When it comes to volunteer experience, Pat Gizelar ranks at the top of the list at United Way of Sumner County. Pat has served as a volunteer for UWSC for nearly 30 years. She retired in 2009 from Deloitte, but began volunteering for United Way before leaving the workforce. She served on several UWSC funding panels before retirement as well as on the fundraising committee at Deloitte where she was a project manager, managing various web-based projects, and facilitated professional development sessions for the firm. Prior to working at Deloitte, Pat taught high school math and computer math and then served Sumner County as the Application Specialist helping teachers implement technology into their classrooms. She worked for two years in a similar capacity for the Department of Defense Schools in Japan. Her first job out of college was as a flight programmer for IBM, programming the onboard computer of the Saturn spacecrafts.
Once retired, Pat was able to spend more time volunteering. She served as chairman of the UWSC Executive Allocation Committee, then joined the UWSC Board of Directors, where she served for 11 years. She facilitated implementation of and migration to a third party online application process for funded partners; helped with stuffing backpacks, worked at the annual golf scramble and helped on other projects as needed. Notably, Pat helped update the UWSC Executive Allocation policy handbook.
“UWSC provides many aspects of support to so many organizations all over Sumner County,” Pat says. “Their support is not just financial; the staff and leadership of the organization offer guidance to their funded partners that would not otherwise be available. I’ve seen so many non-profits flourish and grow under the guidance of UWSC. I donate to UWSC because my financial support is combined with the donations of others to make a much greater impact then I alone could make.”
When she’s not helping UWSC, Pat continues her mission to help others. She volunteers with Habitat for Humanity Greater Nashville, Grace Place, and AARP TaxAide.
“Since retirement, I volunteered as a math tutor in the schoolroom at Monroe Carroll Children’s Hospital for 11 years, have served on several boards of non-profits, served as a budget coach for Habitat for Humanity, and have traveled extensively with my husband and friends,” Pat says. “I also enjoy playing bridge and spending time with family, which includes four grandchildren.”