After a national search started in January of this year, Jewish Federation of St. Louis has appointed Debbie Chase to serve as its Vice President of Development. Chase comes to the position with over 20 years of experience in fundraising in the fields of health and human services, with a focus on developing resources for such institutions as Washington University Center for Health Policy, the St. Louis American newspaper, and most recently, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.
“I am thrilled to have Debbie join the management team,” said Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., President and CEO of Federation. “The feedback from the search has been enthusiastic, clear and strong in support of Debbie. She brings to our organization an outstanding intellect and strategic thinking. Through the process we have been inspired by her vision of Jewish life. She is in a keen position to continue our philanthropic efforts towards a donor-centric approach focused on building our community.”
Chase’s selection was made after an extensive interview process in which candidates were vetted by Federation senior management, the Mandel Leadership Center of Jewish Federations of North America, and a local lay Advisory Committee chaired by Federation board chair, Patty Croughan.
Federation Board chair, Patty Croughan agrees. “As our organization moves forward as a community development organization, the leadership skills she developed working with local government agencies, large health systems, small non-profits, health care providers, national foundations and academic institutions will be leveraged in many ways. Debbie brings energy and enthusiasm for the Jewish community and an essential ability to build relationships and communicate ideas that are important to the community. I am happy our leadership was able to play a role in our management’s search.”
“This is an incredible time in Federation’s history, and I’m honored to have this great opportunity to actively nurture Jewish philanthropy, to bring my Jewish values to a leadership position that will provide that next level of engagement with our community,” Chase commented.
Chase grew up in University City and has been involved in the local St. Louis Jewish community for years. She is a member of Koh Rinah congregation and has served as a member of the Millstone Institute Advisory Committee. She earned a B.A. from Brown University in 1988, and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1997, where she was awarded the Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship
Chase is married to Eric Schneider, who develops the environmental policy area for the St. Louis Regional Chamber. They have a son, Ben, 15 and a daughter, Rachel, 13. The family lives in Clayton.
