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now positioned to best leverage the skills, experiences and expertise I have developed over more than 15 years of galvanizing private philanthropy, in a new way. It has been a longtime ambition of mine to bring my background to the Foundation side, where I can be a partner to fund holders and donors, helping them to align their personal philanthropic goals with agencies. It is impactful work that elevates the work of more than just a single mission.
When it comes to supporting our partner Jewish organizations, I’ ve been in their seats before. I’ ve created budgets, set goals and created funding plans. I also understand the tough climate we are in today with philanthropy, and the challenges as well as opportunities that come along with it. It is this rich foundation, which will enable me to drive legacy support.
This work is rooted in relationships. When you sit down with a family, what are you really listening to beneath the surface of the conversation? My role is to lead with listening. I’ m listening to their values, their traditions, their shared experiences and their connections with organizations that matter most. I seek to understand what is important to them, what motivates them, or even, what might make them want to pull away.
It is important to feel heard and understood before any decision making happens.
When individuals are asked to think about the future, it’ s an opportunity to look back at where they came from and the journey that got them to where they are today. Then it’ s thinking about preserving that which we hold sacred, right? What do they want to ensure is around for the long term and that will last? It’ s also important to understand that legacy giving comes in many forms, and some might be better for their personal circumstance.
Once those connections are made and a clearer purpose begins to emerge, the path forward can feel far less overwhelming. At the end of the day, it is about truly understanding people’ s stories, hopes and ultimately, their vision for the future. Once I have a holistic picture, we can begin the process of putting their dreams into motion.
Trust is everything in philanthropy. What does trust look like in your work and how do you know when you’ ve earned it? Transparency is the name of the game in my book. Honesty, integrity, authenticity, accountability and dependability are all virtues that have helped me to grow in my career. I ensure donors and partners hear from me, and not just when it’ s time to have a conversation about dollars or cents. I check in, we catch up. I genuinely want to know how they are doing and what is happening in their lives. It is important to“ show our work,” too. The individuals and organizations with whom I work want to see us being good stewards of their funds and driving positive changes. Perhaps most importantly, I truly love spending time with people. I never just want to be a faceless name on the other side of an email or a voice on the other end of the phone. I want to know our community and I want
our community to know me. You’ re entering a role within a well-established community. How do you approach stepping into something that already holds deep history and connection? When I accepted this role, I recognized the significance of introducing myself to this extraordinary network of families and long-term friends, and the responsibility of earning the trust of such a deeply rooted and connected community. What I love about our Jewish community is the way people show up
The Kowert Family
for one another.
I don’ t have family here in Charlotte, it’ s just my husband, our girls and me. The Jewish community, however, has become an extension of our family, whether through conversations at shul or the friendships formed while our children play together at the Purim festival. I think that’ s one of the things that makes our Jewish community so special; we take care of each other. I can’ t tell you the number of people I meet that invite us
to their home for Shabbat or for break fast. This kindness means everything to me.
It’ s about coming in curious, humble, and respectful of the years of work poured into this community by the organizations and individuals who live it every day. I like to begin any new role with what I call“ discovery meetings,” informal lunches and coffees focused largely on listening. I want to hear people’ s experiences with FCJC, understand their perspectives, and learn how my role can best
The Charlotte Jewish News- June- July 2026- Page 7
Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte
FCJC: A New Steward for the Stories Still Being Written
Samantha Kowert and FCJC Executive Director, Phil Warshauer support both donors and agency partners alike.
There’ s an emotional weight to conversations about legacy, namely family, memory, values. How do you hold space for that while still guiding the conversation forward? Legacy is deeply personal. It’ s my duty, and privilege, to build relationships and foster trust so I can be the very best partner. I think holding space means recognizing we aren’ t simply discussing assets. We’ re talking about family. Sharing stories of loss or gratitude or times of great resilience. I’ m learning what is most central to a family’ s identity and purpose, and that looks different for everyone. I always strive to honor the emotional significance of legacy while helping someone feel confident their intentions will truly endure.
When you think about your first year, what does success look like in real terms and not just outcomes, but moments that would tell you you’ re doing this right? Success for me looks like deep, meaningful and authentic relationships formed across the Charlotte Jewish community. I hope donors, partner organizations, agencies, and colleagues come to know my values, trust my intentions, and see me as a dependable partner and advocate. To me, success means honoring FCJC’ s history while helping move it forward through greater investment in the institutions and programs essential to sustaining Jewish life.
Phil Warshauer has said the most important part of his work is understanding the“ whys.” What’ s your why? With time, reconnecting with my Jewish identity has become increasingly meaningful to me, especially as my children grow older. When I was a child, I have the best memories celebrating the High Holy Days with my entire family. Everyone lived close
to one another in Atlanta, so holidays usually meant 30 or 40 people filling our house or my grandmother’ s, while the kids played until our parents finally pulled us to the table for seder or whatever holiday we were celebrating. It’ s memories of laying under the tail of my dad’ s Tallis during services, or my mother baiting me with peppermints so I would stay in my seat during the rabbi’ s sermon.
Now that I have my own family, I recognize just how much I want my girls to have those same core experiences. My husband is not Jewish but has always been very supportive of us celebrating the holidays, going to synagogue, and learning our traditions. As we’ ve been exploring how to be more connected with the Jewish community here in Charlotte, we find such comfort in having a place like Shalom Park where we can go to services, take our girls to play at The Levine JCC, and spend quality time with other families. I want to be a bigger part of our wonderful Jewish community, and through the work of FCJC, I get to do that by ensuring the organizations and programs we hold so dear can continue pursuing doing their phenomenal and important work for the long term.
To learn more about creating your Jewish legacy through FCJC, contact Samantha Kowert at skowert @ charlottejewishfoundation. org or 704-973-4554.