Steven Strauss
“I love to learn. Send me what you think I need to know and I’ll read everything about it and watch all the videos and listen to all the podcasts about it,” shares Steven Strauss passionately as he describes his love for learning about new companies and investment opportunities in his portfolio management work. Steven equally enjoys the learning that comes from talking to people through his work research: “You learn far more when talking to the people in the organization rather than reading spreadsheets.” Steven, who is also currently completing his MBA at Schulich, “loves the ‘environment…exposure to new concepts, ways of thinking, dealing with colleagues, challenging assumptions.”
Steven previously worked as a lobbyist for the First Nations. Reflecting on that learning and work : “I’m still processing. I see the impact of parents on their childrens’ lives. Parents are the single biggest link to the past and springboard to the future. I think about that with my own parenting, all the time, with my wife and I and how we parent.”
Steven grew up in LA in a traditional Jewish home and visited Toronto every summer to visit family. In 2009 he moved to Montreal and lived with his grandmother. She encouraged him to go to shul on Shabbat, and thus he began his religious journey. He moved to Toronto later that year and continued attending shul. Steven felt an instant connection to Rabbi Levi Jacobson of JRCC. He feels he owes a great debt to the JRCC, “the people there are amazing. The Rabbi is incredible. It was just right for what I needed at the time. It was perfect. It was an environment where I could really thrive and grow and plant my roots deep.” He met his wife Sarah Brown while living in the Forest Hill Jewish community; they now are part of the Shaarei Shomayim community.
Steven is a marathon runner, having completed one each year for the last four years. He loves to travel with his family and going on adventures; everything from Tough Mudder to rappelling Over the Edge for Chai Lifeline.
Steven and Sarah are parents of 3 Netivot students.
