Matthias Schueth reflects on his time with the Foundation

09/20/21 02:45:pm

Matthias Schueth, executive vice president of the Rogers Behavioral Health Foundation, decided that he wanted his job immediately after learning about what Rogers was in the first place.

At the time, Matthias, who was working at Children’s Wisconsin, attended a conference where he met the previous executive vice president. Her passion left an impression on him.

“It struck me how proud she was of Rogers,” he says. “Out of 20 or so people who talked about where they work, she stuck out. And then I thought that when her job becomes available, I’m going to apply there – and that’s what I did.”

Matthias summarizes the responsibilities of his role as raising and distributing funds to help support patients and programs at Rogers. Not every role at Rogers has direct patient contact, but everyone plays a part in helping to change our patients’ lives. Being able to help people through the work he does with the Foundation and assisting care teams are what he likes most about his role.

“There are heart-wrenching stories, and it’s wonderful that we can help,” he says. “The treatment is more important, but it’s rewarding to help out in our own way. It’s rewarding to help donors in finding out what their passion is and to realize their vision of how they would like to be involved.”

Traveling around the U.S. to meet donors is another aspect Matthias enjoys. He says that his favorite place to go after work or during lunch hours is Bryant Park in New York City, which he adds is “small but beautiful.”

September marks Matthias’ 10-year anniversary at Rogers. Looking back, many of what he considers his biggest accomplishments can be tied to his decision to focus on involving grateful patient families with the Foundation.

“There’s a lot of interest among families to give back, and the clinical teams can help us a lot by making these families at the end of treatment aware of the Foundation,” Matthias says. “A few of them helped us to bring treatment to certain areas. California was made possible by a donation from a former patient family. They bought a building in San Francisco and, because of that, we’re also in Los Angeles and San Diego. The same for Sheboygan, and the new Ladish Co. Foundation Center was kicked off by a generous donation.”

Looking ahead, Matthias is excited to see Rogers’ research expand at the Ladish Center and hopes the Foundation can play a role in its continued growth.

“Studies from the [Rogers] Research Center will expand understanding of mental health not just for Rogers, but for the community as a whole,” he says. “We’ll learn more of the why and how treatment is working and enhance our understanding of certain diagnoses.”

Getting to know Matthias

Matthias 2-final.jpg Matthias, who is German, has lived in the United States for more than 13 years. He met his wife in college when he visited the U.S. in a study abroad program. They lived together in Germany for 17 years and raised their two daughters there, but he said that if his wife ever found a job as a teacher in the U.S., he would give living there a try.

One of the things he misses most about home—apart from family and friends—is the terrain, which is perfect for hiking.

“I prefer to hike in mountainous regions,” Matthias says. “But we do go on hikes here as well, mainly the Ice Age Trail.”

Prior to the pandemic, Matthias planned to return to Europe for vacation and to hike across the Alps from France to Switzerland over 10 days. Like many other team members at Rogers, he had to delay his plans, but he hopes to reschedule within the next couple of years.