As we approach our 40th anniversary in 2027, we are excited to share that the Roth Foundation has been growing a lot, in terms of both our programs and our board. We thought it might be interesting for you to “meet” the board members who make it all happen. So, welcome to our tenth Board Member Spotlight, on Benita Blessing!
My educational exchange experiences were foundational in my choice of studies and career. When I was 16, I was an exchange student in West Germany with the Congress-Bundestag Partnership Program. As a graduate student working on a dual PhD in History and Educational Policy, I then returned to post-unification Germany to conduct research on the educational experiences of children and youth in former East Germany. All told, I spent almost 30 years researching and teaching in history, education, and world language departments throughout the U.S. and Europe.
In my first semester of graduate school, the Berlin Wall fell. This event and its aftermath were profoundly inspirational for me. For a brief few months, the world felt like one glorious, open, curious, and peace-ready community. Through its support for selected projects and
A few years ago, I left full-time academic work to focus on nonprofit organizations, especially those with an international mission. I am currently the development director for a nonprofit hospital network, where my work is mostly cross-cultural at the local level. During this period, I have become increasingly interested in the roles of governance and administration, as well as fundraising, in optimizing how organizations address and achieve their mission.
Becoming the Treasurer of the Lois Roth Foundation has allowed me to bring together my cultural and academic interests, and my administrative and fundraising skills in the service of a group that embodies my most deeply held values and ideals.
