Born and raised in State College, Kevin K. Murphy has been living here for nearly 25 years, and for almost all of that time he has been working to make it a better place as president of the Berks County Community Foundation. Kevin says he entered the world of philanthropy "by accident" and has been grateful for that fateful turn of events ever since. His wife Kimberly also works for a charitable organization, but Murphy says they don’t talk shop at the dinner table – like other couples, they’d rather enjoy the meal, each other and news from their 21-year-old twin sons Carver and McQuillin, who are students at (where else?) Penn State’s main campus.
Q: What brought you to Berks?
My wife took a position with Penn State Berks, so I came along [laughs]. She’s now president and CEO of Berks Nature – the former Berks County Conservancy. I was a consultant in those days, so I could essentially work from anywhere.
Q: What kind of consulting work?
My first career was in the retirement community industry. I was always interested in politics, so in the early 90s I worked under Governor Casey and Secretary [of Aging] Rhodes. I soon realized I was more of a private sector person and began consulting. I got into philanthropic work purely by accident. When we settled in Wyomissing, my neighbor, the late Tom Handwerk, was a member of The Wyomissing Foundation. He told me they had decided there should be another organization for the wider community, and they were looking for someone. He suggested I apply, and I asked him, “what’s a community foundation?”
Q: I’m guessing you often get asked that same question now.
Only 25 times a day. I am constantly explaining what it is that we do, but I’m glad to do it because I love what I do; I get to connect donors wanting to help to the nonprofits and the people who benefit from that. I work with truly amazing people. We agree this is the best job in Berks County because it’s not static. No day is the same as the one before, and we can see a problem and by 5 o’clock that day, we start a process to make it better.
Q: I’m sure there are countless stand-out moments of how you help donors help others. Is there one you can share?
So many wonderful stories. It’s hard to choose – as hard as choosing a favorite child among your kids, but I do have a soft spot for the magic that happens at Lauer’s Park Elementary School. It is one of the most inspiring places in the county. I was there for an event, and a fourth grade boy came up and asked me if I was the “ballet man.” If you know me, you know I don’t dance ballet [laughs], so I was confused. But then one of the teachers explained that this boy had had spotty attendance; he missed a lot of school until we helped provide the funds for afterschool dance lessons that this boy loved. His attendance went up because he couldn’t participate if he was absent too much. Lauer’s Park is full of stories like that one.
Q: Tell me about your perfect day off. What would I find you doing?
That is no secret at all; I’m on the 50-yard line at Beaver Stadium [at Penn State’s main campus]. And I was probably at the high school game the night before. I don’t have a college football problem; I can stop any time I want.
by Michelle E. Biggerstaff | photo by John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
