HFNJ@30: Interview with Amy Schechner, Departing HFNJ Board Chair

From its founding in 1996 through June, 2026, only three individuals have held the position of Board Chair. We spoke with Amy Schechner, who is ending the second of her two terms as Board Chair at the end of June.

Looking back on your six years as Board chair, what are the accomplishments that you are most proud of?

I am very proud that no matter what formidable granting process challenges the Foundation had to face, we were able to do it as a team, with the amazing smart, capable and insightful trustees, Michael Schmidt, the Foundation’s CEO/ED, and the rest of our highly skilled staff all working together to come up with viable solutions. We wrestled with many difficult and complicated healthcare granting questions during these past six years but the determination to respectfully and sensitively support the communities we serve and to maintain a sense of excellence has always been paramount. I am also equally proud that I am leaving the Foundation in a position of financial stability and sophistication with its granting process that will allow it to entertain new endeavors and explore powerful new ways to make a difference in the years ahead.

You took the helm in 2020, just as the Covid pandemic changed the entire face of healthcare. What were the challenges you faced, and how did you help the Foundation navigate those tumultuous times?

When I took office in July 2020, we were already in lockdown. I was voted in as Board Chair on a Zoom call and held my first board meeting on Zoom on September 14, 2020. We did not meet as a Foundation in person until a board meeting held almost three years later.

It was such an unprecedented time – not only for the Foundation, but especially for the communities we serve which faced new and precarious challenges every day. The trustees and staff of HFNJ knew we needed to remain flexible, to be able to pivot to support our grantees however we could – while also balancing our concern to meet urgent needs with our duty to ensure excellence in healthcare servicing.

A great strength of the Foundation is the high level of board engagement – and leadership which helped to support our responsiveness to our grantees during this time.

One major obstacle was that we could not meet in person and some new trustees did not meet the staff, other trustees, or our grantees in person for two years. It was a difficult period, but I placed an emphasis on keeping communication going among everyone at the Foundation.

Early on in your tenure as Board Chair, you had to lead a search for a new Executive Director. Discuss how you and Executive Director/CEO Michael Schmidt have worked as partners to lead the foundation.

To begin with, to illustrate the trustees’ “can do” attitude, the Executive Director Trustee Search Committee had our second interview with Michael in early Spring 2021 in my garage with the doors open during the pandemic lockdown. Since hiring Michael in May 2021, he and I have enjoyed a true working partnership and I appreciate very much that he has supported my leadership of this Foundation. From the moment he started, we began a process of examination along with the trustees and staff of all aspects of the Foundation – nothing was sacred. We have been able to propose strategic changes in the granting process and I am grateful for all his guidance and support throughout my two terms.
Humanism is a core value of the Foundation. How did you work to support this principle among the board and staff?

Humanism remains foremost on everyone’s mind at the Foundation as we review our grants. It is the essence of the heart of any grant. As we see increasing pressure on healthcare professionals in whatever capacity they are working, we continue to examine how we can support their understanding of who they are serving – as well as their own needs to continue to relate to their patients/clients with compassion and sensitivity.

How do you balance your personal life with your duties as Board Chair?

I have been very fortunate that my husband, the rest of my family, friends and everyone at the Foundation have been so supportive and forgiving while I have been Board Chair. Everyone knew how grateful I have been, to be in a position to give back in a meaningful way – and not with money – but with my time and the use of my legal background. They were always there for me when I needed the extra boost to encourage me to carry on and to answer any questions I might have. When I began my first term, none of my children were married and now as I end my second 3-year term, I have my three children married and grandchildren.  It has been a lot to balance, but it has been a true labor of love, and I remain so appreciative that I had this incredible opportunity.

As you conclude your term, what are your hopes for the future of the Foundation, and what advice would you give to the next Chair?

My hope for the Foundation is that the new Chair and CEO/ED, the trustees and staff will continue to work together with the same spirit of sensitivity, compassion and ability to maintain an open mind to change and evolve its granting process in a strategic manner but yet also balance those concerns with the commitment of maintaining excellence through the use of data collection and evaluation.

My advice for the next Chair is to lead with humility, listen, learn and be inspired by those around you, be strategic in your approach but be flexible to change. Most importantly, respect the importance of being Chair of such an outstanding institution in our community.