Michael Harreld spent the first 60 years of his life living within five miles of his childhood home in Louisville, Ky., and the past five here serving as president of PNC Bank for greater Washington. The 65-year-old made D.C. his own, stepping into leadership positions advocating for excellent public schools and wider access to pre-kindergarten, and winning accolades from the business community for his contributions. He sat down with The Examiner to discuss the values he has put to work here, and why Kentucky will always be home.
Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I grew up in the Presbyterian church — I’m an eighth-generation Presbyterian. It’s always been an important part of my life, and my family’s life. I appreciate that it’s been a church, for the most part, that has adapted as the culture has adapted — without giving up what it stands for. There’s been a lot of debate about social issues, and sometimes it’s been acrimonious, but so far it has kept from being divisive to the point of a split. Everyone has stayed in the fold, and I’m grateful for that.
Did anyone or any event especially influence your faith or your path in life?
I had extraordinary parents and an extraordinary collateral family. They were full of laughter, and imbued with loyalty to one another. And as an only child that extended family gave me, and still gives me, a sense of belonging and obligation to family that I think is very important.
They taught us not to get off our feet about vocational success — it’s fleeting, it’s fun, but it hasn’t the substance to it that will last for your entire life. It may very well not bring you any long-term peace. Many people misunderstand that, and spend their entire lives chasing after career success, but it’s often an illusory and hollow victory.
As banks and their customers attempt to recover from the financial collapse, should the financial sector feel any sort of an added responsibility for public well-being?
Our greatest obligation to all of our constituents right now is consistency. The best thing banks can do for the community is to stay healthy — use sound lending practices, and use stewardship capabilities well to benefit the whole community, and not just the executive’s pets.
On the personal level, I think a lot of business people have been reminded of the cycle of business, the booms and busts, and the risks of booms and busts, and the pain of them. There have been powerful lessons learned by everyone about the risks of rampant greed, and what are the intolerable risks, both personally and on the part of organizations. I hope there’s some shelf life to those lessons — I hope that people continue to understand the value of moderation.
You’ve been a great supporter of public education in Washington, D.C., and at home in Louisville. What has inspired that commitment?
Every opportunity I’ve had in my life has been because of public education — from kindergarten to law school. And I had a good public education.
But I think that like most organizations, educational establishments tend to become inert, and they need to be re-energized, and challenged, and reinvented constantly. Education cannot be a place for people to hide anymore, or to be left alone. It’s too important for that, even when the conversations about how to fix it become strident. Schools are too important to leave to educators alone — they have to be constantly challenged. And the whole community has a right to an ongoing dialogue about what’s happening, and what the expectations are. No one should have to apologize for increased demands for a great education, and for a vibrant system that adapts.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
I believe in a sense of place, and I believe that a sense of place gives you grounding. For me, it’s a farm in Kentucky that has been in our family for 214 years — seven generations. But whether it’s a physical place or a group of people important throughout your life, if you can keep that, you don’t lose the context of who you are vs. what you’ve become. When you have a tendency to get off of your feet about something, there’s always a place to return to.
– Leah Fabel
