Cynthia D. Shapira
Community Activist
Chair, Board of Governors of the
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education
Elected 2022
Cynthia D. Shapira is an active leader in the Jewish and secular communities. She is president of the Shapira Foundation, which focuses on building initiatives that have impact, scale, and entrepreneurial attributes. Over the years, these have included Onward Israel (now Birthright-Onward Israel), Comprehensive Excellence and Springboard Fellows at Hillel International. She is a member of Hilel International’s Board of Governors. Cindy is a past chairman of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Federation, vice chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, member of the Jewish Agency executive committee, and was a Jewish Funders Network trustee.
Cindy is starting her ninth year as chairwoman of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors and has worked on higher education reform under the auspices of PA Governor Josh Shapiro. She a director of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. She is a member of the Department of Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council. She serves on the Wellesley College President’s Advisory Council. Cindy was a trustee of Point Park University and former chair of the Advisory Board of the Pennsylvania Center for Women in Politics at Chatham University.
Cindy currently serves on the boards of the Allegheny County Airport Authority and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Past board service includes the Pittsburgh Promise, the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and WQED Pittsburgh.
Cindy was named a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania in 2017, City & State’s 2022 Pennsylvania Fifty Over 50, and City & State’s 2022 Higher Education Power 100.
Cindy holds an Ed.D from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a B.A. from Wellesley College. She was a management consultant for over twenty years in the education and non-profit sectors with KPMG and then executive vice president of Pappas Consulting Group, Inc.