Falk Laboratory School is pleased to congratulate David Shapira, the inaugural Wonder, Care, Act Alumni Award recipient!

Shapria graduated from Falk in 1955 and remains connected to the school today as a Falk grandparent. From leading one of the largest grocery retailers in the nation to embarking on outdoor adventures with his family, Shapira's compassion and stewardship make him a true embodiment of Falk’s Wonder, Care, Act principles and a source of joy and wisdom to all who know him.

In addition to studying economics at Oberlin College and Stanford University, Shapira holds honorary doctorate degrees from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning & Leadership and Carnegie Mellon University. After receiving his MA from Stanford, Shapira joined Giant Eagle, Inc., where he later served as CEO and chairman for over 30 years. Under his leadership, Giant Eagle became a national leader in sustainable grocery practices, recognized as the first LEED-certified supermarket in the country and named the Energy Star Partner of the Year two consecutive years in the 2000s. In 2024, he was recognized with the William Hernandez Lifetime Achievement in Governance Award. 

Despite being a highly accomplished entrepreneur, Shapira's focus is not on success or recognition but rather deeply rooted in helping others. Shapira’s mother, whom he calls “a prominent Pittsburgher in the nonprofit community,” was a model for him in this regard. For many years, Shapira has served on numerous nonprofit and cultural organization boards, becoming the first person in Carnegie Mellon’s history to be asked to serve a second term as chair of the Board of Trustees. 

In 2018, he was tasked with leading an independent committee to allocate nearly $6 million in donations following the Tree of Life synagogue shooting. In the face of profound grief and complex community needs, Shapira’s thoughtful leadership transformed what many expected to be a controversial process into one met with widespread gratitude. 

Shapira has also served as a guest lecturer at both Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh, where he encourages students to listen deeply to those around them and to appreciate the diversity of thought in our world.

There's something to learn from everybody, but the only way you can learn from everybody else is to listen to them.

Equally important for Shapira is respecting and connecting with the natural world, a value he says was important to his family growing up. As a young boy, Shapira’s father taught him and his brother to identify trees by their leaf shape and bark. Today, Shapira is an avid gardener and has taken on the challenge of learning to identify flower species. "You see the world differently,” he reflects, when you take time to notice things like that. “The world opens up to you. It becomes more nuanced and, in a way, more beautiful, too.”

This perspective is something Shapira has come to associate with Falk, a school that continues to shape his family today. “Education [at] Falk, I think, teaches people to follow their own interests, to appreciate their own interests, and to have a wide perspective on the world.” When Shapira’s second daughter became an elementary school teacher, he came to appreciate just how deeply students are impacted by their school experiences. “[Elementary education] helps form the kind of character kids have,” he says. “We chose to send our children, and now our grandchildren, [to Falk] for exactly that reason.”  

It is our great pleasure to honor David Shapira, not only for his many profound accomplishments but for the compassionate, grounded, and service-oriented perspective he brings to every aspect of his life. As his daughter-in-law Katie Blauvet so perfectly puts it:

His love of learning, commitment to justice, and dedication to family and community make him not only an extraordinary role model, but a living embodiment of Falk’s founding principles. He continues to inspire those around him—across generations—to wonder, care, and act.

Co-written by Caitlin Chang and Katie Blauvet