Cheryl Bates

As a former program director at United Way of Erie County Bates, now retired, was the chief architect who implemented Erie FREE Taxes in 2007 which has a current program value of over $136 million. Earlier in her career, she was a staunch advocate for the powerless and marginalized as program director at Erie County Office of Children and Youth.

Karen A. Morahan, Ph.D

During the height of the pandemic when the nursing shortage was at its peak, Morahan, thenadvanced critical educator for UPMC, proposed the opening of a School of Nursing within the city limits. Within just 16 months, the Jameson School of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hamot opened its doors. Now as the school’s first director, Morahan leads a team of 18 educators, a student admissions team and 124 students.

Sarah Humphrey, MSN, RN

Weis Humphrey is the executive director and helped create the Erie Cancer Wellness Center, an independent nonprofit providing non-medical services free of charge to those diagnosed with cancer and their families. She has spent her life’s work assisting cancer patients and their loved ones.