It is with deep sorrow that the Romanian-American Foundation shares the passing of Ida F. S. Schmertz, the founding Chair of our Board of Trustees and one of the true architects of our Foundation.
Ida was there at the very beginning. In 1994, she was appointed by President Clinton in the Board of the Romanian-American Enterprise Fund and then served as RAF’s first Board Chair. Ida devoted 24 years of pro bono service to Romania before retiring from the Board in October 2018. In this time, she helped shape not just an organization, but a picture of what philanthropy in Romania could be — transparent, accountable, built on partnership, and dedicated to creating opportunity for all Romanians.
When her tenure as RAF Board member finished, Ida left us a message: “I am pleased and proud to have played my part in developing the concept and the framework for RAF, in funding the organization and nurturing and supporting it during its early years. As I leave RAF, I feel confident that it will continue to invest in people, partners and programs, which will improve life in communities and help make Romanians proud to live in Romania.”
We are grateful for everything Ida did for RAF and Romania. Her legacy endures in every community we serve.
We now leave Ida to speak in her own words. In the interview below, recorded with Andreea Roșca in 2018, she reflects on her experience and on the vision behind the foundation.
