David Ehrenwerth Embodies a Life of Public Service and Civic Leadership
Type: Profile
David Ehrenwerth
When the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) was established in 1990, it marked a pivotal transition in Pittsburgh’s healthcare landscape. At the center of that moment was David H. Ehrenwerth, JD, a lawyer, civic leader, and longtime advocate whose steady guidance helped shape what the Foundation has become.
A western Pennsylvania native, Ehrenwerth said he is “a product of small towns,” having grown up in Duquesne, near Kennywood Amusement Park, and later in Ambridge, in nearby Beaver County. The son of a merchant who ran a men’s clothing store, he was shaped early on by a strong sense of community, recalling how neighbors would volunteer to cover the shop during lunch hours so his father could go home. His early involvement in B’nai B’rith Youth Organization further sparked his interest in civic engagement and public service.
While at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree, he served as president of the Men’s Student Government before going on to earn his law degree from Harvard University. During law school, internships in New York City at the United States Attorney’s Office and with the General Services Administration in DC helped shape his interest in urban and economic redevelopment. This is also where he would first cross paths with future JHF President and CEO Karen Feinstein, whose husband also attended Harvard Law. Their mutual commitment to improving society and their shared roots in Pittsburgh would eventually lead them to combine forces at JHF, but not before Ehrenwerth would carve an impressive career in public service and law.
“When I graduated, I decided to go be a crime buster,” Ehrenwerth said. “I spent my first couple of years fighting organized crime, which was a fascinating process.”
Early in his career after returning to Pittsburgh, Ehrenwerth served as an Assistant Attorney General of Pennsylvania and as Assistant Counsel to the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, in addition to serving as Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
In 1979, he became a partner in the real estate practice at K&L Gates, eventually becoming managing partner of the Pittsburgh office, building a distinguished legal career working on complex real estate development, corporate transactions, and major joint ventures for clients ranging from family-owned businesses to major hospitals and foundations.
This work would lead him to the center of negotiations regarding the sale of Montefiore Hospital to Presbyterian Hospital—the earliest beginnings of what would become UPMC on one side and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation on the other.
This event was a complex and emotional process for the community. As the Chair of Montefiore Hospital’s Finance Committee and one of its legal advisors, Ehrenwerth helped ensure the $75 million in proceeds from the sale remained with the Jewish community, with funds being used to establish the Montefiore Foundation, later renamed the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. After the transaction was concluded, Ehrenwerth ultimately became the final Chair of the Hospital, which was then called Montefiore University Hospital.
“In the nonprofit world, sometimes a challenge brings a new opportunity,” Ehrenwerth recalled. “At the end of the process, we think we had a win-win. It was very important to us that we be a catalyst for quality health care as a gift of the Jewish community to the broader community, and at the same time, use the proceeds to create a very important and meaningful entity — the Jewish Healthcare Foundation."
From JHF's earliest days, Ehrenwerth helped shape its structure and mission. He drafted the Foundation’s bylaws through a collaborative process.
“Normally, we would just write bylaws,” Ehrenwerth said. “But we created an early draft and sent it to all the leadership we could think of. I put a little note on it: ‘If you have suggestions or questions, call me."
After innumerable calls, stakeholder feedback, and roughly one dozen drafts, the bylaws were established, creating a foundation that would later serve as a model for other communities navigating similar transitions.
“We (JHF) really became a leader. All the difficulties and paranoia that were there at the beginning are long gone now,” Ehrenwerth said.
He helped assemble its first Board of Trustees and served as one of its original members. Over the years, he has remained deeply committed, guiding JHF through periods of growth and change while keeping it grounded in its mission. Most recently, he served as Board Chair from 2018 to 2021, helping to support the organization and provide thoughtful leadership through the COVID pandemic, the largest public health crisis of JHF’s existence.
“The magic of the Foundation has been its ability to be responsive and focus on where the real needs are,” Ehrenwerth said. “Karen Feinstein, who has been our leader since the beginning, always has and continues to spearhead looking at the marketplace of healthcare problems in our community to determine where the most serious issues exist and how we can creatively and innovatively respond to them.”
In recognition of his decades of service, Ehrenwerth was named JHF’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year, a fitting tribute to a leader who has supported the Foundation every step of the way.
“There’s something very unique about having the opportunity to be there at the beginning and to watch it since 1989,” he said. “To see something go from just an idea on a piece of paper to all the active people and issues being addressed at Board meetings. It’s very satisfying.”
Ehrenwerth's leadership extends well beyond his larger-than-life legacy at JHF. From 2010 to 2012, by presidential appointment, he served as Associate Commissioner of the U.S. Public Buildings Service, overseeing nearly 400 million square feet across 10,000 properties. In that role, he managed $5.5 billion in federal Recovery Act funding for construction and energy-efficient renovations nationwide.
Reflecting on his time in government, he points to the importance of public-private partnerships and the dedication of public servants at all levels.
“You get up in the morning and say, ‘What can I do to make the country a little better? To make my neck of the woods a little better?’” Ehrenwerth said. “That kind of work is very refreshing.”
Throughout his life, he has been deeply involved in civic and public policy work. Over the years, he has served on numerous boards, including the Pittsburgh Symphony, Pennsylvania Economy League, and the American Jewish Committee’s National Board of Governors. He currently serves as Chairman of the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation and co-chair of the Thornburgh Forum on Law and Public Policy at the University of Pittsburgh.
He has been recognized for both professional excellence and community leadership, including honors from The Best Lawyers in America, Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, and the American Jewish Committee.
Ehrenwerth’s commitment to public service is also reflected in the legacy of his son Justin Ehrenwerth, whose career in government and public policy included roles in the U.S. Department of Commerce and the White House before becoming head of The Water Institute. Following Justin’s passing in 2023, JHF established the Justin Reid Ehrenwerth Award with a $250,000 endowment to annually recognize nonprofit organizations working in Pittsburgh, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C. making meaningful change in the spirit of Justin’s work and ideals.
“With the award, the things that mattered to him are continuing in his memory,” Ehrenwerth said. “That’s very meaningful to me.”
For JHF, Ehrenwerth’s commitment has been foundational, literally. From helping to create the organization to guiding its evolution over more than three decades, his impact and legacy are woven into the fabric of the Foundation itself. His leadership stands as a reminder that transformative institutions often begin with individuals willing to think long-term, act decisively, and remain engaged for the journey that follows.