United Way recognizes Mike DeCola for exemplary volunteer service

United Way of Greater St. Louis honored Mike DeCola, United Way board member and former CEO of HBM Holdings, with the 2022 Freeman-Kortkamp Award for his years of service in the St. Louis region.

DeCola has supported United Way in various ways for 18 years while lending his time and resources to several volunteer and committee roles. His longstanding support of United Way of Greater St. Louis, including his service as chair of the board of directors in 2016 and 2017, has helped in their efforts to strengthen the communities they serve. In 2014, he served as United Way’s campaign co-chair, helping to raise more than $73 million to help local people throughout the region, and he was also the co-chair of its Search Committee in 2019 that brought Michelle Tucker to the organization as president and CEO.

Additionally, DeCola has been a member of United Way’s Alex de Tocqueville Society for the past 15 years.

“Mike has been a trusted advisor to and consummate champion of United Way for almost 20 years and we are grateful to have him as a part of the United Way family,” said Michelle Tucker, president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis. “When our region recently experienced flooding that impacted so many of our neighbors, Mike was one of the first individuals to raise his hand to support our flood relief fund. This is a perfect example of why Mike is so deserving of this award and why we are honored to recognize him for his leadership in the community.”

The Freeman-Kortkamp Award was created to honor the outstanding service and performance of a United Way of Greater St. Louis board member who makes the community a better place to live, work and thrive. The award was given in 2006 to Robert O. Kortkamp and Frankie M. Freeman, two longstanding United Way volunteers who made an incredible impact on the organization and community.

DeCola has contributed to many institutions in education, business, and finance. He is a regular visiting teacher at the MBA programs at St. Louis University and Washington University.  He also served as the general chairman of the 2018 PGA Championship held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.  In addition to his role with United Way, he serves on the executive committee for the St. Louis Sports Commission, where he is also the chair of the Development Committee.  He is co-chairing a new capital campaign for Ronald McDonald House of St. Louis and is engaged with the Koch Center for Family Business at Olin Business School at Washington University. Additionally, he serves in several roles for Franklin and Marshall College. He is a Trustee Emeritus of the Darden School Foundation and serves on the Advancement Committee.

Rodney Humphries
Rodney Humphries

Rodney Humphries is the Communications Specialist for United Way of Greater St. Louis and a proud graduate of Webster University where he developed his passion for writing. In college, he combined his love for writing and sports, serving as the primary sports writer for his school newspaper while also developing his own sports blog. After graduating, he continued his love for writing as he served as a freelance writer for various publications. Rodney continues to be a fan of Webster athletics, you will often see him sitting courtside at a lot of their basketball games.