Created in 2012, the Richard L. White Excellence Award for Board Service recognizes an individual who serves as an exemplary member of the Washington County Community Foundation Board of Trustees, wholeheartedly sharing his or her time, talent, and treasures to support the Foundation and its mission.
About Richard L. White
Richard L. White is the retired President of Washington Federal (now Washington Financial) and is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. A Founding Trustee and past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Washington County Community Foundation, Richard served as Board Treasurer for the Foundation’s first six years of operations during which time the WCCF secured its first million dollars in charitable assets. Richard has provided leadership in various capacities for organizations such as the Washington County Council on Economic Development, Washington County Habitat for Humanity, Ft. Cherry School Board, Hickory Lions Club, and Washington Area Chamber of Commerce. He has also contributed significantly to the Washington Hospital Board, United Way of Washington County, and PA Association of Community Bankers in diverse roles.
Eligibility:
Any individual who has served as a Trustee of the Washington County Community Foundation, including both current and former Trustees.
Criteria:
- Invests a significant amount of time in the Foundation – a commitment that extends far beyond the normal responsibilities of the Board.
- Dedicates his or her unique talents to addressing specific needs within the Foundation.
- Supports the Foundation and its activities through the donation of personal resources.
- Embodies the spirit of service.
Latest Award Recipient:
Brian J. Smith
It was our intention to present the Richard L. White Excellence Award for Board Service to Brian Smith when he rotated off our Board in June 2021 because we wanted him to know his service had a profound impact on the Foundation. We so wish that Brian was still with us to accept this award personally, but this past October, we had the privilege of presenting it to his wife, Sherri.
Brian helped us to
grow financially by meeting with donors to encourage their support and
through his personal financial support. He also helped us to grow our
charitable services. There is no better example of that growth than our
annual community-wide giving event, WCCF Gives. We were much smaller in 2013, which led some to believe we lacked the capacity to facilitate such an event. Others
believed it would never be successful in Washington County. Brian’s
early endorsement helped us to secure other supporters, enabling us to
initiate the event. WCCF Gives has become the primary fundraising activity for many local charities and cumulatively has provided close to $12 million in grants.
As the Chair of our Investment Committee, Brian led the effort to improve our investment policy and to define benchmarks to gauge investment performance. Brian also helped lead the effort to develop our first Strategic Plan in 2016, the basis of which is still being utilized today.