Knightly News

"I always had a sense that there was a greater world out there, and I wanted to explore it." Rebecca Schutte '01

Flip through the 2001 Episcopal Accolade and you’ll find a photo of Rebecca Schutte ’01 presenting her honors thesis on the death of King Tut. As an Episcopal student, Schutte played in the band and was a member of the volleyball team. She enjoyed the volunteer requirements and the opportunity to get involved in the community. She was also an enthusiastic learner. Schutte describes herself as intellectually curious and someone who is curious about the world. At Episcopal, she found teachers and classmates that understood and supported that. “It was always ok to question and to have a curious mind and pursue a lot,” says Schutte, who looks back now with appreciation for the freedom and encouragement to explore.

Schutte has certainly explored the world. With that natural curiosity and a passion for helping others, she embarked on global adventures at an early age. After graduating from the University of Chicago, she joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to the West African nation of Burkina Faso. There, she focused on the education and empowerment of girls. To this day Schutte says it is difficult to articulate the experience she had in one of the poorest nations on the planet. She was in a remote location among people who had nothing and faced extreme challenges, yet they survived. The experience was eye-opening and inspiring.

Her time in Burkina Faso was just the beginning of Schutte’s work in international development. With her intellect and compassion, she has had numerous opportunities abroad. For example, Schutte worked for the Center for Global Development supporting the economic advisor to the President of Liberia – an opportunity she still appreciates today. Through this role, she spent time working for the Minister of Finance in Monrovia and helped coordinate the Liberia Poverty Reduction Forum in Berlin which brought together more than 200 high-level representatives from foreign governments, international organizations, multilateral banks, foundations and NGOs to discuss Liberia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and pledge their support. While completing a master’s degree in development economics and international business relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Schutte conducted research in Mozambique. During a stint with the World Bank, she made frequent visits to Haiti to support programs for young women to learn technical skills for employment and to support survivors of gender-based violence in internally displaced persons camps.
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Schutte’s work abroad was difficult. For someone who loves learning, it was also rewarding. These experiences inform what she does even now as she takes on an exciting new role in the community that she first called home.

"What have I done for my own community?"

While Schutte loves to travel and says she would “pretty much go anywhere,” the path eventually brought her home to Baton Rouge. After living in Connecticut where she says the winters are long, Schutte and her husband Guil decided to find a warmer climate. A chance conversation on a visit home to Baton Rouge resulted in a job for Guil and the two headed south within two weeks. Schutte joined the team at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation where she worked in Donor Services to connect donors with organizations in need. The role was fulfilling and offered Schutte the opportunity to continue making a difference.

Recently, Schutte accepted a new opportunity as the President and CEO of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center Foundation. The Pennington Biomedical website describes the center as “a world research leader right here in Louisiana.” Researchers at the center focus on the causes of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. The global mission of the local center seems to be an ideal fit for Schutte as it allows her the opportunity to continue having a far-reaching impact from her hometown. She is thrilled with the possibilities.
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Earlier this year, Pennington Biomedical launched a campaign to change the national conversation about obesity. The goal is to educate the public that obesity is a complex disease and we need to create a sense of urgency to address the obesity epidemic. With enthusiasm, Schutte points out that esteemed researchers come from all over the world to work at the center, and the work being done there is something “we should all be proud of.” Her own sense of pride for the center’s scientists comes through as she speaks of the work being done to understand and reduce the impacts of obesity. She says center researchers are also involved with COVID-19 work which is important because patients with obesity are suffering much worse outcomes as COVID-19 patients. Schutte’s passion for this new role is apparent, and she looks forward to spreading the word about all the discoveries being made at the center.

"Did I move the needle forward?"

Life has always been bustling for Schutte, and that is especially true over the past few years. She accepted the Pennington leadership position as the pandemic began impacting the region. At the time, the foundation was unable to host donor events or meetings. However, with a positive spirit, Schutte took advantage of that time to evaluate the organization and ensure it was well prepared for the future.

As for her own future, Schutte has much to celebrate. She and Guil welcomed their first child, daughter Stella. In addition, the growing family also recently moved. While that may sound like a lot to juggle, Schutte maintains an upbeat outlook saying she does the best she can. She takes things one day at a time and asks herself, “Did I move the needle forward? Even if just a little – it was a good day.”
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Curious. Compassionate. Confident. Rebecca Schutte is a great representative of what it means to be a Knight. Please join us in wishing her well in her future endeavors. We are certain she still has much to do!

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.