3 women deemed 'history making'
Three Butler County women were lauded for their leadership and dedication to others as the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania's Women's Leadership Council of Butler gathered for its virtual spring mixer.
Dr. Kathy Selvaggi, chief community health officer of Butler Health System; Lisa Campbell, dean of workforce development at Butler County Community College; and Jean Bowen, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) coordinator and program specialist at Center for Community Resources were recognized as history-making women of Butler County at the event.
Selvaggi, who served as the director of palliative care at Butler Health System from 2015 to 2021 before being promoted to her current position, said her biggest role model among many influential women in her life and career was her late mother.“She said, 'Kathy, you need to go out there and follow your dreams,'” Selvaggi said. “That has really served me well.”She said she has loved the field of medicine, through which she has cared for people in settings both rural and urban.“I think being a parent is the toughest job in the world,” Selvaggi said.She has also enjoyed mentoring young people during her career.“I think by being strong woman leaders, we show women and men that we know a lot and can get the job done,” Selvaggi said.Campbell said she and her 15-person team at BC3 go out into the community to provide training to those who may lack the confidence in themselves to believe they can do the job.“It makes going to work every day wonderful,” she said.She serves on many boards around the county, and helped found the Butler County Empowerment Initiative, which helps individuals break down their personal barriers to employment.
Campbell said local businesses needed employees, and the community came together to form the initiative, which benefited the businesses as well as those who felt they were unemployable.“It provides a pathway to employment for individuals who feel stuck,” she said.Campbell said the Women's Leadership Council of Butler County has been a great benefit to the county.“I am very proud to be part of the leadership team in the community,” she said.Campbell said she was humbled by being placed on the same platform as Selvaggi and Bowen.Bowen started out many years ago with 15 VITA volunteers, who processed 368 income tax returns for eligible residents of the county.Today, Bowen oversees seven VITA offices and more than 60 volunteers, and processed 2,300 tax returns in 2020.The results have brought millions of dollars in refunds back to the county over the years.Bowen also coordinates the Bundle Up Butler coat drive each fall, during which disadvantaged adults and children can pick out a new coat for free, and has served for a decade as president of Twilight Wish, which makes the bucket-list wishes of seniors come true.Still, Bowen deflected kudos for her work improving the lives of those in the county.
“My greatest asset has to be my volunteers,” Bowen said. “Every organization I'm with is run with volunteers.”She expressed the satisfaction she gets from working with the Slippery Rock University accounting majors who volunteer at VITA.Bowen said the shy students come in feeling nervous about dealing with the public as they complete their tax returns, but leave as confident young adults who know whether they will choose a career in the tax end of the accounting field.She looks at her work and service lifting up the least and the last as a blessing.“I get the privilege of impacting lives every day,” Bowen said.The keynote speaker at the spring mixer was Anne Herman, director of performance, safety and quality at MSA in Cranberry Township.She said all employee pledges to United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania are matched 100% by MSA, a practice that continued during the uncertainty of 2020 as the pandemic descended on the county.“MSA is committed to serving our communities well,” Herman said.In 2021, MSA donated more than $300,000 to United Way with the employee pledges and company matching, she said.Women's Leadership Council of Butler County member Shannon Schreib, who introduced the keynote speaker and women who were honored, summed up the philanthropic and career accomplishments of Selvaggi, Campbell and Bowen.“These women represent leadership, compassion and kindness,” she said.
