Foundation Leadership

Herbert Shultz Jr. Brings Strategic Vision and Heart to Foundation

As the former president and chief operating officer of Fenimore Asset Management, Herbert Shultz Jr. brings keen and clear-eyed financial expertise to The Schenectady Foundation's Distribution Committee. But his value to the Foundation is much more than his investment acumen. Mr. Shultz brings tremendous personal commitment to the Foundation – and to all his philanthropic endeavors.

"I think that is what life is about – serving others and helping where you can," he said. "Whether it's as a parent, teacher, coach, employer. Whatever you are doing, you hope you are helping. Being helpful to other people is the most satisfying and purposeful thing you can do."

Among his many involvements, he has served on the boards of Capital Repertory Theater and Parsons Child and Family Center. In 1990, with the support of tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur Ashe, Mr. Shultz helped found the Capital Region Youth Tennis Foundation 15-LOVE program. 15-LOVE provides free tennis clinics to inner-city children at numerous sites across the Capital Region. Following on-court instruction, children take part in 30-minute off-court workshops designed to teach self-respect, healthy living, discipline, good sportsmanship and encourage excellence in education.

The long list of charitable and cultural organizations with which he has been involved makes clear that Herb Shultz has been helpful to many, many people in the Capital Region. And his association with The Schenectady Foundation has given him the chance to extend his reach further.

"My wife Cynthia and I live in Schenectady, so I have more than a passing interest in the county we live in. The longer I am involved with the Foundation the more I have learned just how meaningful it is to the county, the nonprofits and to the community at large. In Schenectady County, the Foundation is -- if not the most philanthropic organization -- certainly one of the most. The Schenectady Foundation has the financial resources and degree of sophistication and scope to evaluate the needs and direct the resources to the places that can do the most good."

Mr. Shultz, who has served on the Committee since 2004, also appreciates that the Schenectady Foundation is unique in that the great majority of its gifts are unrestricted. "This enables the Committee to target and concentrate on a chosen area. This will also give future generations of Committee members the ability to fund the issues most important to the community during their time," he explained.

The father of two grown sons and grandfather of two, Mr. Shultz also serves as chair of the advisory board of the The Community Foundation of the Capital Region's Health Care Committee, is a board member of the Capital Region Sponsor-A-Scholar and Proctor's Theater and is involved with the United Methodist Church in Hamilton Hill.

When it comes to the Schenectady Foundation, his focus is forward, and he is enthusiastic about the Foundation's plans to raise its visibility. "It's phenomenal what has happened with relatively few investments made years ago. But we need to continue to grow. We are developing a planned giving program, and if we can get our story out, get others to include the Foundation in their estate plans, will help the magnitude, and preserve the long-term and perpetuity nature of it," he explained. "One of the things we can demonstrate, is that The Schenectady Foundation is very well managed. Our trustee banks do an outstanding job managing our investments."

"I see the Foundation developing into something that is even more significant than it is today. It has the potential to do much more. In the past couple of years, we have looked at our mission strategically and have now decided to focus our efforts in a few areas of concentration -- to see where we can have the greatest impact. Our hope is that it won't be The Schenectady Foundation alone, but that we can attempt to leverage other foundations and organizations to work with us so that we will be able to demonstrate meaningful outcomes. It is quite exciting to see where we can make the biggest difference."