Federation Leadership

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Danny Grossman

Chief Executive Officer

Danny, a successful business owner and entrepreneur, has served extensively on the Federation’s Board of Directors, Endowment and other committees, as well as on numerous Jewish and non-Jewish boards. He brings decades of experience as a leader in the Bay Area’s Jewish and civic communities, and many years of business and public sector leadership. Previously, he was CEO of SLOW Food for Fast Lives and CEO and founder of Wild Planet Entertainment. He also served for seven years in the U.S. Foreign Service, as a diplomat overseas and at the Department of State. He holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University and received his B.A. in Russian and East European Studies from Yale University. 

Joy Sisisky

Chief Philanthropy Officer

Before joining the Federation, Joy served as executive director of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York. Previously, she was selected as the 2007-2008 Ralph I. Goldman Fellow in International Jewish Communal Service at JDC, for which she lived and worked in Ukraine and Ethiopia. Joy is co-founder of Do Good Ukraine!, an organization dedicated to building civil society through volunteerism in Ukraine. Earlier, she served as the associate director for national women’s philanthropy at United Jewish Communities, where she worked with Jewish federations in the development of gender-based fundraising. Joy graduated from Brandeis University and earned a double M.A. in Jewish Communal Service and Public Administration at the joint program of Hebrew Union College and the University of Southern California.

Holden Lee

Chief Financial and Investment Officer

Holden oversees the mechanics and operations of Endowment and Philanthropic Services, as well as the Investment Committee and the Federation's independent investment consultant, Greycourt Advisors. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Cambridge Associates, advising endowments of mission-driven organizations on their investment portfolios and developing impact investing frameworks. Holden's career includes serving as a nonprofit CFO and as a private equity investor. He earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and an A.B. in politics from Princeton University.

Julie Golde

Senior Director of Community Impact

Julie has been working for the Federation in planning and community impact for over 9 years. During this time, she has collaborated with community partners on Israel and Global grantmaking, Jewish informal education and engagement locally, and, most recently, as the Director of Grants, helping to implement strategic grantmaking and community planning on behalf of the Federation. Previously, Julie served as the East Bay Regional Director of JCRC, among holding other positions in the Jewish community. Her passion for working in the Jewish world began after living in Israel. She has a B.S. in Speech and Hearing Science from Arizona State University and an M.A. in Special Education from San Francisco State University.

 

Board of Directors 2018 - 2019

Jim Heeger
Chair 

Mark Abelson
Chair, Israel Committee

Julie Arnheim
At-Large Member

Ann Peckenpaugh Becker
At-Large Member

Valli Benesch
Treasurer
Chair, Finance & Administration Committee

Matt Berler
Chair, Investment Committee

Richard Fiedotin
Immediate Past Chair

Steven Ganz
Chair, Teen Initiative Advisory Committee

Sam Goldman
At-Large Member

Nancy Grand
Past Chair

 

 

 

Oded Hermoni
At-Large Member

Tom Kasten
Past Chair

Laura Lauder
Chair, Endowment Committee

Sara Gaviser Leslie
Chair, Board Nominating Committee
Chair, Marketing Committee

Alexander Lurie
At-Large Member

Sarah Persitz
At-Large Member

Varda Rabin
At-Large Member

Alex Rayter
Chair, Leadership Development Committee

Tali Ronen
At-Large Member

Sophie Ross
At-Large Member

 

 

 

 

David Saxe
At-Large Member

Jim Scheinman
At-Large Member

Lynn Sedway
At-Large Member 

Arthur Slepian
At-Large Member

Susie Sorkin
Chair, Executive Grantmaking Committee

Roselyne Swig
At-Large Member

Bob Tandler
At-Large Member

Carol Weitz
At-Large Member

Howard Zack
Secretary