6 Points Creative Arts is thrilled to welcome Deborah Sternberg as the chair of our Camp Council.
Deborah Sternberg grew up in the Baton Rouge, LA Jewish community. Her religious values and leadership skills were shaped through her heavy involvement in the reform movement. An active member of her youth group, she volunteered for multiple summers at Camp Dream Street in Mississippi working with physically challenged youth. She attended Henry S. Jacobs Camp and Kutz Camp, and participated in multiple NFTY national programs. Deborah served as temple youth group president, NFTY Southern (SoFTY) president, and NFTY president.
Having moved back to Baton Rouge with her family, Deborah became active in her home synagogue, Congregation B’nai Israel. She served on the board over 10 years, including as temple president. She currently sits on the URJ national board and the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism (CSA).
Deborah’s professional career has taken her from driver across the state of Louisiana to the C-Suite of an insurance company with business in every state in the country but one. Her experience in the realms of politics, communications, and business gives her a unique perspective to share with businesses and national corporate boards.
Following a passion for politics, Sternberg began her career driving Mary Landrieu, then Louisiana’s treasurer, around the state as she campaigned for governor. Fascinated by election dynamics, Sternberg also volunteered to assist with election night coverage at CBS News Network in New York City. She was then hired to track national news for the network, and she helped produce pieces for the CBS Evening News.
When Mary Landrieu was elected U.S. Senator, Sternberg joined her staff in D.C., where she gained experience in the inner workings of Congress. She brought those insights back to the CBS headquarters in New York, where she served as news veteran Dan Rather’s Associate Producer for breaking news and special events, including election night coverage. Those intense and exhilarating years included reporting on the impeachment of President Clinton, the contested Bush-Gore presidential election, John F. Kennedy Jr’s fatal plane crash, and the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, at ground zero.
Sternberg then took her experience with communications, and her understanding of what producers seek as they identify stories for production, to the corporate realm. After her years with CBS News, she joined Goodman Media International, a public relations firm based in New York. There she handled accounts ranging from U.S. News & World Report to Joe Torre’s Safe at Home Foundation and ran events like the 50th Anniversary of Rock ‘n Roll, which received nationwide coverage.
Sternberg later took this public relations and communications experience back to Louisiana, where she helped run Starmount Life, her family’s insurance business. Although her background was not insurance, she grew up in an entrepreneurial family and understood the core tenets of growing a strong business. And she knew she wanted to run an organization. During her tenure at Starmount, she helped the company grow to cover approximately 1 million people nationwide, and she received recognition including the “Influential Women in Business” award from the Baton Rouge Business Report. As Starmount’s president, she helped drive profitable growth and overall corporate strategy. Following the successful sale of Starmount to Unum, a Fortune 500 company, Sternberg finds herself in an exciting position to give back, both in terms of time and resources.
Paying it forward is exactly what she is doing. Sternberg has founded Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge, an after-school program that transforms high school students into confident entrepreneurs. Engaging the LSU Innovation Park, LSU College of Business, and Baton Rouge Area Chamber, she established a committee of local entrepreneurs and community leaders who share her vision: a culture of innovation throughout Greater Baton Rouge, starting with high school students. For further information, visit www.yeabr.org.
To learn more about the Creative Arts Council, reach out to Deborah at debsternberg@gmail.com or email creativearts@urj.org.