After 10 years as Chair of the Eye & Ear Foundation Board, George Fechter is stepping down at the November 30th meeting. Prior to his term as Chair, he was Vice Chair from 2009-2012. He has been a Board member for over 20 years. During his time on the board, he served on both search committees for both department chairs.
“George has been Chairman of the Board of Directors during the fastest growing period in the history of the Eye & Ear Foundation,” said EEF CEO Lawton Snyder. “We will always owe George a tremendous debt of gratitude for his leadership during his tenure. George is remarkable at setting the right tone at every meeting. He has been steady, supportive, and a tremendous mentor to me and the EEF team.”
Indeed, EEF raised $71,104,841 during Fechter’s tenure, and saw an asset growth of $27,605,552. EEF also became more national and international in all activities with donors from far off Finland and the United Arab Emirates.
Fechter is a community leader and entrepreneur who manages Fechter Holdings, a portfolio of investments in privately held companies involved in engineering and contracting services and health care information technologies. He has been an active community volunteer for years, serving as an advisory council member for the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.
“Chairing the Eye & Ear Foundation remains the single highest honor of my nonprofit activities,” Fechter said. “We know that fundraising is fun raising and working together with fellow Board members and professional staff has been extraordinarily productive, our Foundation being one of the most productive in all of health sciences. I pass the baton of Chairmanship to Larry Gumburg, a perfect candidate for leading the growing Board.”
Gumberg is a founding member of EEF. He and Fechter served as Search Chairs in recruiting Snyder.
“I look forward to continuing to serve as a Board member,” Fechter said. “For our beloved Foundation, the best is yet to be.”