Kevin Altomari, founder and president of the Dawn Gideon Foundation, passed away April 24 at the age of 68.
Altomari had a close relationship with the Department of Health Policy and Management, awarding two scholarships each year and co-sponsoring the annual symposium named for his late wife Dawn Gideon.
The couple met in 1972 and were married for 36 years before Dawn’s passing from breast cancer in 2015.
A short time later at the urging of friends, Altomari founded the Dawn Gideon Foundation to honor her legacy and support women pursing master’s degrees in health care administration. One of the first beneficiaries were students in HPM, starting off with one scholarship but growing to as many as three in one year.
“Kevin will be sorely missed,” said Kevin Broom, HPM vice chair for education and program director for the MHA program. “He was a great ambassador, both for the Dawn Gideon Foundation and for all that Dawn accomplished during her life.”
Through his hard work and dedication, 16 Dawn Gideon have started their careers in the Pitt MHA program, 10 scholars have attended similar graduate programs in other universities around the country.
“The foundation I started to honor Dawn’s legacy continues to grow beyond my expectations,” Altomari told us in October 2023. “I am amazed at the life and strength the family of scholars have given to Dawn’s memory and the sheer pride I feel as they grow and meet the challenges that life and careers bring.”
An avid golfer, he was the owner of Pittsburgh-based consulting firm the Redan Group, named for a particularly challenging type of golf hole layout that forces golfers to take a different approach than usual. A mindset that Altomari also took when working with clients, asking them to use a different approach to their work.
Altomari was past president of the Edgewood Country Club and was Dean of General Studies and an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
Friends will be received at John A. Freyvogel Sons 1-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. on April 26, 2024. A mass of Christian Burial is set for 10 a.m. Saturday April 27 at St. Paul Cathedral.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Dawn Gideon Foundation.
-Mike Friend