Congratulations to Jennifer Gorovitz – and to our Federation!

The Jewish Community Federation today announced that it has appointed Jennifer Gorovitz as Chief Executive Officer of the organization.  Gorovitz becomes the first woman CEO within the largest 20 Federations in North America! Federation President, Jim Koshland, elaborated on today’s appointment, saying, “We are delighted to appoint Jennifer Gorovitz to this position; we believe that she has given us strong and decisive leadership during the past eight months.”

Gorovitz became acting CEO in September 2009, upon the unexpected departure of the previous Chief Executive Officer. At that time, she took the helm promising to continue to forge ahead in addressing the changing economy as well as the interests and needs of our diverse community. In the ensuing months, she established herself as an intelligent, level-headed, accessible leader whose confidence and dedication inspire both the JCF staff and the community. “The appointment of Jennifer signals our continuing commitment to strategically re-organizing the Federation and making it stable and relevant to current and future Jewish community needs,” Koshland said.

Gorovitz’s family history of involvement with the Federation spans four generations, starting with her great grandfather, Isaac Isaacson, who was part of the founding generation of the Hebrew Free Loan Association.  Her own Federation volunteer experience began as an undergraduate at Stanford University where she chaired the Federation’s student campaign, was invited on a student trip to Israel and led a special campus appeal for Operation Moses, Israel’s first covert campaign leading to a modern-day exodus for  Ethiopian Jews.

In 2004, with the encouragement of long-time Federation leader Phyllis Cook, Jennifer left the practice of law to enter the non-profit sector and to fulfill her desire to connect her profession with her passion through the Jewish community.  She advanced from her role as Senior Development Officer to Associate Director of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund.  Subsequently she was promoted to Director of Funds and Foundations, followed by a brief role as Chief of Staff before her appointment as Acting CEO.

Jennifer Gorovitz and her husband Eric Gorovitz, also an attorney, have two children, Jessica and Noah.