Our Leadership
UJA-Federation of New York is led by committed leaders who reflect the diversity and dynamism of the New York Jewish community. Volunteers work hand in hand with professional staff, proudly upholding a 90-year tradition of creative collaboration.
John M. Shapiro
President
John M. Shapiro was appointed president of UJA-Federation on July 1, 2007, after serving as general campaign chair for two years, among other leadership positions.
Mr. Shapiro is a managing director and co-founder of Chieftain Capital Management, Inc., an investment advisory firm. He serves as chairman of the board of Lawyers for Children and is both a board member and sits on the executive committees of the American Academy in Rome and the American Jewish Committee. He is a trustee of the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, a member of the Committee on Prints and Illustrated Books at the Museum of Modern Art, a member of the Investment Committee of the Asia Society, and an honorary trustee of the Dalton School. He also participated in the creation and endowment of a Jewish studies program at Wesleyan University.
After receiving a B.A. in philosophy from Wesleyan University in 1974, Mr. Shapiro earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1978.
With his family, Mr. Shapiro endowed the Shapiro Family Fellowship at UJA-Federation, a one-year fellowship with a 17-day trip to Israel, designed to help future leaders of the worldwide Jewish community connect with peers and mentors in the United States and Israel.
Jerry W. Levin
Chair of the Board
After serving as UJA-Federation general campaign chair for three years, among other leadership roles, Jerry W. Levin was appointed chair of the board on July 1, 2007.
Mr. Levin is chairman and chief executive officer of JW Levin Partners LLC, a New York City–based firm that specializes in the rebuilding of branded consumer product and service companies. He also sits on the boards of Ecolab Inc., Saks Incorporated, and U.S. Bancorp.
Mr. Levin is a trustee of the Hampton and New York Synagogue, and serves on the Advisory Council of the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
His involvement with the University of Michigan includes sitting on the President’s Advisory Council and the National Advisory Committee of the College of Engineering, where he also serves as co-chairman of the Capital Campaign.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, with B.S.E. degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics, Mr. Levin received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1968.
John S. Ruskay, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President & CEO
John S. Ruskay first came to UJA-Federation in 1993 and served in several positions before being appointed executive vice president and CEO in October 1999. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1968, Dr. Ruskay earned his doctorate in political science at Columbia University. He served as educational director of the 92nd Street Y from 1980 to 1985, and vice chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America from 1985 to 1993.
Dr. Ruskay has written extensively and speaks nationally on how the American Jewish community can most effectively respond to the challenges and opportunities of living in an open society, the critical role of Jewish philanthropy, and the central role of community.
He has served as a senior consultant to the Wexner Foundation and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Foundation, and has chaired the Publication Committee of the Journal of Jewish Communal Service and the Professional Advisory Committee of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program.
Dr. Ruskay is a recipient of the Bernard Reisman Award for Professional Excellence from Brandeis University's Hornstein Program and the Mandelkorn Distinguished Service Award from the Jewish Communal Service Association of North America.
On December 8th, 2009, Dr. Ruskay's ten year anniversary as CEO, and UJA-Federation's work in that time, was commemorated with a symposium and a special issue of the Journal of Jewish Communal Service.