Beth

Hershenhart

Saratoga Springs - Beth Hershenhart, whose gift for building community and friendships formed the heart of her life and work, died at home on November 10, 2026, at the age of 66, following a short but fierce battle with glioblastoma.

Since 1991, when she founded her firm, the Innovative Resources Group, Beth lived every day her belief in the positive impact that nonprofit organizations have on the lives and well-being of individuals and communities. She and her colleagues provided thoughtful counsel to help hundreds of organizations—educational and faith-based institutions, support for the arts and the environment, healthcare for underserved people and services for people with disabilities— cultivate philanthropic support and discover novel ways to succeed.

Beth believed that the best way for people to succeed was not by competing with one another, but by uniting to share information and ideas. She was a longtime member and former president of the Association of Philanthropic Counsel (APC). Partnering with fellow counsel from around the country, Beth helped create Inter NAC, the International Advancement Counsel, which served clients from Duluth, Minnesota, to Lahore Pakistan. And for many a person in need of guidance in their careers, Beth extended her hand and heart to offer advice and mentorship.

Beth brought that same sense of commitment and caring to her work as a volunteer for local, national, and international organizations, devoting her time and energy to, among many others, Common Cause, the National Women’s Political Caucus, Pitney Meadows Community Farm, and the Central American human rights organization Cristosal. She was also a member and past president of her beloved synagogue, Congregation Berith Sholom, in Troy, NY.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Port Jefferson, Long Island, Beth was part of a family that emphasized the value and joy of learning. From an early age, she had a love of words, writing poetry and stories, working on her school newspaper, and even having articles published in a local newspaper (where she also had her first job) when she was still in high school. She also started a club during those years called WOW (Women of Words).

Summers in Beth’s youth were spent on her maternal grandmother’s Catskills farm in Phillipsport, NY, idyllic days spent with her sisters and friends riding their bikes, climbing the mountain behind the farm to sit by the waterfall, and reading stacks of books from the traveling bookmobile. As adults, the yearly farm gatherings invited in new friends to picnic, play games, and gather around a campfire when the sun went down. This group of friends, as has seemingly everyone who has ever known Beth, remained friends for life.

After graduating from Syracuse University in 1981, with a B.A. degree in Theology and Journalism from the Newhouse School, Beth became the Regional Director in Long Island for then NYS Assembly Speaker Stanley Fink, a bold move for a then-21-year-old with the bravery and know-how to work with seasoned professionals two and three times her age. She subsequently became Associate Executive Director of the United Way of Schenectady, and later the Director of Major Gifts for Union College, before founding the Innovative Resources Group.

In Saratoga Springs, where Beth had an ongoing love affair with the city, she and her life partner, Amanda Hiller, created a home tucked into the woods and bursting with flowers, where family and friends old and new gathered year after year to have a cup of tea or celebrate Thanksgiving or Passover around a table groaning with good wine and good food, and to share stories. Beth, it must be said, was a world-class hostess and storyteller.

For all Beth’s talents and accomplishments, perhaps the greatest was that of being a loving friend and partner. With a smile that could light up a room, a warm hug, a generosity of spirit, and boundless encouragement for the people she loved, she will forever be remembered as a source of joy.

Beth is survived by her spouse, Amanda Hiller; sister Elise Hershenhart Emerman and brother-in-law Steven Emerman; sister Lori Hershenhart and sister-in-law Chris Wegrzyn; nephew Christopher Wegrzyn, niece Erica Wegrzyn (Jeff Correll), and grandnephews and nieces Tyler, Mika, Adeline, Noah, Austin and Dalton, as well as many loving cousins and countless friends. She is predeceased by her parents, Saul and Edith Hershenhart.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00am on Friday, November 13, 2026, at Congregation Berith Sholom, 167 3rd St, Troy, NY, followed by interment at the Berith Sholom Cemetery. The family will observe shiva at the home of Beth’s sister, Lori, 54 Wiegner Lane, Troy, NY, immediately following the interment and from 4:30-7:30pm on Saturday, November 14, 2026. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, and in the spirit of Beth’s commitment to community, her family urges one and all to make a stretch gift in her memory to a nonprofit organization doing good work in the world.

Arrangements are under the direction of William J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home, 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs (518-584-5373).

Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.