Profiles from the Field
Read and watch at spertus.edu/profiles
We connected virtually with Spertus alumni and students, checking on their welfare amidst the pandemic. Visit spertus.edu/profiles for a deeper dive into these stories, including video clips.
Ensuring
Connection
Cathy Gardner | Spertus Alumna Executive MA in Jewish Professional Studies Cathy Gardner is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton. She oversees Dayton’s Integrated Federation and its agencies, including its Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Services, and Jewish Foundation. She has been working as a Jewish communal professional for 27 years. She is also a master calligrapher who talked to us from her home office and studio.
Gardner spoke of the challenges for Dayton’s tight-knit, 4,000-person Jewish community: “When COVID-19 became so dangerous and we all had to isolate at home, we very quickly adjusted our programming. Our Federation is responsible for connecting our community through our agencies, foundation, and newspaper. We had many activities planned—and we knew we had to maintain critical ties. Immediately, we developed a virtual platform and a concept built around the theme stay connected.” Coming up on the docket was Dayton’s Jewish Film Festival, which they ambitiously transformed to a view-at-home format with opening night at the drive-in. Leveraging skills gained at Spertus, Gardner forged initiatives to maintain communal cohesion. With her team, she added virtual daily drop-in experiences (Mental Health Monday, Trivia Tuesday) for community members to connect, akin to visiting a virtual coffee shop. Importantly, they also heightened their social services, ensuring that those in need could get help accessing vital services including food and health care. Gardner also implemented new ways to communicate with her staff. She said, “We are nothing without the people who work for us. They needed to be supported while doing things they’d never done before. I needed to pay attention to their needs.” Gardner reported that, as quickly as she and her team were able to open virtual doors, community members were able to come together and feel they were a part of something. She said, “That was the most incredible aspect of this very quick shift.”
