The Jed Foundation (JED) Announces Board Transition Plan

JED Board Member Michael Satow to Assume Position
Co-founder; Phillip Satow to Retire as Board Chair

July 31, 2023 – NEW YORK – The Jed Foundation (JED), the leading national nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults, today announced that Phillip Satow, Co-Founder and Board Chair, has retired as Board Chair after 23 years of service in this role, and will continue as Board Chair Emeritus and Co-founder. Michael Satow, an active JED Board Member, will succeed Phil. 

This marks an important milestone for the organization and the Satow family. In 2000, Phil and his wife, Donna, co-founded the nonprofit to honor their late son, Jed, who died by suicide in 1998 while in college. Their commitment to reducing the suicide rate and improving mental health support for youth nationwide has grown to benefit millions through a collaborative and comprehensive approach to help schools and universities address these issues. 

For more than two decades, Phil’s mission-driven leadership guided JED’s growth from a nascent nonprofit into one of the nation’s leading organizations taking action to prevent youth suicide. As Phil assumes the role of Board Chair Emeritus, he will continue to serve as an active Board member. Donna Satow, will also assume the position of Co-founder Emeritus.

Michael, who has served as a JED board member since its inception, steps into the Chair role with years of experience as an attorney who has founded and built multiple health care companies. His service on the JED Board, honoring his late brother, paired with his proven track record of scaling companies to meet the needs of consumers, make him ideal to lead JED’s board in this next chapter. 

With his strong foundation in building and operationalizing companies, Michael will devote time to helping JED expand its internal capabilities to impact as many young people as possible — supporting a mission that has been unwavering since JED’s founding by his parents.

Phil said, “It has been a tremendous honor to serve as Board Chair since Donna and I started this organization more than 20 years ago. When we lost Jed, no safety net existed for students who were struggling. In the past two decades, The Jed Foundation has become that safety net. I am immensely proud of JED’s growth over the years, and am so appreciative to the teams, partners, funders, and especially the youth who have been involved to make that happen. I am confident Michael will continue to guide JED on its mission to strengthen schools, mobilize communities, and equip young people to thrive.”

“I want to thank my father for his tremendous work – not only for founding JED, but also the time and effort he’s put in to make JED a leader in suicide prevention nationwide,” Michael said. “As Jed’s brother and as a father now, I am dedicated to safeguarding the mental health and well-being of young people. In this role, I want to ensure JED stays true to our core principles and is well-positioned to evolve with the expanding needs for youth mental health support.” 

“JED’s staff and Board of Directors are deeply appreciative of and inspired by the passion, persistence, stewardship, and focus on impact from Phil and Donna that have led to JED’s success,” said JED CEO John MacPhee. “With Michael as Board Chair, we are excited for this new chapter of growth and impact in our work to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for teens and young adults.” 

About Michael Satow 

Michael is an entrepreneur who has founded and built multiple companies valued over nine figures. He is currently co-founder, CEO, and Board Member of Bonafide Health, a leading consumer women’s health company. Recently, Michael also served as CEO and Board Member of Nutrition 21, a nutritional ingredient company selling to over 200 brand customers worldwide which was sold to Everwell Health in 2021. Earlier, he co-founded and served as a Board Member and COO of JDS Pharmaceuticals, a psychiatric and women’s health-focused specialty pharmaceutical company, which he successfully sold in 2007. Michael also co-founded and served as a Board Member and CEO of MarketXT, a financial technology company, which he successfully sold in 2000.

Michael has served on The Jed Foundation Board and Executive Committee since its founding in 2000. He has served as a Board Member of the Board of Visitors of Columbia College, Columbia University since 2014. For seven years until 2017, he was a Board Member of My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence shelter and support organization based in Westchester NY, where he served on the Executive Committee. From 2011-2016, he served on the Board of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry. Michael currently serves on the Boards of Nutrisense, a technology-driven wellness company, and Everwell Health, a leading manufacturer of specialty ingredients.

Earlier, Michael worked as a lawyer for five years both in private practice as a commercial litigator in New York City as well as a senior enforcement lawyer for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He received a B.A. from Columbia College in New York and a J.D. from Georgetown Law School. Michael currently resides in New York with his wife Barbara and has three adult sons.

About The Jed Foundation 

JED is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults. We’re partnering with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. We’re equipping teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other. We’re encouraging community awareness, understanding, and action for young adult mental health.

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Media Contact
Justin Barbo
Director, Public Relations
The Jed Foundation
Justin@jedfoundation.org
(914) 844-4611