BETH BERSHOK

“After learning about the Women’s Leadership Council, all I could think was ‘Why haven’t I joined yet?’”

As a member of United Way’s’s Women’s Leadership Council (WLC), Beth Bershok considers it a privilege to surround herself with some of the most dynamic, caring women in the region.

Beth had been aware of United Way’s work through her husband’s previous workplace contribution for years, but it was during her tenure as chair of the Pittsburgh ATHENA Awards that she began to take notice of WLC. “I noted that many ATHENA nominees were also WLC members and started to wonder what was drawing such a great collection of women,” Beth shared.

When her term as Chair of ATHENA ended, she wanted to stay involved and keep serving women in the community. As friends and colleagues started sending her information about the WLC, Beth was so impressed she decided to get involved in January 2017.

“I was stunned by the collective impact,” Beth explained. “We all want to do what we can to serve the community. If you do a little, it helps, but when you combine the individual efforts of hundreds, it’s astonishing how much we can accomplish.”

Beth also appreciates the opportunity to connect and network with like-minded, professional women who do so much to help the community, but they are also constantly learning from each other and raising the bar.

Hoping to inspire young women to start thinking about supporting women in the community, Beth recently welcomed a college student to job shadow her for a day in her role as Regional Marketing Director at Herbein + Company, Inc. Together they attended an ATHENA committee meeting that included several WLC members and Beth recalls how captivated the student was. “She couldn’t believe the passion and dedication in that room. It opened her eyes to a whole new picture of what ‘work’ can be,” Beth said.

To others looking to get involved, Beth recommends thinking carefully about the impact your time and dollars could have. “I wish people knew how deep United Way’s work goes. They help our community by supporting a wide range of nonprofits, families, children, seniors, people with disabilities. It’s pretty impressive,” Beth said.

To learn more about United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council, contact Lisa Kelly at lisa.kelly@unitedwayswpa.org in Allegheny County or Alyssa Cholodofsky at Alyssa.Cholodofsky@unitedwayswpa.org in Westmoreland County.