Hadassah taps development and marketing excs

Hadassah has appointed Steven Mark as Chief Development Officer and Dana Asher as Co-Director of Marketing & Communications.

“With the arrival of Steven Mark and Dana Asher, we once again have the full staff team we need to help our members and volunteer leaders advance Hadassah’s mission,” said Carol Ann Schwartz, National President. “During one of the most challenging times for Israel and Jews in living memory, that mission — to advocate for Israel, fight antisemitism, support the work of Hadassah’s hospitals in Jerusalem and promote women’s health equity — is more important than ever.”

Mark will lead a team of 41 philanthropy professionals who collaborate with more than 75 volunteer leaders around the country. Together, they raise funds to support the work of the Hadassah Medical Organization, Hadassah’s academic medical center in Jerusalem, and Hadassah’s Youth Aliyah program, which operates residential communities for vulnerable Israeli teens and pre-teens.

At New York Medical College, Mark shepherded a dental school from capital campaign launch to groundbreaking; at StartCare, he built a development department from scratch while increasing fundraising revenues to nearly $10 million from less than $100,000; at Hunter College, he raised $10 million from first-time donors, oversaw the completion of a $40 million library campaign, and partnered with then-president Jennifer Raab to secure a $52 million donation for the nursing school, the largest gift in CUNY history.

Asher will partner with fellow co-director Sharon Scalora to lead a 20-person Marketing & Communications team charged with articulating Hadassah’s mission and sharing news of the organization’s activities with its stakeholders. Like Scalora, she will work with Hadassah volunteer leaders across the country.

Over the course of three decades, Asher has held a variety of marketing roles at Jewish organizations that include UJA-Federation and Women’s American ORT as well as Yeshiva University. An emblematic example of her accomplishments is a marketing strategy instrumental in driving a $613 million, five-year YU capital campaign so successful it reached 85 percent of its goal in just three years.

“Dana Asher’s broad experience in not-for-profit marketing and her deep knowledge of the Jewish communal world are a perfect fit for Hadassah, with its diverse array of programs and activities in the US and Israel,” said CEO Ellen Finkelstein. “With his skill in securing major gifts, leading successful capital campaigns and dramatically increasing individual donations, Steven Mark is the ideal person to lead Hadassah’s development effort.”