What people say about Scott Biondo

Ellen Futterman, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Published July 13, 2023

Scott Biondo speaks with a reporter in 2018.

Family and colleagues share their feelings about the Director of Community Security at Jewish Federation of St. Louis

“I’m a huge Blues hockey fan, which was introduced to me by dad. It’s something we always shared an interest in together. My dad would go play in a men’s roller hockey league and bring me along with him. He’s actually an excellent skater and an excellent shot.”

– Jason Biondo – Son of Scott Biondo

“Every agency Scott works with benefits from his expertise and his commitment to maintaining a safe and welcoming community. What makes Scott special, however, is his true spirit of partnership. He’s just a really good guy and he has a unique ability to see both sides of every issue.”

– Lynn Wittels – President and CEO of the Jewish Community Center

“Scott’s the real deal. He makes it a point to reach out to law enforcement so they know him, not just locally but on the state and federal level, too. He is a true professional. His integrity is sound.”

– Rick Knox – Retired Olivette police chief and board member of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum

“It’s so relieving to have a knowledgeable resource like Scott. Knowing you can just call him and get his sound advice and then know he has contacts that he’s calling to support the investigations that we are doing . . . I don’t know what we did in the Jewish community for safety before Scott was hired.”

– Rachel Wallis Andreasson – Executive Director of Congregation Temple Israel

“One day I was watching Channel 9. They were doing a special on the Italian history of the Hill and lo and behold, Scott shows up. They’re asking him about what he knows about the history, and he gave a little synopsis. They went to him as a resource and that’s just one of the things he does – he gets involved.”

– Daniel Lucas – Security manager for the St. Louis County Library system

“I jokingly say drumming saved our marriage because at the end of a long, hard day, he would go downstairs to his drums to decompress. He’s an excellent percussionist; actually, he’s an excellent musician. He’s got a wonderful voice. He sings very well—he sings a lot of solos at our church. Drumming really relaxes him.”

– Lynne-Dale Biondo

About the Contributor

Ellen Futterman, Editor-in-Chief

A native of Westbury, New York, Ellen Futterman broke into the world of big city journalism as a general assignment reporter for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner in the latter part of the 20th century. Deciding that Tinsel Town was not exciting enough for her, she moved on to that hub of glamour and sophistication, Belleville, Ill., where she became a feature writer, columnist and food editor for the Belleville News-Democrat. A year later the St. Louis Post-Dispatch scooped her up, neither guessing at the full range of her talents, nor the extent of her shoe collection. She went on to work at the Post-Dispatch for 25 years, during which time she covered hard news, education, features, investigative projects, profiles, sports, entertainment, fashion, interiors, business, travel and movies. She won numerous major local and national awards for her reporting on "Women Who Kill" and on a four-part series about teen-age pregnancy, 'Children Having Children.'" Among her many jobs at the newspaper, Ellen was a columnist for three years, Arts and Entertainment Editor, Critic-at-large and Daily Features (Everyday) Editor. She invented two sections from scratch, one of which recently morphed from Get Out, begun in 1995, to GO. In January of 2009, Ellen joined the St. Louis Jewish Light as its editor, where she is responsible for overseeing editorial operations, including managing both staff members and freelancers. Under her tutelage, the Light has won 16 Rockower Awards — considered the Jewish Pulitzer’s — including two personally for Excellence in Commentary for her weekly News & Schmooze column. She also is the communications content editor for the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis. Ellen and her husband, Jeff Burkett, a middle school principal, live in Olivette and have three children. Ellen can be reached at 314-743-3669 or at [email protected].