Mark Seiler traded comfort for Excel spreadsheets. The former federal employee is among the growing number of people returning to work after retirement.
He assumed a new role as chief financial officer at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington in early November.
“The JCC [is] a cornerstone of community life here,” said Seiler, a Kensington resident since 2004.
During an eight-month hiatus from March to October — including many rounds of golf and a stint as a substitute teacher — Seiler asked himself, “What do I want to do?” He knew his second career should have a mission that resonated with him.
“It had to be someplace where I was going to wake up every day and want to work and excel and add value,” Seiler said.
He found that the Bender JCC checked many of his boxes. Working in the Jewish community was a plus for him: “I appreciate the [Jewish] culture and everything they’re trying to do.”
The CFO was also eager to use his vast experience — more than 13 years of senior executive service in the federal government — in the field. In his new role, Seiler formulates the JCC’s budget, pays bills, fosters strategic conversations and manages all things financial. “I was never really ready to retire,” Seiler said.
He holds a master of business administration and bachelor’s degree in finance, both from the University of Maryland.
“Numbers have always come naturally to me, and I look at things to tell a story with those numbers,” Seiler said.
In his most recent government role as CFO of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seiler secured a $1 billion increase in the budget, which went from $5 billion to $6 billion. “How you advocate for those increases is telling the story of the value of the program and what it means to the nation,” Seiler said.
The JCC is much smaller in scale, but the premise is the same. “I want to be able to tell the story of the value the JCC can provide and make sure that finances are there to be able to expand and carry on the programs that it does,” Seiler said.
This move marks more than a career change — Seiler brings personal ties to the Bender JCC. His two children attended summer camp there for several years when they were younger. His mother, who lived at the Revitz House, a retirement community in the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington campus, was a regular at the Bender JCC.
“She didn’t know anyone in the area and her being able to come here and take advantage of a lot of the programs was really meaningful for her,” Seiler said. “I knew she was in a safe place; she could walk over here from where she was living.”
He said he enjoys seeing the joyful faces of the JCC’s youngest attendees, who evoke fond memories of his own children.
“You get energized being around especially the little ones,” Seiler said. “As I walk around the building, they’re going from their rooms to the gym to run around.”
He also draws inspiration from his colleagues. “It’s not really surprising, but … everyone is so invested in the mission that we have here at the JCC,” Seiler said. “I felt good in coming here and talking to folks and getting to know them. They all share the same focus that I had coming into this job.”
For these reasons, Seiler looks forward to working as the community center’s CFO.
“Seeing [the Bender JCC] from the camp side, as well as the adult programming and community-building aspect was something that was meaningful to me and I really want to be able to carry that on,” Seiler said.
