Jewish Federation of St. Louis announced that it has named Rahna Barthelmess as the new Director of Marketing for the organization. “After an exhaustive search, I’m pleased to say Rahna has agreed to accept this position,” says Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., President and CEO. Barthelmess has been leading Federation’s branding efforts on a temporary basis for the past year.
Rehfeld says that Federation conducted a thorough search to ensure that it found the best candidate for its long-term marketing activities, working with JFNA’s Mandel Center for Leadership. “Our pool was strong, and we identified a few very well-qualified candidates, but we decided Federation’s long-term goals would best be served by the proven results Rahna already brought to the table,” says Rehfeld.
Board Chair Bob Millstone says Barthelmess is a great choice for Federation. “Those of us who have worked with Rahna over the past year have witnessed her creativity and positive energy and appreciate her ‘yes-and’ attitude, which is critical to the work we do. We look forward to the continued contribution her talents bring to our efforts in building our thriving community.”
Last spring, Barthelmess was hired for a limited, part-time position to develop a strong, integrated branding plan as directed by the Board of Trustees. Her accomplishments for Federation have included a well-thought-out media plan and more story-based creative content presented in a contemporary graphic look. Rehfeld says that at his request Barthmess expanded her responsibilities and has been an invaluable member of Federation’s management team.
Barthelmess says she is thrilled to join Federation in a full-time position and looks forward to continuing to using her branding and marketing skills to benefit Federation. “I’m very happy to have the opportunity to continue to work with this great team for an organization that does such good things for our community,” Barthelmess says. “Our team has some exciting things in the works that help communicate the activities of Federation. We can’t wait to roll them out.”
In addition her non-profit experience with Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools and working with our Federation for the past year, Barthelmess brings a wealth of practical, world-class experience from the corporate world. From her work in a top NYC advertising agency to the international conference rooms of a leading toy company, she has built some of the world’s most beloved brands, most notably LEGO® Toys, Miracle-Gro® Plant Food, Build-A-Bear Workshop and Texaco® Gasoline.
