Pete Waldron was recently named the first executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania (CFEP). Paul Huck, chairman of the Board of Directors for CFEP, made the announcement.
Waldron comes to CFEP with 30 years of corporate affairs, philanthropy, community involvement, marketing communications and public relations experience. He recently headed up Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy for CrossAmerica Partners. He also helped create and manage two corporate foundations: Lehigh Gas Foundation and CrossAmerica Partners Foundations.
Prior to CrossAmerica, Waldron worked at Lehigh Gas Corporation. He also served as a national marketing consultant for The Hershey Company; an appointed official for the County of Lehigh; and in editorial, public relations and advertising posts at The Morning Call newspapers.
Waldron has been actively involved in volunteer leadership positions on a variety of nonprofit boards and development committees, and has assisted many Catholic organizations in their fundraising efforts. These include St. Thomas More Parish and School, Allentown; Allentown Central Catholic High School; Mercy School for Special Learning, Allentown; and Mary’s Shelter, Bethlehem.
He serves on the board of directors of Mercy; PBS Foundation (secretary); IABC Lehigh Valley (president); Cultural Coalition in Downtown Allentown; and the Pennsylvania Lambda Educational Foundation (president).
He is a graduate of Penn State. Waldron and his wife Terese are parishioners of St. Thomas More, Allentown. They have three grown children: Madaline, Sophia and Andrew.
In naming CFEP’s first executive director, Huck said the organization is at an exciting juncture.
“We have experienced remarkable growth in our first four years,” said Huck. “We are now ready for the next stage of our development.
“Having been an active part of the local Catholic community his whole life, Pete knows its causes and concerns. The growth and stability of Catholic education is a cause he believes in, along with a concern for Catholic ministries that serve the less fortunate. We are very pleased to have Pete head up the Catholic Foundation and help us grow.”
Formed in 2013, CFEP is an independent 501 c 3 nonprofit organization and a separate legal entity from the Diocese of Allentown. It was designed to manage assets, generate perpetual income and provide financial stability for Catholic parishes, educational institutions and ministries in the Diocese of Allentown.
It is governed by an all-volunteer independent Board of Directors currently comprised of seven members with legal, financial, foundation and investment management experience.
The board is self-sustaining, electing new and replacing board members as needed.
In addition to Huck, board members are: Thomas Scalici, vice chairman and acting treasurer; Atty. Beth Dobis Beers, secretary; Edward Meehan; Atty. James Ritter; Janet Roth; and Msgr. Daniel Yenushosky.
CFEP currently manages 20 endowment funds totaling almost $4 million in assets. Fourteen of those 20 funds benefit educational institutions.
Since its inception, it has distributed approximately $200,000 to the beneficiaries of the various endowment funds.