Robert "Bob" Pirner

Bob Pirner is a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam Era and has spent his career leading various non-profit organizations.

First, he was Development Officer for Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Lakota Reservation. After moving to West Virginia, he was the Development Officer at SteppingStones and led the organization from a rented room to a $1M facility in Mylan Park.

In June, 2009 after recovering from cancer, Bob joined PACE Enterprises as Director of Development and was part of nearly doubling the size of the organization.

He is the founder of Operation Welcome Home and Miracle League 
Baseball—two area nonprofits.  He served as the co-founder and 
Executive Director of the West Virginia Association for Disability 
Employment.  He was a leader in the Mountaineer Chapter of Business 
Networks International (BNI) and was part of the group’s recognition 
as one of the top 5% of 10,000 international affiliates.

Originally from the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Bob is one of 5,000 living fluent speakers of the Lakota Sioux language. Growing up in an isolated community that held on to traditional values and learned a way of life that honors generosity and courage.

His work was recognized with the 2021 Morgantown Human Rights Award. He is also a recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service.