Meet Craig Meddin, Our New Board President!
As we look ahead to 2024, we are excited to welcome our new board president, Craig Meddin. Craig is the founder and CEO of Postal Solutions, a company offering mail and package management for the apartment industry. He has served on our Board of Trustees for seven years. He is an alumnus of the University of Florida, from which he is the four-time recipient of the Gator100 Award, honoring the fastest-growing UF-alumni owned or led businesses in the world. He lives in Raleigh with his wife, Anna, and their two children. We talked with Craig to learn more about what inspired him to get involved in Federation and his goals for his term.
Q: What brought you to Raleigh?
A: We spent two years “city shopping” to decide where we wanted to live as a family. We strategically chose cities that appealed to us and tried spending one to four weeks, some for a few months living there as tests. For work, I only really need internet and an easy airport, my role is not location dependent. Moving from Florida, we wanted a place with where the sun stilled shined during the winter months. We also wanted to be relatively close to the water, because I grew up along Tampa Bay. We narrowed our choices down to Charlotte and Raleigh. When it came down to it, everybody in Greater Raleigh loved living here. We moved here in Spring 2017, right before the groundbreaking ceremony at the David R. Kahn Community Campus, and are loving our decision!
Q: How did you first get involved with Federation in our area?
A: We first got involved through the JCC. Before we arrived, we called to ask for local “Jewish” information, synagogues and preschool (at the time) locations, and seeking realtor recommendations. From there we looked at programs and opportunities. I still have a video on my phone of our kids at the JCC for a Passover event in the first few weeks we moved to town! We attended the groundbreaking ceremony where I inquired about getting involved. We attended programs of interest, and used the swimming pool in the summer. I joined the Federation Board of Trustees later that same year. I don’t know how NOT to be involved. I’ve been on Hillel boards, civic boards, city boards. I served as two-time Kiwanis Club President in downtown Orlando, during our decade there while my wife Anna attended law school and later practiced. It’s my strong belief that if you know how, and you can, then you should. So here I am!
Q: What has been your proudest accomplishment as a board member so far?
A: There are many programs and services that I am proud of, especially JFSGO and PJ Library. I’m also proud of the leadership team we’ve built. This year, we had twice as many board applicants than we did open positions on the board. This is a true testament to the good work that comes from all the wonderful things Federation is doing, as the community at large is noticing. The idea that the community wants to participate with us, and we’re not working to convince them to join us, is the biggest change in my almost seven-years of being on the board. We’ve gone from being the best kept secret in town, to our greater Jewish community having a better understanding of what we do.
Q: What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing Jewish communities today?
A: We live in a post-October 7th world, so rising antisemitism is a major concern. Not that there’s ever been a complete absence of it, but it’s far less discreet than when it was more underlying. Even my little kids have already had direct experiences. We are actively working to better educate and communicate with others.
Aside from that, we have the challenge of how we appeal and relate to a broad audience. I feel like there’s a long period between the post-Bar Mitzvah and starting a family where being involved in your Jewish community takes a lower priority. We want people in that age group to want to be involved, still volunteer, get involved philanthropically on any level. I know that’s a hard ask in today’s busy world, because there are so many important causes and fun things to do. I saw this during my time in Kiwanis, too. Besides being appealing to all ages, we need to challenge ourselves to be more inclusive on all fronts regardless of observance-level, ethnicity, interfaith marriage, sexual orientation. We need to be open to all people and understanding what OUR community is seeking. Who are my people? Are there people here, like me?
Q: What is your biggest goal for your term as president?
A: This one I know! We’ve already made such important organizational changes. I want to get us on solid financial footing, so we can take that next leap in growth. I want us to double our household reach by the end of 2026. I want to see this community recognized in a more significant and impactful way. I want to see Federation grow locally in the communities where our community lives, and help to erase that North-Raleigh-only stigma. We are a community organization of volunteers and we need more of them - we cannot do it alone. At my installation, I shared the launch of what I would like to see as a Pick One campaign. Pick one volunteer opportunity and get started. It’s easy, just pick one, we need you!
Q: What do you want people to understand about Federation?
A: I want people to understand that the Federation is a larger organization than they might understand. That JFS, JCC, JCRC are agencies of the Federation, along with the many great programs that originate locally, are all collectively the Federation. We’ve historically unknowingly siloed those organizations, but they are one unified group all here for our community. We aren’t just for kids, or only for seniors, we aren’t just for one group, we’re for all groups. We are here for the entire community and I hope they come to join us!
To contact Craig, e-mail him at craig.meddin@shalomraleigh.org.