Todd Siwak will serve as the new board chair of Jewish Federation of St. Louis, starting in January. Siwak succeeds Bob Newmark, who, during his two-year term chairing the board, provided dedicated leadership to the Federation. Siwak brings extensive experience as an entrepreneur, leader and philanthropist. He is a founding partner of The Encore Group, a private equity fund focused on consumer services. Previously, he has been President and Chief Business Officer of Ferrero North America, CEO of Ferrara Candy Co., Operating Partner at L Catterton and co-founder of TRG Accessories.
A native Missourian, Siwak earned his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law and his bachelor of science in economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He co-chaired the Federation’s most recent strategic plan; his other community involvements have included serving as Board Chair for the Jewish Community Center and he is currently a board member of Forest Park Forever.
Siwak noted in a statement, “It is a testament to St. Louis that my predecessor, Bob Newmark, and I both have parents who also served as board chairs of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. That says a lot about our community’s values, its commitment to l’dor v’dor, and the importance of family involvement in our Jewish community. I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of the many lay and professional leaders that have built and sustained this organization for 123 years.” Newmark will remain actively involved as an officer on the board and will continue to support the organization’s work. Under Newmark’s leadership, the Federation responded swiftly and effectively to the brutal attack on Israel. He helped to lead the development of the Israel Emergency Campaign, raising $4.3 million locally, bringing together many community partners in solidarity, and strengthening the fight against antisemitism.
Federation also conducted a community study (co-chaired by Dalia Oppenheimer and John Greenberg) to be released in early 2025, engaged in a strategic planning process (co-chaired by Siwak and Stephanie Gross), evaluated the community relations environment in our community (chaired by Mont Levy) and managed a CEO search following the departure of Brian Herstig earlier this year (co-chaired by Abby Goldstein and Craig Rosenthal).
Newmark, along with Todd Siwak, Felicia Malter, who has been designated as Siwak’s successor as board chair in 2027, and the leadership team, are serving as interim leaders during the absence of a CEO.
