Cecile Springer, former Pitt Alumni Association president, died at 94
For Cecile M. Springer, the awards and recognition received as a leader and volunteer were merely a byproduct of a simple, yet consequential, goal: making her community, and the world, a better place. Springer, former president of the Pitt Alumni Association (PAA), died on March 24, 2025, at the age of 94.
Raised in New York City, Springer (SPIA ’71G) attended Hunter College High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Manhattanville College (now Manhattanville University) in Purchase, New York. She continued her education with a master’s degree in chemistry from Wellesley
College in Massachusetts and began her career as a research chemist for Bristol Myers Laboratory and Schering Pharmaceuticals.
Springer moved to Pittsburgh in 1959. Twelve years later, she graduated with a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Pitt’s School of Public and International Affairs. In 1974, she became manager of product development at Westinghouse Advanced Energy Systems Division.
From 1978 to 1989, Springer served as director of contributions and community affairs and president of the Westinghouse Foundation, making her the first Black woman to lead a major philanthropic institution in the Pittsburgh region.
Following her career at Westinghouse, Springer founded a consulting firm, Springer Associates, to leverage her expertise in corporate and philanthropic programs and institutional development.
Springer’s capacity to inspire and lead amplified the impact she had as a volunteer and community organizer. As president of the PAA from 1991 to 1992, she advanced efforts to expand the PAA’s reach both nationally and internationally. Under her leadership, the Blue and Gold Society, a student volunteer group that partners with the PAA to engage students and alumni, was born.
Pitt was one of many institutions to benefit from Springer’s vision and influence. She was a co-founder of the Women and Girls Foundation and a founding member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the ARCS Foundation. Serving on numerous boards, Springer was an emerita member of the Board of Trustees of Pennsylvania State University. She was also a trustee at Carlow University, Slippery Rock University, the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. She held leadership positions with the NAACP, the League of Women Voters and the Midwife Center.
Springer was recognized by the Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania in 1989, Carlow University’s Women of Spirit in 1995 and Pitt’s Legacy Laureates in 2002. Other accolades included the ARCS Light Award in 2010, the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh’s Racial Justice Award in 2011, the Pitt African American Alumni Council’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017 and the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
Springer was preceded in death by her husband, Eric, and son, Brian. She is survived by a daughter, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Her legacy at Pitt continues with the Cecile M. Springer Endowed Scholarship, a need-based scholarship for undergraduate students. It was first awarded in 2003.