Creating Opportunities

Dean Miller & JFCS of the Suncoast
By Ryan G. Van Cleave | Photo by Nancy Guth

“I was a guy who kept trying to retire and kept failing at it,” says Dean Miller, who spent nearly four decades working in the financial world. “Retiring is NOT the easiest thing to do.”

In 2015, he managed it at last. At the same time, though, the period house he and his wife owned near The Ringling sold. They had a significant collection of Asian art in that big house, and one of the paintings—a political piece by a contemporary Chinese artist—was so large that it couldn’t easily be moved. Miller invited some people from The Ringling to come by and they loved it. The piece went on loan and became part of the opening of the Asian wing in 2015, and now the piece has been donated to The Ringling.

By way of thanks, Miller and his wife were invited to a donor dinner. While there, Stephen Wilberding—a long-time Sarasota philanthropist and past JFCS of the Suncoast board member—tapped Dean on the shoulder and suggested that Dean might enjoy working in social services. From that point on, Stephen made it his mission to help that happen, with one of the first steps being to get Dean involved on the investment committee of JFCS. Dean soon found himself on multiple committees and having more and more opportunities to get further involved.

“I’m just a corporate guy with 40 years in financial services,” Dean said. “For most of my adult life, I thought about two things: work and family. My social services perspective was to give annually to Easter Seals, and to support corporate giving. But the more I got involved with JFCS, the more I appreciated their work. I was attracted by the breadth of critical services JFCS provides to the community at large. And I appreciated their mission, how it wasn’t to just give money, but rather to help individuals become self-sufficient.”

Dean’s going to be a big part of helping individuals become self-sufficient because as of May 2018, he’s JFCS’ Board Chair Elect. Dean’s career in finance helped him prepare for success in this position in a variety of ways. Sure, there’s the obvious financial savvy that one has to demonstrate to work for JP Morgan and be the COO for their Asia Pacific Markets division. But he learned a lot by being relocated to Tokyo, a 32-year-old junior accountant, having a full accounting staff who’d never worked with a Westerner before, and half who’d never even spoken to a Westerner, and they all now had this American kid as a boss. “I learned to be open and honest, and to treat people with integrity. Do that, and you’re accepted regardless of culture and nationality.”

That honesty shows when Dean admits that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, so he sees the path to becoming an effective board leader for JFCS is to learn more. For a Wall Street guy to come in and chair a nonprofit board using a Wall Street mentality? “That’s a recipe for disaster,” he notes. It’s far, far better not to assume you know—but to figure out how to work in the nonprofit world. It’s a different environment with different objectives.”

That’s why he’s following the same plan that JFCS CEO Heidi Brown did. When Heidi became CEO in February 2017, she went on a three-month listening tour of JFCS’ programs to better understand its people, programs, and resources—and Miller has followed in her footsteps with a listening tour of his own. “It’s a challenge to understand an organization with the extent of services provided by JFCS across such a large expanse of the Gulf Coast,” Dean says.

One challenge Dean has identified is that of an aging philanthropy population. Younger generations might give to this cause or that cause, but how do you encourage people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s to embrace the amazing passion for philanthropy that this town is famous for? To address the issue of an aging donor base, JFCS recently launched a collaborative initiative called BeyondMe. The goal is to engage young people in giving back and getting involved in their community, whether through volunteerism or monetarily. About that program, Dean says, “I was truly inspired by the huge turnout of motivated, excited participants at the recent kickoff of BeyondMe. It gives me great confidence in the future of community service.”

The challenge of having an aging philanthropic population is reinforced by the recent passing of Steve Seidensticker, whose role as board chair of JFCS Dean will assume in October. Steve once told Dean that “You’ve accomplished a lot in your life but let me talk to you for a moment about the importance of giving back.” Dean says that had it not been for Steve Seidensticker, he likely wouldn’t be doing the work he’s doing for JFCS today. Extraordinary efforts and commitments like Steve’s are what it’s going to take to cultivate future generations of people committed to social services.

Because Dean is committed to be an impactful board chair for JFCS, he keeps finding ways to educate himself on the nonprofit world and how to be an effective board leader. Dean recently completed the Gulf Coast Leadership Institute, and a few weeks after this interview took place, Dean participated in the Harvard Business School program “Governing for Nonprofit Excellence” to learn through case studies how to run a nonprofit more effectively.

“My big idea about life is that people should have an opportunity. I am where I am because of opportunities,” Dean says. So when a local backpack program for K-12 kids ran short of funds, Dean stepped in and covered the shortage. He couldn’t stand the thought of these kids being unable to afford pencils, notebooks, and a backpack to carry them in. “I didn’t want them to go to school on day one and feel disempowered and different than the kid next to them.”

Dean is also very proud of the recent initiative JFCS has undertaken to address the risk of increased homelessness resulting from the Red Tide bloom. Its impact on the service industry has resulted in lower or missed wages that can push a family into homelessness and poverty.

“I’ve never been happier. I get to apply my skills and talents to help people, and I enjoy the rewards of working in social services,” Dean says. “I hope that other Baby Boomers are enjoying the same type of fulfilling life that I do.”

When asked what he’d say if someone asked how to manage their retirement: “I’d try to find out where their head and heart is at. Then I’d share all the great things going on in this community and encourage them to get involved today.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION about JFCS of the Suncoast, please visit JFCS-Cares.org or call 941.366.2224.