After 19 years with Giant Eagle and nearly eight years on the board of The Education Partnership, Keri sat down with TEP staff to share her firsthand experience of how a small school-supply program grew into a nonprofit serving more than 200 schools. She shares the moments that deepened her commitment, the power of long-standing community partnerships, and why investing in Pittsburgh’s students and teachers is both a privilege and a responsibility.
What is your current role at Giant Eagle, and how long have you been with the company?
I am the Senior Vice President of Retail Operations and have been with the company for 19 years.
You’ve served on The Education Partnership’s board for nearly eight years. In what ways has TEP evolved since you first became involved?
I think the two biggest ways that TEP has evolved in those eight years are in the programs they provide. TEP started out as an organization that provided school supplies to teachers. They were actually in what is now the back of the current building. I remember in the early days volunteering, we had pallets of pens, pencils, notebooks, and erasers that we would hand out to teachers. I also remember our Giant Eagle graphic artists painted murals on the walls. I believe some of those designs are still on the walls today.
It’s impressive to see how that small space with core supplies has evolved into a larger warehouse offering books, lamps, chairs, and items that weren’t available in the early days of The Education Partnership.
They also have our Adopt-A-School Program which provides students with school kits that have the necessary supplies to be successful in school, the STEAM Lending Lab, which provides STEAM kits for teachers to use in their classrooms, and they even have instrument distributions so students can learn to play music.
It is amazing to me that they now serve over 200 schools through our programs! It’s grown from a small, basic school-supply distribution program to a range of supplies that help teachers prepare their classrooms and support student success.
Your dedication to TEP shows up in so many ways, from volunteering your time to adopting a school with your family. Can you share an experience with TEP that felt especially meaningful or rewarding?
When I think of moments in time when I had “aha” moments with The Education Partnership, two come to mind.
Last summer, I attended the TEPPIES Teacher Award Ceremony for the first time. I was overwhelmed by the pride and passion that was displayed by both the staff of TEP and the teachers who were there to be honored. That night gave me a deeper appreciation of the impact TEP’s work really has on the teachers and students we serve. Their impact is more than a pen or a pencil.
I also had an early experience in which my Girl Scout troop and I helped pack kits and then distributed them. I remember handing a bag to a young lady. She said, “This is the nicest thing that anybody has ever done for me.” It was a happy moment, but also a sad one.
Giant Eagle has partnered with TEP since the very beginning, providing seed funding for our facility and hosting fundraisers in our honor. What do you think has been the driving force behind such a strong and lasting partnership?
Giant Eagle has always been deeply committed to serving others and strengthening the communities in which we operate. When Justin Brown first shared his vision for Storehouse for Teachers, now The Education Partnership, our company’s leaders recognized the impact it could have on student success. Supporting educators and ensuring students have what they need in the classroom aligned perfectly with our values, so getting involved was a natural step.
When Giant Eagle decided to start hosting a golf outing, we asked who we should make it benefit. And I said, well, of course, TEP. We previously ran a register campaign for TEP [until 2020], and the golf outing seemed a natural way to continue benefiting TEP. The stores love to get involved and support it in any way that they can. Last year, we had our most successful golf outing to date.
There are other things we do that are less obvious. We’re providing snacks and water for volunteers, as well as providing shopping carts for the Teacher Resource Center and bins to hold and display products. There are so many little ways to help, and any of them can make a big difference.
Note from TEP: Keri may say that’s little, but we know that makes a huge difference.
In addition to TEP, you serve on the boards of United Way of Southwestern PA and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. When do you feel your service on these boards makes the greatest impact, and what does that experience mean to you personally?
When I first started at Giant Eagle, they offered many opportunities to partner with the community, and I was looking for ways to make the biggest impact. I quickly became involved in United Way and Women United, then called the Women’s Leadership Council, and the Education Partnership. I had the opportunity to get involved with both organizations early, and as time went on, I jumped at the opportunity to join their boards. More recently, I also joined the Food Bank board.
I feel the greatest impact of my board service in the moments when strategy turns into real outcomes for people. Whether it’s helping United Way expand access to critical services, strengthening the Food Bank’s ability to meet rising demand, or supporting The Education Partnership’s work to ensure students and teachers have the supplies they need to succeed, the work becomes truly meaningful when you can see that our decisions in the boardroom translate into stability, dignity, and opportunity across our region.
Serving on these boards also reinforces, for me, why community leadership matters. Each organization gives me a direct line of sight into the realities our neighbors face every day-families struggling to secure food, students lacking basic resources, and individuals seeking pathways to financial stability. These experiences keep me grounded and remind me of the importance of using my voice, experience, and platform to drive meaningful change.
Personally, it is incredibly important to contribute to organizations that create both immediate, tangible improvements in people’s lives and long-term solutions for Southwestern Pennsylvania. My service with all three organizations allows me to play a small part in that ongoing work, and it is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role as a community leader.
Much of your professional and volunteer work is rooted in Southwestern Pennsylvania. What does it mean to you to support causes within a close-knit community like Pittsburgh?
I grew up in Pittsburgh, and my extended family has called this region home for generations. Supporting causes in a close-knit community like ours means investing in a place where people genuinely show up for one another. Pittsburgh is a city that blends resilience with heart. It is a community where neighbors help neighbors, and the impact of your efforts is visible almost immediately.
For me, giving back here isn’t abstract or distant. You can see and feel the difference right in your own backyard: a family accessing resources they desperately need, a student walking into school prepared, or a community organization strengthened because people chose to care. Being able to help sustain and advance the community that shaped me feels both like a responsibility and a privilege.
When you reflect on your career and community involvement, what legacy do you hope to leave behind?
I hope to leave behind a legacy of service, integrity, and impact. One where people can say I helped strengthen organizations, uplifted others, and made a real difference in the community I care deeply about.
Author: The TEP Team
