Betsi Kassebaum is currently the President of south Florida’s Center for Strategic Philanthropy & Civic Engagement. After teaching ESOL children for 7 years in Broward County she went into the private sector as the manager of the Sun-Sentinel News in Education Department. She then moved into the world of philanthropy by joining the South Florida Annenberg Challenge where she oversaw the $50 million, public/private match program for Broward and Palm Beach Counties. But it was during her 9 year tenure as the Executive Director of The Toppel Family Foundation in Boca Raton that she created a successful model for building collaborative community systems change with a modest budget and no staff, earning the foundation several prestigious local awards, including a Sun-Sentinel Community Service Award and Palm Beach County Education Foundation Spirit of Youth Award.
Just prior to becoming the Founding President of the Center for Strategic Philanthropy & Civic Engagement, Betsi assisted in the reorganization and enhancement of Take Stock in Children of Palm Beach County, increasing their budget, staff, profile, and community support during her short 6 month tenure.
She has also recently been asked by a local entrepreneur and philanthropist to spearhead a new national project, Shop2Care, as its Director of Philanthropy.
Betsi was named a 2011 Palm Beach County Bank of America Local Hero as well as a 2011 March of Dimes Woman of Distinction. She was also a recipient of the 2013 Soroptimist of Boca Raton/Deerfield Beach Women of Distinction award. She holds two Master’s Degrees in Education and is currently ABD with her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Adult and Community Education.
She lives in Boca Raton, Florida with her husband Kevin. Their son, Daniel, is a graduate of the Burnett Honors College, University of Central Florida, in Orlando, and will begin law school in the fall.
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