This week’s JCC State of Mind is President & CEO, Jason Kunzman’s closing remarks from our 130th Annual Meeting, which took place on September 10, 2025.
Our final order of business tonight is to recognize and thank our outgoing Board Chair, Scott Seewald.
Scott is, in every sense, a JCC lifer. His connection to this place began long before boardrooms and leadership transitions – it began in the most hands-on of ways: working as a locker room attendant and serving as a J&R Day Camp counselor and unit head. These early jobs weren’t a means for Scott to earn some spending money; they were formative moments that grounded Scott in the values and spirit of the JCC.
When Scott and his family returned from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh, one of the very first things he did was reconnect with the JCC. And from that moment on, he gave himself fully to this community. Scott often says that he prefers his volunteer service here at the JCC over his nine-to-five work as a corporate attorney for a global aerospace engineering firm, and if you know him, you know that’s true. He has never stopped looking for ways to engage, to strengthen, and to lead.
Scott’s deep commitment and intimate understanding of what makes this organization tick made him exactly the right leader at exactly the right time. He shepherded us through the first professional leadership transition in nearly a quarter century, and when October 7, 2023 brought tragedy and heartbreak to Israel and to Pittsburgh, Scott helped to form and guide the JCC’s initial and ongoing response, ensuring that our community was supported, connected, and steadfast.
Now, we also know Scott brings with him a fierce loyalty—one that extends beyond the JCC. I’m talking, of course, about his unwavering, some might say irrational, devotion to the Pittsburgh Pirates. To be a Pirates fan is to practice faith against all odds. It’s to believe in hope, renewal, and the possibility that this year might just be the year. That blind faith and resilience – so familiar to any Pirates fan – has shaped the perspective Scott has brought to his leadership at the JCC: that no matter the challenge, no matter the odds, we show up, we commit, and we support this community. Nowhere was that on display more clearly than when Scott took a leap of faith on this CEO who had only been in the role six months, and together, we hosted the inaugural JCC Maccabi Campus Games after a 28-year hiatus. That kind of courage and commitment is what defines Scott’s tenure.
Through it all, Scott has provided steady, unwavering support to the staff, and to me personally. He has helped me grow immeasurably in my role, modeling what it means to lead with integrity, empathy, and resolve. My hope, Scott, is that you have found as much joy and meaning in your service as we have found inspiration and strength in your leadership.
Scott, on behalf of the entire JCC family, thank you—for your leadership, your devotion, your faith (in both the Pirates and in us), and your friendship. We are better because of you, and we are grateful beyond words.
Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom,
Jason
