David Ehrenwerth Retires as JHF Board Chair, JHF Welcomes New Board Leadership and Members

David Ehrenwerth, JD

As we approach a new year that brings transitions in our board, JHF honors Board Chair David Ehrenwerth, JD as his three-year tenure comes to an end. David's support of JHF began in 1990, with the Foundation's creation. As a board member of Montefiore Hospital and one of its lawyers, he handled the sale of Montefiore to UPMC and the transfer of funds to establish the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. David then served as one of the original trustees, and recently served as Vice Chair. David has supported the Foundation's work every step of the way, and we are grateful for his decades of service.

As Board Chair, David championed many of JHF's key initiatives, including the Bystander Boards, WHAMglobal and AIDS Free Pittsburgh's activities, the Feinstein Fellowships, Senior Connections, the Adolescent Behavioral Health Initiative including the seed funding to launch UpStreet, and SWERVE. 2020 of course brought new challenges and opportunities, with a move to a new office space in EQT Tower, while the COVID-19 pandemic required long-term remote work and meetings. David played a key role in organizing the COVID-19 emergency grants JHF funded during the early weeks of the pandemic. The year will culminate with the Liftoff PGH 2020 health innovation conference, held in a reimagined virtual format, and the birth of the Full Court Press policy initiative, which will continue into 2021. David's leadership buoyed JHF during this time and assured that we could maintain our working community together even while apart.

A partner at K&L Gates since 1979, David, a native of Duquesne in the Mon Valley, has been involved in politics and public service throughout his career. After graduating from Harvard Law in 1972, he worked as an assistant attorney general for Pennsylvania before joining the firm in 1974. He served in the Obama Administration from 2010 through 2012, serving as a regional administrator of the General Services Administration and later associate commissioner of the U.S. Public Buildings Service.

When asked about his vision for the future of JHF, on the Foundation's 25^th anniversary in 2015, David said, "Since we are a think tank and a stimulator of ideas, I'd like us to continue to creatively develop approaches for keeping people healthy and making certain that health care is compassionate and effective." JHF fully intends to take this approach into the new year, as we celebrate our 30^th anniversary milestone. We are pleased to announce and welcome new Board leadership and members in 2021:

CHAIR: Debra L. Caplan, MPA

VICE CHAIR: Daniel Rosen, PhD, MSW

TREASURER: Michael H. Ginsberg, JD

SECRETARY: Steve D. Irwin, JD

New Board Members:

Rachel P. Berger, MD, MPH, Chief of the Division of Child Advocacy at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh

Leah Binder, MA, MGA, President and CEO, The Leapfrog Group

Sonya Borrero, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Women's Health Research and Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh; Associate Director of the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion and Staff Physician, VA Pittsburgh's Women's Health Clinic

Rachel Eglash, DMD, Chestnut Hills Dental

Andrew W. Eller, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Ocular Trauma Service and Retina and Vitreous Services at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Medical Director of the UPMC Eye Care Network

Marya Sea Kaminski, MFA, Artistic Director, Pittsburgh Public Theater

Nancy L. Rackoff, JD, Eckert Seamans

Audrey Russo, MPA, BSW, President and CEO, Pittsburgh Technology Council

Alan Andrew Scheller-Wolf, PhD, Richard M. Cyert Professor of Operations Management at the Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University

Maliha Zahid, MD, PhD, FACC, Cardiologist, UPMC Children's Hospital and ExcelaHealth Physician Practices; Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh