KERI BROWN

“From the moment I learned about Women’s Leadership Council, I knew I needed to join and help women in our area.”

When United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) first began in Allegheny County, Keri Brown jumped at the opportunity to join other professional women and do good in the community.

A University of Pittsburgh graduate, Keri’s bonds to the Steel City stayed strong despite relocating to Ohio before returning to Pittsburgh and accepting a position with Giant Eagle. Now she’s raising her family, striving to achieve the elusive work/life balance, and giving back to the community with WLC.

Every year, a group of women from Giant Eagle attend the WLC Breakfast together and always leave feeling energized and uplifted. It was on one of those mornings that Keri realized it was time to step up the company’s involvement.

Giant Eagle regularly hosts breakfast or lunch events where employees can get to know each other, learn about United Way’s work, and discuss the benefits of giving back through the WLC.

If a woman is considering joining, Keri shares her two favorite things about WLC membership:

1. It’s a great way to impact women in need right here in our community because United Way only works with agencies and programs that have proven results.
2. You won’t find a better opportunity to network with so many like-minded professionals who are committed to giving back.

It’s important to Keri that her children, Alexia and Nathan, grow up understanding how their volunteerism helps those in need and why it’s so vital to give back. Her children and husband, Kevin, have all joined her at various WLC opportunities, from stitching blankets at the Sew-In to planning a holiday party at a local women’s shelter.

“In our family, we think of giving back as a responsibility,” Keri said. “I’m so fortunate to be in the position I am and be able to share the love of helping others with my children.”

In keeping with her passion to unite family and philanthropy, Keri has recently sponsored her cousin and fellow Giant Eagle employee, Meghann Stimmler, to join WLC through the TOGETHER Leading initiative.

To learn more about United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council, contact Lynne Popash in Allegheny County, at lynne.popash@unitedwayswpa.org, or Alyssa Cholodofsky in Westmoreland County, at alyssa.cholodofsky@unitedwayswpa.org.