Not only did Bibiana “Bibie” Boerio watch Mister Rogers as a child, but she grew up in his neighborhood. 

Raised in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, the Boerio family of seven lived in a modest home a few blocks from where the late Fred Rogers lived as a child before he became the nationally revered creator and host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” 

Boerio, her twin sister, and three other siblings gained much of their life lessons from their parents, who worked multiple jobs to support the family. Her mother was a housekeeper and school cafeteria worker. Her father was a skilled tool and die maker who worked midnight shifts so he could also drive a school bus. 

“My father and mother worked their tails off. We didn’t have a lot of money, but as a family we were always there for each other,” Boerio says. 

The Price of Success

They learned quickly that the price of success is hard work. With grants, loans, and work-study jobs, Boerio and her twin sister were able to attend Seton Hill University recommended by three great-aunts who were Sisters of Charity. She then earned her MBA from Pitt in 1976.  

With an MBA in accounting and finance, Boerio joined Ford Motor Company, starting in corporate finance. Over 31 years, she worked in most parts of the business. She oversaw the revitalization of the Jaguar Cars business and helped develop a new business strategy for Ford Motor Credit.  

Following her retirement from Ford, she served as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania from 2008 to 2011, using her business expertise to work on economic stimulus legislation during the financial crisis. When her undergraduate alma mater, Seton Hill, needed an interim president, Boerio accepted the role.  

Go Your Own Way

Today, Boerio remains a guiding hand and strategic adviser for multiple community organizations. 

She is chair of the Pitt Business Board of Visitors, which serves as an advisory board to the school. She also is leading the 75th anniversary celebration for the Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania. 

In 2022, Boerio, a former Pitt Trustee who was recognized with the University’s 225th Anniversary Medallion, was the Katz graduate program commencement speaker. She told the graduates about “six simple words that can help make your life richer: Pay it back, pay it forward.” 

She explained how she “worked hard, saved every penny, and received scholarships — that somebody else had provided” to earn her degrees. Within a few years of graduation, she donated to scholarship funds at Seton Hill and Pitt Business to help others like her. 

As part of the Ford Finance recruiting team for 15 years, she also helped to hire numerous Pitt MBA graduates, anywhere from two to eight each year. 

“Everyone has to pay it back and pay it forward in your own way,” she says. 

When she started at Jaguar Cars Ltd., Boerio made a business trip to a village in Oxfordshire, England. The small cottages along tree-lined, narrow streets reminded her of childhood just outside of Latrobe. She would later make speeches about the career path of “the little girl, from a little village.” 

She adds: “I’m most proud of that little girl who went to college and retired 30 years later as one of the top executives at Ford. I started at the bottom. The accomplishments were the cumulative effect of a great liberal arts undergraduate degree, an MBA from Pitt, and working through a lot of challenges.”