Ray Pittman was recently appointed to the VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, according to a press release.

“I enjoy working with organizations that make a difference in people’s lives,” the retired CPA and business owner said. “Becoming involved with the hospital in South Hill will give me another opportunity to do that. Every day CMH contributes to the betterment of the lives of folks throughout Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina.”

“It’s partly selfish really. I want to know more about health care capabilities where my family spends time,” he said.

“Aging has made health care seem more important. With the affiliation between Community Memorial Hospital and VCU Health, there are medical services and providers available in South Hill that can’t be equaled in many small towns in the country.”

He continued, “Many small towns are seeing hospitals close, but VCU Health CMH is building a state-of-the-art facility that will become the regional hospital for this area.”

Pittman credits his friends, Bill and Sylvia Solari, with making him aware of CMH. “My wife and I got interested about five years ago because of Bill and Sylvia’s involvement with the radiation treatment center,” he added. The Solaris were the lead donors for the Solari Radiation Treatment Center capital campaign at CMH in 2010. Bill Solari is also on the CMH Foundation board.

Pittman feels that it is important to become informed about VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital, so he can help his friends become more informed as well.

“We spend quite a bit of time at Lake Gaston. We have friends here, and we want to share with them the capabilities of CMH in case they need health care,” he said.

“We’ve met some of the doctors at CMH and quite a few of the administrators.  We feel very confident in the quality of care at CMH.”

Pittman has a long list of community involvement activities including serving on the boards of Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina, the United Way of Wake County, Wake Education Foundation and Communities in Schools.

He has previous hospital foundation experience serving on the board of the Rex Hospital Foundation in Raleigh. He believes in giving back to the communities he and his family call home.

He remarked, “I feel honored to be asked to serve on the CMH Foundation board. I hope my business experience and time spent working with a variety of nonprofit organizations will allow me to make a meaningful contribution to the foundation.”

Ray and his wife Carmen split time between their homes at Lake Gaston and Raleigh. They have had their Lake Gaston home since 1984 and now live there full time from late spring to early fall.

He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina. Before retiring in 2013, Pittman spent 25 years as president of the Pittman Group, Inc., a business acquisition and management company.

Before that, he worked as a CPA with the firms of Deloitte Haskins and Sells (now Deloitte) and Touche Ross & Company (also now Deloitte).

Pittman and his wife have two children, a daughter, Rebecca, who along with her husband, Joe, and daughter, Emma Grace, lives in Greensboro and a son, Gregory, who lives in Charlotte.