UJA-Federation of New York has announced the nomination of Jerry W. Levin for president and Alisa Doctoroff for chair of the board.
The decision of the organization’s Nominating Committee, chaired by Morris W. Offit, was announced at a Board of Directors meeting on March 16th. The board will vote on the nominations June 10th. The new leaders’ terms are slated to begin July 1, 2010.
“I am delighted that we have two such accomplished individuals who are willing to take on the leadership of this extraordinary institution,” said John M. Shapiro, outgoing president of UJA-Federation. “Jerry Levin and Alisa Doctoroff bring great stature, extensive knowledge, and a profound commitment to our community.”
Serving as the chief voluntary officers for a term of three years, Levin and Doctoroff said they would strive to achieve the continued success of UJA-Federation.
'Narrow the gap'
“I am honored with the opportunity to become the president of UJA-Federation of New York, and simultaneously intimidated by the challenge of following in the footsteps of the great leaders of the Jewish community who preceded me,” said Levin. “All of us at UJA-Federation recognize the upcoming challenges of the next few years — diminishing resources with accelerating needs. It will be a focus of mine to find ways to more effectively utilize our resource base — in terms of both the financial and human resources available to us and our beneficiary agencies — to narrow the gap.”
Levin currently serves as chair of the board of UJA-Federation. Previously, he was general campaign chair, vice chair of the Marketing Communications Committee, and held other leadership roles at UJA-Federation. Levin is chairman and chief executive officer of Wilton Brands Inc., a branded consumer product company. He is also chair of the Jewish Federations of North America’s Marketing Committee and sits on the boards of Ecolab Inc., Saks Incorporated, and U.S. Bancorp. Levin is a trustee of the Hampton Synagogue and serves on the Advisory Council of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the University of Michigan’s President’s Advisory Council.
Doctoroff is the current chair of UJA-Federation’s Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal, with more than a decade of experience on the commission, including as the chair of its Israel Task Force. She is also on the Executive Committee at UJA-Federation. She is the immediate past president of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School and was instrumental in founding its high school division in 2001. Doctoroff is a passionate believer in the importance of high-quality Jewish education, both formal and informal. She serves on a variety of other organization boards, among them Moving Traditions, Mechon Hadar, the Jewish Lens, and Congregation Or Zarua, where she is a past president. She is also active on the boards of the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she chairs the Governance Committee, and the Jewish Funders Network, where she is a member of the Executive Committee.
Community as 'largest asset'
“I see community as UJA-Federation’s largest asset, and strengthening it as its greatest challenge. It is also what people, Jews and non-Jews alike, need most in a world that is global, fast-paced, and demanding,” said Doctoroff. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the extraordinary lay and professional leadership of Jerry Levin and John Ruskay to move the organization further toward its full potential.”
John S. Ruskay, executive vice president and CEO of UJA-Federation, said of the newly nominated leaders: “Jerry and Alisa bring extraordinary leadership, experience, and wisdom, complementing each other well. They have held both leadership positions in the Jewish community and senior positions at UJA-Federation, Jerry as board chair and Alisa as head of one of our commissions. This will serve them and the organization well.”