October 18, 2018
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Pittsburgh Opera announces four new members to its Board of Directors: Bill Hillgrove, Thomas James III, MD, Brian Binkley and Cindy Kerr.
Bill Hillgrove is a sportscaster who has served as WTAE-TV’s Steelers Insider since 1994, calling the play-by-play for Pittsburgh Steelers football games, including four Super Bowl broadcasts.
Known as the “Voice of the Panthers,” Hillgrove has also been the play-by-play announcer for University of Pittsburgh football and basketball for more than 45 years.
The Bill Hillgrove Charity Golf Tourney has raised more than $1M for heart research at the UPMC Cardiovascular Institute. A native of Pittsburgh’s Garfield section and a resident of Murrysville, Hillgrove is a member of the Board of Directors for the Trafford Theatre Factory, the Primary Health Network Foundation and Santa’s Kids.
Dr. Thomas James III is senior medical director of medical management and quality at Highmark, Inc., providing clinical oversight to Highmark’s Quality and Wellness Departments.
Prior to joining Highmark, Inc., Dr. James served as senior medical director for such organizations as Baptist Health in Kentucky, AmeriHealth Caritas, Humana, Anthem, Traveler’s Health Network, Sentara and HealthAmerica.
Dr. James has been active in many volunteer boards in the arts (Kentucky Opera, Louisville Visual Arts Association), medical service (Project Sunshine in New York, Partners for a Healthy Louisville); medical policy in Washington (National Quality Forum, AAAHC, Picker Institute and MED CAC). He is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics.
Brian Binkley is a founding partner and managing partner of The Binkley Kanavy Group, LLC (“BKG”), a CPA firm headquartered in Pittsburgh.
He has been a client service partner for several continuous clients, including many non-profit organizations, local governments and construction contractors for more than 20 years, with annual budgets ranging from $500,000 to more than $500 million.
Binkley works out of BKG’s Pittsburgh office and lives in Wexford, Pa.
Cindy Kerr is a seasoned strategic leader committed to communications that drive results.
Following careers in Chicago, Denver and Kenya, Kerr landed back in her hometown of Pittsburgh in 2016. She runs a small business, ckarma marketing, developing websites and content for B2B and nonprofits. Cindy also serves as Commercial and Marketing Director for SolePower, a startup supported by Carnegie Mellon University. Past roles include Vice President of Marketing and Customer Engagement at Nova Pioneer, a chain of schools developing leaders and innovators across Africa; Global Marketing Director at SolarAidand SunnyMoney Social Enterprise, where she was instrumental in driving the highest sales ever of portable and affordable solar lights in East Africa.
Kerr’s grandmother, Virginia Byerly, was one of the five founding members of Pittsburgh Opera.
“We are always proud when we welcome a new Board member,” says Pittsburgh Opera Board Chair Michele Fabrizi. “To be able to welcome four simultaneously is a special occasion. These four talented, accomplished, community-minded philanthropists are fantastic additions to our organization. It speaks volumes about their commitment to supporting the arts in the greater Pittsburgh region. We hope their example inspires others to join as well.”
