serves as a Trustee, and her Juris Doctor from West Virginia University.
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation was established in 1944 by Michael and Sarah Benedum, natives of West Virginia, as a memorial to their only child, Claude Worthington, who died in 1918 at the age of 20. The Foundation is a regional foundation focusing primarily on West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania. For more information on the Foundation, please see: https://benedum.org.
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By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on Benedum Foundation Announces New Board Chair
PITTSBURGH (June 28, 2023) The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation welcomes its newest Board Chair, Mr. Thomas A. Heywood. Effective June 13, 2023, Mr. Heywood will lead the Foundation’s nine-member Board of Trustees succeeding Mr. Lloyd G. Jackson, II who masterfully chaired the Benedum Board for the full allowable term of ten years.
Mr. Heywood has been a Trustee of the Foundation since March 2012 and is a leading attorney in West Virginia with Bowles Rice, a regional law firm, where his expertise spans health care, banking, and corporate/commercial law. In addition to being an immediate past Managing Partner of Bowles Rice, Mr. Heywood is a former Chief of Staff and Counsel to West Virginia Governor Gaston Caperton. He works closely and regularly with businesses, educational institutions, community leaders, and elected officials across the region, and is the recipient of numerous awards for his public service and leadership on civic boards and initiatives.
Benedum Foundation President Jen Giovannitti said, “Mr. Heywood was unanimously elected by his peers to serve as the Benedum Foundation’s incoming Board Chair,” adding, “the Foundation has an esteemed history of board leadership coming from West Virginia including two Governors, a U.S. Senator, a federal judge, two West Virginia state senators, four university presidents, and well‑known industry leaders.”
“I am humbled and honored to be elected chair of the Benedum Foundation,” said Mr. Heywood. “The Foundation has touched and improved lives in West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania for almost 80 years, thanks to the generosity and vision of our benefactors and the talents, leadership, and hard work of the Board, management, and staff of the Foundation over the years. I look forward to building on the accomplishments of all who have come before, and seeing that the vision of Michael and Sarah Benedum continues to be realized in the years ahead.”
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation was established in 1944 by Michael and Sarah Benedum, natives of West Virginia, as a memorial to their only child, Claude Worthington, who died in 1918 at the age of 20. The Foundation is a regional foundation focusing primarily on West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania. For more information on the Foundation, please see https://benedum.org/.
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By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on Paul G. Benedum, Jr. (1931 -2023)
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation announces with great sadness the death of Paul G. Benedum, Jr. (1931 -2023)
Known to all as “Benny,” Mr. Benedum was the great nephew of Michael Benedum. He was 92 upon his death and the only lifetime appointed Trustee of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, where he served with distinction for 46 years, leading the Foundation for 22 years as Board Chair (1991-2013).
Benny was the heart and soul of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation acting as family historian, community cheerleader, humble servant, and overall prankster. Benny had an endearing sense of joy, a fashion affinity for bolo ties, and a wonderful sense of humor that had everyone laughing around the board table as he told jokes and slid hilarious one-liners into conversation. During his service to the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Benny often recounted memories of his Uncle Mike and he seemed to know which grants “Uncle Mike would have liked.” The Trustees valued Benny’s seriousness on the investment committee and earnestness when it came to approving grants as he wanted each grant to achieve the highest impact possible.
As his obituary notes, Benny believed that education was the “stepladder” to a better life and his belief was confirmed as he witnessed outcomes during his decades of leadership on the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation board. The C. W. Benedum Foundation legacy influenced Mr. Benedum to form the Paul G. Benedum, Jr. Foundation.
Benny was an accomplished outdoorsman and world traveler with a geology degree from Brown University. He had tremendous insights and wonderful stories to tell making him a favorite person around the dinner table. More than one astonished dinner guest experienced Benny surreptitiously using a retractable fork to steal the juiciest piece of steak off their plate. He was smart, kind, generous, and loads of fun. He will be dearly missed.
The full obituary from his family can be read here.
By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on New Senior Program Officer Announced
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2022
Contact:
Jennifer A. Giovannitti, President
412-246-3642
Benedum Foundation Announces Bill Woodrum as Senior Program Officer
PITTSBURGH (May 11, 2022) – Bill Woodrum has been named Senior Program Officer at the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation where he will lead community and economic development initiatives in West Virginia. He was congratulated by the Chair of the Benedum Board of Trustees, Lloyd Jackson, who said, “Bill is coming to Benedum with the right background to work with people at all levels of our economy and across sectors. He understands the challenges and the opportunities that exist, and we expect Bill to be an agent of change in this ever-changing economy.”
Mr. Woodrum is a recognized figure who has been working to advance community and economic development initiatives in West Virginia for the past 30 years. His diverse career spans work in systems‑building, fund development, small business development, technology transfer, extension programs, and agriculture. In addition, Mr. Woodrum has had longstanding relationships with universities, including as director of entrepreneurship at the Robert C. Byrd Institute at Marshall University, and as an associate director managing statewide programs at West Virginia State University Extension.
Retiring program director, Mary Hunt had this to say, “I have worked with Bill Woodrum as a grantee and collaborator in his past roles. Bill has the commitment and motivation to help West Virginia communities improve and thrive. His experience and knowledge of the Benedum Foundation’s initiatives will enable a smooth transition as I retire, and he takes on the position of senior program officer for community and economic development. I wish Bill much success and hope he is as fulfilled in this work as I have been for the past 22 years.”
The Benedum Foundation has been making grants in West Virginia for over 75 years. Today the Foundation has two program officers based out of West Virginia, who are purposefully embedded in the work at a very intimate level. The Benedum culture is to not make the work about the Foundation, but rather to become an ally in the work lead by grantees.
Jen Giovannitti, President of the Benedum Foundation noted the importance of this position with the Foundation, stating, “The work of community and economic development takes trust, time, and a willingness to work on hard problems, collectively. Being open to ideas coming from within communities is how Benedum supports exceptional work. Bill has shown, in his career, a talent for collaborating, believing in others, and an eagerness to roll up his sleeves and get the job done.”
Mr. Woodrum earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Marshall University and his Master of Science from The Ohio State University. Mr. Woodrum will begin as senior program officer on June 6, 2022.
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation was established in 1944 by Michael and Sarah Benedum, natives of West Virginia, as a memorial to their only child, Claude Worthington, who died in 1918 at the age of 20. The Foundation is a regional foundation focusing primarily on West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania. For more information on the Foundation, please see: https://benedum.org.
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By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on Hazelwood Green: Tishman Speyer Named as Master Developer
Global real estate developer and owner of Rockefeller Center in New York City and Mission
Rock in San Francisco to lead transformation of 178-acre former urban brownfield into a
neighborhood centered on innovation, sustainability and community connectedness
A generational opportunity for leapfrog growth and global economic leadership in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH [February 25, 2022] –The Almono Limited Partnership – owners of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Green – and Carnegie Mellon University announced today that they reached agreements with Tishman Speyer, one of the world’s leading developers, owners and operators of cutting-edge real estate, to transform the 178-acre site into a global center for tomorrow’s economy anchored by exciting new research facilities for science and engineering.
By Jen Hammerstrom | Categories: Uncategorized | No Comments on Mary Hunt Retiring from Benedum June 2022
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation announces the planned retirement of its program director for community and economic development, Mary Hunt. A native of Clarksburg, West Virginia, Ms. Hunt joined the Foundation on December 1, 1999.
Lloyd Jackson, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees commended Mary’s work saying, “Mary has been a valued member of the Benedum Foundation family for over 20 years. She always was the consummate professional and the value she has added to the organizations, communities, and especially the people she worked with over those years is immeasurable. We will miss Mary, but she leaves the Foundation with a rich legacy, the value of which few people ever create, and for which she forever can be proud.”
Mary came to Benedum with experience in both government, at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the private sector, at Toyota, where she held management roles with responsibilities in finance, human resources, and general administration. During her time at Benedum, Mary championed community-led strategies and brought new thinking to the Foundation about how to shape greater impact. “Mary is completely devoted to community development,” said Benedum President Jen Giovannitti, “and that is why she has successfully forged strategies within Benedum to leverage big federal grants, support housing and entrepreneurship, nurture new sources of investment capital, scale the work of critical capacity building intermediary organizations, and invest in downtown redevelopment.”
In addition to her deep love of West Virginia, Mary has a spirit of optimism. She maintains a passion for Michael Benedum’s viewpoint that “we know not where a seed may sprout.” Brandon Dennison of Coalfields Development Corporation has worked with Mary for years and said, “Mary Hunt believed in Coalfield Development as an innovative organization, and in me as a young leader, very early on in our formation. Without a doubt, I’m one of several hundred young leaders in this state whose lives were changed by Mary. Sometimes, innovation gets messy. It takes grit to stick with the vision. And it takes persistent problem solving to overcome barriers. Her ability to make good work happen is unrivaled.”
In the last decade, Benedum has helped leverage more federal dollars into West Virginia by embracing agencies like the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) as trusted colleagues. Mary set out to build capacity and help communities apply for the larger, more ambitious POWER grants from the ARC. In fact, Mary realized early on that philanthropy alone would never be the answer, so she built partnerships and invited others to add resources. In 2010, under Mary’s leadership, Benedum was part of a small group of foundations with the ARC that envisioned a funders network for central Appalachia, and after over a decade of continual funding, the Appalachia Funders Network has grown to a level of both independence and national recognition as a leader of innovative work.
Stephanie Tyree Executive Director of West Virginia Community Development Hub (The Hub) and Kent Spellman, founding Executive Director of The Hub both worked with Mary for years. Kent Spellman said, “It was Mary who pushed for the development of a Community Development Model that would bring better returns, and Mary who was more responsible than any other individual for the creation of the West Virginia Community Development Hub to implement that model.” Stephanie Tyree explained, “Mary is a sounding board and a thought partner; a dreamer and maker of the future who shows up each day with unreasonable optimism, which helped make all of us who worked with her more optimistic about the change we could make. Her energy and positivity rubbed off on all of us.”
Mary Hunt played such a pivotal role in helping communities help themselves that in 2019 she was recognized by West Virginia Living Magazine as West Virginian of the Year. Her work models how philanthropy can invest in growing rural intermediaries and create the right environment for true systems change. Congratulations to Mary Hunt on an impactful career!