Stacy and Paul Lurie
Newlyweds Paul and Stacy Lurie met in 2009 when Stacy, who’d just joined the Jewish Community Center staff as coordinator of special needs, was getting a tour of the Owings Mills facility.
By then, Paul had worked at the JCC for years. In fact, Stacy kids him that the only reason he now holds his position as the JCC’s chief operating officer is because they ran out of jobs that Paul hasn’t done already.
Paul has worked for the center since he was hired at 16 by “Mr. Sol” Kleiner to keep score for basketball games. Since then, Paul helped staff birthday parties, ran sports leagues and Maccabi Games, worked at Camp Milldale and at the JCC’s front desk. When a full-time job managing JCC sports leagues became available, Paul left the Johns Hopkins Health System to begin his professional tenure there.
All of the institutional knowledge Paul absorbed over the past 20 years came in handy for his newest post as COO, especially this year when the JCC was one of many Jewish institutions across the nation targeted in a series of bomb threats.
“That was more challenging than usual,” says Stacy, noting there were some late-night phone calls and meetings at the JCC after the threats were received. “I wanted to be supportive. But I needed to sleep and get up early to drive to work.”
In addition, she had concerns about Paul’s safety. “I didn’t like the fact that when everyone else was [being evacuated from the JCC], Paul was going in.”
Paul remained, for the most part, unflappable. “For better or for worse, I tend to keep my stress inside,” says Paul, noting that he tends to talk things out with his wife and vice versa.
Stacy, who left the JCC after eight years there, is now director of programs for the Maryland chapter of Best Buddies, an organization that creates one-on-one friendships and professional ties between people with and without disabilities.
Her job frequently takes her to locations throughout the state, and she often works evenings. The Luries, who live in Owings Mills, agree it’s sometimes hard to achieve work-life balance. Yet they respect and support the career responsibilities of each other.
“When we have work issues like problems with a supervisor or project, we always have someone to talk to whom we trust and respect,” says Paul.
Says Stacy: “We’re an ‘opposites attract’ couple. Paul’s an analytic thinker. He works from the head. I work from my heart.”
Though she no longer works in the Jewish community, Stacy says she will always be involved as a volunteer. “Not because of Paul, but because of my beliefs,” she says.
“We’re both passionate about the community and want to be involved in any way we can,” says Paul. “For me, it’s professional; for Stacy, it’s personal.”
“We balance each other out,” says Stacy.
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- Powerful Stuff — Editor-in-Chief Alan Feiler wonders if his grandparents were a “power couple.”
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