Federation CEO Jennifer Gorovitz on the Forward 50 list of top Jewish leaders

We are excited to announce that Jennifer Gorovitz has been named in the Forward’s annual list of the top 50 men and women who have made a significant impact in the past year. Appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation in 2009, she also has the distinction of being the first woman CEO among the largest 20 Federations of North America.

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, participated in 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 Gorovitz left the practice of law to enter the non-profit sector 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 where she was subsequently promoted to Director of Funds and Foundations, followed by a brief role as Chief of Staff before her appointment as CEO. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Stanford University, Gorovitz clerked for the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington DC, was a litigator for Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, a Public Defender for Santa Clara County, and counsel to public charities and private foundations for Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass.

Check out the full write-up on Gorovitz in the Forward at: http://forward.com/articles/132454/#jgorovitz The full Forward 50 list can be seen at: http://forward.com/forward-50