Trustee's Corner: Mike Bisceglia

“Healthy, wealthy and wise” — it is a mantra Mike Bisceglia has heard all his life from his father, who encouraged him to enrich and elevate the lives of his family and community members in every way possible, be it via tangible wealth or intangible knowledge.

They are words Bisceglia lives by today as a member of the MCV Foundation Board of Trustees, an endeavor he relishes as the MCV Campus pushes forward with dynamic, innovative research, medical care and education that begin deep in the heart of the Richmond community and reach around the nation and world.

It’s been very rewarding to see so many of the health professionals supported by the MCV Foundation positively impact the health of so many people in Central Virginia.

Bisceglia, who joined the foundation board in 2020, is president and founder of Stauer Watch and Jewelry Co., as well as founder of the Virginia Foundation for Public Media, where he has helped manage financial resources for six years. He is also a board member at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation.

A globetrotter 50 times over, he said there was just something about Richmond that attracted him and his wife, Maura, to this city 30 years ago. Over the decades, Bisceglia said he’s seen a dramatic shift in the local health care landscape for the better.

To further advance that positive change, Bisceglia joined the MCV Foundation after hearing from other board members about its impact on medical professionals, students and the diverse communities VCU Health serves.

“My father always told me to focus on helping your family to become more healthy, wealthy and wise,” he said. “The MCV Foundation gives me a chance to help on the healthy and wise part of that goal. It’s been very rewarding to see so many of the health professionals supported by the MCV Foundation positively impact the health of so many people in Central Virginia.”

Richmond is lucky, he said, to have a vast array of services for many of today’s most pressing health issues from places like the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center, Massey Cancer Center, and the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health. He also noted the construction of the new Virginia Treatment Center for Children building, part of the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

Bisceglia said he wants to help steward opportunities that enrich the lives of all people, with a particular emphasis on areas where health disparities exist. He remains excited with each new advancement in medical research, from breakthroughs in genetic coding to pharmaceutical manufacturing processes led by VCU that could impact the world.

“It’s become so startlingly clear that the next 50 years will see mind-blowing breakthroughs in health,” Bisceglia said, “and the MCV Foundation will be a key component in helping Central Virginia leap forward.”

If you would like to support VCU Health's efforts to champion tomorrow's breakthroughs, please contact Brian Thomas, vice president and chief development officer at the foundation, to learn about opportunities for supporting research programs and initiatives on the MCV Campus.