Renaissance Fund Committee member, Jason Browne, sits down with fellow committee member Lauren Packer Webster ’04 to discuss the impact of the Renaissance Fund on the lives of Penn State students and their families.
Make a Difference—Support the Renaissance FundGifts of any amount are pooled into the general Renaissance Fund endowment to provide scholarships. A contribution of $2,000 can support a Renaissance Fund Scholar for one year, while $30,000 can endow a named scholarship, providing support in perpetuity. Donors may establish Renaissance Fund Scholarships as University-wide or for a particular campus. Every gift, regardless of amount, aids these talented Renaissance Fund Scholars who will become tomorrow’s leaders in the sciences, business and industry, government, and the humanities.
William P. and Connie H. Hayes Renaissance Fund Scholarship
The 2024 Renaissance Fund honorees are philanthropists, business leaders, and community volunteers William P. and Connie H. Hayes.
Bill Hayes is a native of Belleville, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Lafayette College with a bachelor’s degree in American Civilization and later earned degrees and certificates from the Graduate School of Banking at Northwestern University, the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the Advanced School of Banking at Bucknell University. After four years of active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard, he joined Kish Bank and in 1983 became president, CEO, and chairman of the board, positions he retained until stepping down in 2023. A dedicated community volunteer, Bill serves as trustee of Juniata College, the chair of the Mount Nittany Health Foundation Board, and the president of Centre Hills Country Club, among many other past commitments.
Connie Hayes is a native of Burnham in Mifflin County and attended Elizabethtown. She co-authored the definitive work on Old Order Amish quilts from the Kishacoquillas Valley. Over the years, she has served as a longtime exhibitor and lecturer at the Philadelphia Hospital Antiques Show and Sale and the Museum of American Folk Art Show in New York. She has served on numerous boards and committees throughout her adult life, including the Mifflin County Library, Lewistown Hospital’s Community Days, Easter Seals, the Palmer Museum of Art’s advisory board, the Pennsylvania Pink Zone, Centre Safe, Kish for the Cure, and the Mount Nittany Health Foundation Charity Ball.
Beyond their volunteerism, Bill and Connie have also directed philanthropy toward many programs and priorities across the University, including the Palmer Museum of Art, the Center for the Performing Arts, WPSU, and Penn State Athletics.
The Hayeses, who live in State College, have a close-knit family. Their daughter, Maggie, resides in Richmond, Virginia, with her son, Anderson, and her husband, Byron. Their son Greg lives in State College with his wife, Meghan, and their children, Aidan, Sarah, and Declan. Bill and Connie lost their oldest son, Parker, at the age of 36, and his widow, Jennifer of Washington, DC, remains a close member of the family.
Learn more about creating a Renaissance Fund Scholarship
Previous Years’ Honorees
- 2024
- Roger Williams and Karen Magnuson
- 2023
- Edgar and Barbara Farmer
- 2022
- Nancy and Paul Silvis
- 2021
- Molly and Eric Barron
- 2020
- Penn State Alumni Association
- 2019
- Franklin Family
- 2018
- Tom and Sara Songer
- 2017
- Joel N. Myers
- 2016
- Rod Kirsch
- 2015
- Steve Brown
- 2014
- Dan Hawbaker
- 2013
- Kay Kustanbauter
- 2012
- Ed* and Charlene Friedman
- 2011
- Graham and Sandra Spanier
- 2010
- Lance Shaner
- 2009
- Patricia L. Best
- 2008
- J. Lloyd* and Dorothy* Huck
- 2007
- Jonathan Dranov*
- 2006
- Linda and Blake Gall
- 2005
- Rene Portland*
- 2004
- Robert W. Potter
- 2003
- Herschel W.* and Eileen Wirtshafter Leibowitz
- 2002
- Bill Welch*
- 2001
- Martha Lewis Starling
- 2000
- Ralph J. Papa
- 1999
- D. Patrick Daugherty*
- 1998
- Patricia Farrell*
- 1997
- David Lee*
- 1996
- Suzanne Pohland Paterno
- 1995
- Donald W. Hamer*
- 1994
- Charles W. Rohrbeck*
- 1993
- Galen E. Dreibelbis
- 1992
- Arnold Addison*
- 1991
- Sidney Friedman*
- 1990
- Mimi Barash Coppersmith*
- 1989
- Jonelle* and Bryce* Jordan
- 1988
- Milton J. Bergstein*
- 1987
- Eugene Lee*
- 1986
- Marjorie W. Dunaway*
- 1985
- John R. Miller, Jr.*
- 1984
- Joseph V. Paterno*
- 1983
- O.W. Houts*
- 1982
- Barbara R. Palmer*
- 1981
- Roy Wilkinson, Jr.*
- 1980
- Eric A. Walker*
- 1979
- William K. Ulerich*
- 1978
- John H. Light*
- 1977
- Jo Hays*
*Deceased
Board Members
Current Board Members
- Jason Browne
- Mary Anne Cahir
- Rebecca Farmer Force
- Linda Gall
- Gina Ikenberry
- John M. Infield
- Kay Kustanbauter
- Benson M. Lichtig
- Nancy Silvis
- Christian Soura
- Elizabeth Susman
- Lauren Packer Webster
- Kennedy White
Honorary Board Members
- Anne Riley
- Helen Dickerson Wise