Board Member Spotlight: Ron Eberhardt

No matter the assignment, Ron Eberhardt always has the end goal in focus. Whether he’s leading fellow Marines as a military sergeant, managing finances for various businesses as a CPA, or raising funds for community not-for-profits as a volunteer board member, Eberhardt knows success requires both a commitment to the mission/cause and to the bottom line.

A Vietnam-era veteran, Eberhardt is a life member of the Greensburg Marine Corps League. He’s promoted Westmoreland County Community College as a foundation board member and with his wife, JoAnn, is a frequent attendee at cultural and service organization gatherings, supporting them with their attendance and their financial contributions.

For nearly a decade, Eberhardt has been a member of the Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation Board, currently serving as vice chair. Over that time, he has championed several successful fundraising events from golf outings to formal dinners, including Black Tie galas that supported maternity services, cancer care, and in 2022, cardiac care. The success of each event is dependent upon harnessing the enthusiasm of an equally passionate planning committee, and communicating the critical need to prospective donors.

“There’s ’friend raising’, and there’s ‘fund raising,’ and you need to know the intent of your efforts,” stresses Eberhardt. “Both have a place, but they don’t always produce the same results. Relationship building is critical to cultivating long-term supporters, but your cause and your message must be clear to garner meaningful financial support, while you’re having a good time.”

Thanks to his accounting background, Eberhardt always balances the costs of fundraising against the net proceeds of any endeavor, and he’s quick to sharpen his pencil during the planning process if revenues are not exceeding expenses.

The Hempfield Township resident also calculates the effort and energy of his volunteerism to be certain it benefits his community. That’s why he is as committed to the Westmoreland Food Bank as he is to Excela Health.

“I have the privilege to serve the area where I live and have worked by sharing my experience and financial knowledge,” says Eberhardt, who in his role as vice chair of the Food Bank board is working to pair these two organizations in a project that ties medical care to hunger and food insecurity. “When you fight hunger, you also fight health disparities. The connection is undeniable.”

He’s equally willing to tell the story of his own health needs as a testimony to why he is giving back. “I was born at Westmoreland Hospital, had a difficult diagnosis confirmed there years ago, and continue to receive my care through Excela Health. I want the best care for myself and my family and that’s what I hope to achieve for others.”

When he’s not volunteering, Eberhardt enjoys reading, golfing and spending family time with his wife, two sons and daughters-in-law and four grandchildren.