As president of the Community Foundation of Elkhart County and chair of the South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership, Pete McCown has made a lasting impact on the region. His leadership and commitment to the community has been instrumental in driving regional growth.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, California, McCown attended Glendora High School in Glendora, California before heading east for college.
At Greenville University in Illinois, balancing academics with athletics, McCown played football while earning a degree in accounting — and it was there that he met his wife.
After graduating, McCown and his wife relocated to Rochester, New York, where he spent 13 years at Roberts Wesleyan College (now Roberts Wesleyan University) as vice president for advancement. From there, he transitioned to Bethel College (now Bethel University) in Indiana, where he served as a professor of business and vice president for advancement.
Though McCown thought he would spend his entire career working in Christian higher education, an unexpected opportunity took his career in a new direction. In 2011, some friends from Bethel recruited him to be president of the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. Today, he not only holds that title but also serves as the foundation’s chief executive officer and chief investment officer.
“I took on this role because some respected friends encouraged me to consider it, and it has now become a true labor of love,” McCown said.
In his leadership at the foundation, McCown works with people who want to give back to support nonprofit organizations in the community. He enjoys being able to connect donors with nonprofits that align with their passions and interests.
“Every day, I get to interact with leaders and staff at our not-for-profit organizations, each with inspiring missions — supporting kids, families, pets, seniors, and people with disabilities,” McCown said. “I also get to work with incredibly generous folks and connect them to these causes. I get to be kind of a matchmaker between them all.”
In addition to his work with the foundation, McCown has spent the last decade as chair of the South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership, an initiative he helped establish. The partnership helped the region secure an Indiana Regional Cities Initiative grant in 2015, bringing a $42 million award to the area.
“We organized in order to submit an application, forming the partnership as the applying entity, and we’ve been at it ever since,” McCown said. “Over the years, we’ve also been awarded several other grants. Collectively, the partnership’s efforts have helped bring about $200 million from outside the region into our community.”
The collaborative efforts of the partnership is one of the most fulfilling aspects for McCown.
“My favorite part of the partnership is watching the region come together — between Elkhart, Saint Joseph, and Marshall counties — and seeing us succeed in areas like population growth, economic development, and quality of life,” McCown said.
Beyond his professional life, McCown enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, and walking his dogs. His academic achievements include a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in social science from the State University of New York, along with a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University.