Donald M. Schaeffer, JD, CPA
Donald M. Schaeffer, JD, CPA is an owner and president of the accounting firm Schaeffer & Sam, CPA, P.C., where he leverages his expertise as both an attorney and a certified public accountant to assist families and businesses with tax, estate planning, accounting, and legal matters. Additionally, he serves as a trustee for several major family foundations and trusts and is a board member of GTJ REIT Inc., a public real estate investment trust. Mr. Schaeffer graduated from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia Law School. He practiced tax law in Philadelphia at the Schnader and Wolf Block law firms before relocating to New York.
Mr. Schaeffer has served as chair of the Hofstra University Board of Trustees since 2019. Named an honorary Hofstra alumnus in 2014, he has been a trustee since March 2015.
Donald Schaeffer and his wife, Joan Behr Schaeffer, are dedicated benefactors of Hofstra University who have made a lasting impact on academic and arts initiatives. In 2005, they established the Joan & Donald Schaeffer Fellowship, which was awarded to pre-med students participating in summer clinical research projects. The Dean Bernard J. Firestone Undergraduate Fellowship followed in 2012, honoring Mr. Schaeffer’s longtime friendship with the highly regarded dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The fellowship supports undergraduates performing summer research in the humanities or social sciences. Shortly after, in 2015, the Irene and Emanuel Schaeffer Endowed Scholarship in the Arts was created. This fund, named for Mr. Schaeffer’s parents, supports students majoring in dance, drama, fine arts, or music, who have demonstrated scholastic excellence.
In addition to financial support, the Schaeffers have contributed to the physical development of campus as well. In 2007, they restored and donated Mrs. Schaeffer’s family’s 1921 Steinway piano to the University. In 2016, the University unveiled the newly created Joan and Donald Schaeffer Black Box Theater, which combines state-of-the-art technology with an intimate performance space.
Mr. Schaeffer’s dedication to the arts extends into his personal life. He has written a trilogy of children’s musicals, performed by students at a Long Island elementary school, and published four children’s books, including two award-winning chapter books. His literary achievements include: 2023 Global Ebook Gold Medal, 2023 and 2024 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, and 2024 Regal Summit Book Award. He was a finalist for a 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Award and a 2024 American Fiction Award. His latest children’s book, Sienna & the Magical Adventure Park, was published in early 2025. Mrs. Schaeffer is head of their publishing company, Circle Originals, LLC.
Donald and Joan Schaeffer have been married for over 50 years, with family always at the heart of their lives. Their son, Andrew, and daughter-in-law, Becca, are proud Hofstra alumni, having graduated from the Frank G. Zarb School of Business and The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication respectively. Inspired by their shared entrepreneurial spirit – Andrew and Becca have each built successful businesses - Andrew as owner of EZ Auto Movers, a vehicle transport agency, and Becca as founder of Friends of the House, a consulting and coaching company that supports content creators. Above all, they cherish their role as parents to their daughter, Stella, who will soon be turning 2 years old.