After retiring from a successful career as a communications executive for L’Oréal USA, Suzanne Davidowitz now has the time to devote to volunteering and mentoring efforts. In this interview, the new JCF Trustee talks about how her work at L’Oréal got her involved in philanthropy, the charitable causes she is passionate about, and the importance of courageously walking through the doors of opportunity that open to us when we are least expecting them.
JCF: Who or what inspired your involvement in charitable giving?
Suzanne Davidowitz: It really started when I entered the workforce. Becoming very involved with the philanthropy of my company, L’Oréal, gave me a keen interest in volunteering and mentoring—a way of paying it forward. My favorite project was the L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program. There is a shortage of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) field. The U.S. fellowships are part of the global For Women in Science program, a partnership between the L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO, to provide support for women researchers on all continents and at different points in their careers. Throughout its nearly twenty year history, the program has recognized more than 3,100 women, including two Nobel Prize recipients, in 115 countries for doing groundbreaking research. In the U.S., for the three years I oversaw the fellowship program, we awarded $60,000 grants each year to five women postdoctoral scientists at the start of their careers. I would go meet each of the fellows in their work environment and video them—examples include a molecular biologist from Princeton, a biochemist at the National Institute for Heath and a microbiologist from Harvard. Supporting women in science wasn’t new for L’Oréal. More than half of the company’s scientists are women.
JCF: Can you share with us some charitable causes that are meaningful to you?
SD: I’ve been involved with the JCRC-NY for 12 years. JCRC is a coordinating body and a resource organization for the Jewish community. They advocate for the Jewish community locally, in Israel and elsewhere, and convene and train the next generation of civic and nonprofit leaders. I just finished my second six-year term serving on the JCRC-NY board.
I’m also on the board of YouthBridge-NY, a leadership development organization that trains young people to meet the challenges of what is becoming a more diverse New York City. YouthBridge-NY provides promising teens with the skillsets and understanding to go back to enrich their individual communities. They teach them to appreciate and utilize diversity.
Since retiring last October, I have joined the board of the NYC Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. Over 50 million Americans have Arthritis, including 300,000 children making it the No. 1 cause of disability in this country. I have also become involved with the UJA-Federation of New York’s Women’s Division. One of the things I love about them is their mentoring program. This past year, I was a mentor to a young woman at the beginning of her career and I signed up to mentor again. It’s a good way to use my skillset—from how to navigate difficult situations and how to work with all kinds of different people with different points of views.
JCF: Any advice for those first getting started with philanthropy?
SD: When I started, I didn’t have a role model. Everyone says, “Take risks.” That’s easier said than done. I always tell people when they’re starting their careers that you never know what doors will open to you. Never be afraid to open that door and try it and see. When I was in college and graduate school, I studied political science. My first job was working for the late U.S. Senator Jacob K. Javits (R-NY). If you had told me then that I would spend my career at a cosmetics company, I wouldn’t have believed you. When the Senator retired, I started as an administrative assistant at L’Oréal USA and worked my way up to Senior Vice President. I worked closely with beauty editors and journalists; it was a fascinating career.
JCF: What was the highlight of your career?
SD: In 2016, we moved our U.S. headquarters from 47th Street & Fifth Avenue to Hudson Yards. It was a two-year communications campaign. Because I was on the move task force, I was involved in all aspects of the project. It was truly fascinating and different from anything I had ever done before. Another highlight was in 2005, when our former global chairman of L’Oréal was getting ready to retire. We had been working closely over the years with the Anti Defamation League, and Abe Foxman who was National Director at the time, wanted to honor him. I worked on that project for more than six months! Elie Wiesel was the keynote speaker at the event, which raised over $2 million for ADL. I would say these two projects were the highlights of my career.
JCF: How did you hear about JCF?
SD: I heard about JCF through [JCF President] Zoya Raynes, a fellow JCRC-NY board member. She had brought representatives from JCF in to speak with us at one of our JCRC board meetings a couple of years ago. What I love about JCF is that it streamlines your philanthropic efforts. It makes it so easy to give to charity instead of sitting there and writing a check. You just go online and it’s done. I also love the fact that they provide services to help and guide fundholders. I don’t know of any other organization that does this in the Jewish community. JCF open up my eyes to possibilities that I had never thought about. This is an amazing organization.