Maxine E. Schwartz
Maxine Schwartz worked with Professor Haim Shaked from April, 1992, first in the Middle East Studies Institute (MESI) of the University of Miami's Graduate School of International Studies and then, since its creation in 1998, at the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies with the title of Director of Development and Outreach. She retired on May 31, 2014 after 22 years of service.
From 1988 to 1990, Maxine served as the General Campaign Chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation - the first woman to do so in the Federation's fifty year history and the first woman to chair a campaign in a major city. During her two year tenure as Chair, over $40,000,000 was raised. She also convinced the Federation’s Board of Directors to mount their first mega-mission to Israel, filling two chartered 747 jets in May, 1990. Since then, she and her husband, Kenneth J. Schwartz, led two additional mega-missions - taking over 2000 people to Israel.
Maxine served as an officer of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation from 1984-94. In 1982, she was appointed to the Federation’s Executive Committee, on which she still serves. In 2009, she was elected a Life Member of the Federation Board. She has served in both the General Campaign and the Women's Division in many leadership positions.
In the spring of 2002, Maxine chaired the parlor meetings for the Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund campaign. In ten weeks, over $13,000,000 was raised. In summer/fall of 2006 she co-chaired the entire Emergency Fund campaign. In about 6 weeks, over $10,000,000 was raised.
In 1976, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation awarded her the Stanley C. Myers Award, given for outstanding young leadership. On March 18, 2004, Maxine was the honoree at the annual dinner of the Florida Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. In May, 2010, she received the Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award which honors outstanding Lion of Judah volunteers. In February, 2014, she and her husband, Kenny, received the Friend of Israel Humanitarian Award given by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation at their Main Event.
Maxine attended Cornell University and received a B.A., summa cum laude from Barnard College in 1960 where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She has five children ranging in age from 45-65, and 7 grandchildren.