Fraternity
By Preston Bradley, HANOVER 2026
John Pierce, PURDUE 1980, helps those in need by removing life’s biggest obstacles
For more than a decade, John Pierce, PURDUE 1980, has given a helping hand to underprivileged people in hopes of positively turning their lives around. His service started in earnest 15 years ago when Pierce — a Washington, D.C.-based attorney — met with a client who had a request.
Inspired by the 12th-century Jewish philosopher Maimonides, who taught anonymous giving as the highest form of charity, his client wanted to privately donate money in order to help change people’s lives and break down barriers that were negatively affecting them. One such person the client wanted to help was a man who saved a child from choking on a hot dog at a Washington Nationals game, yet he walked to work every day because he didn’t own a car. Pierce was interested in the idea and even offered to write checks to the client’s trust account so the money would be completely anonymous when donated. Pierce ultimately helped his client form The Invisible Hand Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that aids financially distressed individuals in the greater Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region.
“The client wanted to give away more money that way,” says Pierce. “He had a mission that he wanted to help people overcome obstacles that were standing in the way of a constructive path.”
Pierce has served as comptroller of the foundation since its formation, helping fulfill hundreds of instances where people need assistance. For his work with the foundation, as well as additional volunteer service with other organizations and individuals, Pierce has been named this quarter’s Mark V. Anderson Character-in-ActionTM Leadership Award recipient.
The Invisible Hand Foundation has charitably disbursed more than $2.3 million since its founding in 2016, according to online tax information. Those helped have included a child who needed braces for his teeth and a waitress who was the victim of a bad accident and needed help paying rent for three months while she couldn’t work. According to Pierce: “The Invisible Hand’s mission wasn’t to give money to an individual, but instead, it was to fulfill whatever the need was.”
The foundation also has partnered with several different local nonprofit organizations to continue meeting community needs. One such partnership is with the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF), which annually serves nearly 50,000 vulnerable children, youth and families in the D.C. Metro area and connects them to programs and services that inspire their ability to thrive, according to the organization’s website. In 2023 NCCF named Pierce its Champion in Our Midst for being the foundation’s founding officer as well as providing pro bono legal services to those who cannot afford the cost of legal representation, including offering his legal services to those helped by NCCF.
“We help lift anyone over an obstacle standing in their way of a constructive path, but we particularly like to work with kids, and we particularly like to work with NCCF kids. So, when they have a legal issue and we can jump in and help get them over that obstacle, we like to do it,” Pierce said in a NCCF video after being named the organization’s 2023 champion. “Almost everybody that I work with, particularly youth, they may be caught up in the justice system for the first time, so I do think it’s important to do as much as I can to say, ‘Look, take your problem and put it on my shoulders. You need to clear your mind, you need to stay constructive, you need to stay on your path of what you do and focus on that. Let me focus on these legal issues, and I’ll help guide you through them.’”
The Invisible Hand Foundation also partners with Housing Unlimited, where Pierce serves as board president. The organization provides affordable, independent housing for adults in mental health recovery in Maryland’s Montgomery County, according to its website. “It’s a way for them to have dignity while they establish the most important thing for mental health recovery, which is a roof over your head,” says Pierce.
Pierce also stays active volunteering with other organizations, including Sigma Chi. He is the leadership mentor for the American University Sigma Chi chapter; a mentor for a Purdue undergraduate Sig; a mentor for Purdue undergrads interested in Washington, D.C., work; serves on the advisory council for Boilers Go to DC; and serves on the Student Life Advisory Council at Purdue. In addition, Pierce and his Purdue brothers created an annual scholarship, the John Puterbaugh Scholarship, in memory of Puterbaugh, 1980, who was particularly devoted to service. This scholarship is given to an undergraduate Sig in the chapter who has best exemplified service and philanthropy in the past year.
Along with being a brother of Sigma Chi, Pierce believes that Fraternity philanthropy as an undergrad has been a large inspiration for him. “It certainly promoted the identification of philanthropy as an important thing,” says Pierce. “It was a huge impact for me when joining the Fraternity, and philanthropy goes hand in hand with the high character of the men I had the fortune of living with.”
Omoré Okhomina, NCCF’s division manager for adolescent services, speaks enthusiastically on Pierce’s volunteer efforts and the impact he’s made.
“John is really committed to making a positive impact for less fortunate and vulnerable populations. He has taken on the advocacy on behalf of some very critical cases that we’ve had involving young people who will struggle with mental health challenges, or who pretty much had the odds stacked against them in the criminal justice system,” says Okhomina. “Similarly, he is also someone who would leverage his connections to provide adequate support to young people in the areas of mentorship and access to opportunities for young people who sometimes don’t get a second look or are not really afforded a second chance when they make a mistake. He’s very humble, and he has a way of really gaining the confidence of the folks that he works with without having to overly emphasize his own background.”
A person with good character shows trustworthiness, respect and fairness to others, as well as responsibility and citizenship. Those members who go out of their way to help others and those who overcome obstacles and lead with integrity are good candidates for the Mark V. Anderson Character-in-ActionTM Leadership Award.
Sigma Chi introduced the award to recognize the selfless acts of brothers. A formal recognition by the Fraternity allows non-members to appreciate the scope of the organization. For information about the award, see sigmachi.org/character.