OUR COMMUNITY

M

ost couples celebrate their 50th 
anniversaries by taking a buck-
et-list trip or throwing a party or 
exchanging presents. 
But when Susie and Norm Pappas of 
Bloomfield Hills reached their half-century 
milestone last summer, the couple — both 
longtime community leaders and bene-
factors — decided to mark the occasion in 
an entirely different way: by giving a gift 
to their community. “Norm wanted to do 
something special in honor of our anniver-
sary,
” Susie said.
So when the couple was presented with 
the opportunity to sponsor a new, first-
of-its-kind initiative dedicated to training 
future female community leaders through 
the Women’s Philanthropy Department 
at the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit, 
they knew they had found the perfect way 
to mark their commitment to each other — 
and a cause close to both their hearts. 
“When I got involved in [Federation’s] 

Women’s Department 40 years ago, I 
started knowing nothing and eventually 
got to the top,
” said Susie, a former pres-
ident of Women’s Philanthropy, Annual 
Campaign chair, founding member of the 
Jewish Women’s Foundation, and veteran 
of numerous boards and committees. “That 
journey was very significant for me, and I 
look forward to seeing other women take it. 
Training them to step into leadership roles 
is the way to do it.
”
Norm, too, has an extensive history of 
community work: In addition to many 
Jewish and secular volunteer roles, he’s 
a former president of the United Jewish 
Fund (Federation’s fiduciary arm), Annual 
Campaign chair and recipient of various 
awards, including the Frank A. Wetsman 
Young Leadership Award and the presti-
gious Fred M. Butzel Award, the highest 
honor for volunteers in the community. 
Together, the Pappases are known 
for their innovative and entrepreneurial 

approach to leadership — they even created 
an award, the “Pappas Prize,
” that fosters 
out-of-the-box thinking at Federation. 
Every year since 1998, the honor has recog-
nized a Federation staff member for imple-
menting an innovative concept that benefits 
the organization and community. 

TRAINING FUTURE LEADERS
The Pappas’ recent initiative, called the 
Inspire Campaign Leadership Program, 
reflects their forward-thinking vision. 
Launched in May 2021, the Inspire Program 
brought together 17 women from across 
Metro Detroit. They had diverse personal 
and professional backgrounds and ranged 
in age from their 30s to their 60s, but all 
had at least two things in common: They 
were supporters of Federation’s Annual 
Campaign — though all donated at dif-
ferent levels — and they had already 
demonstrated “leadership potential” and 
engagement with Women’s Philanthropy, 

Federation’s Inspire Campaign Leadership Program 
is building women leaders in our community.

Building Future Leaders

NICOLE FREHSEE MAZUR SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

12 | SEPTEMBER 22 • 2022 

TOP: The Inspire group at their “field trip” to New York 
City. BELOW: Jennifer Silverman and Shelly Rubenfire in 
New York. RIGHT: Susie Pappas, Betsy Heuer and Leah 
Trosch.

