2025 Judith Chapman Memorial Women’s Leadership Award Recipient
The Federation is pleased to announce that former Board Chair Eileen Ruby has been selected as the 2025 Judith Chapman Memorial Women’s Leadership Award recipient. This prestigious award recognizes Eileen’s significant volunteer leadership and her dedication to tzedakah (taking care of people in need). Eileen exemplifies a generosity of spirit that has profoundly affected the Bay Area Jewish community and beyond.
“Eileen’s support of charitable and political initiatives and leaders has always centered on effectiveness in advancing her goal of a more equitable society where all can thrive, and children can reach their potential. She has given generously of her time and resources and has served as a role model for many, and I cannot imagine a more worthy recipient than Eileen for the Judith Chapman Memorial Leadership Award.”
— Libby Schaaf, former Mayor of Oakland
“Meeting and working with Eileen truly changed my life. She is a force of nature – being around her is uplifting, energizing, educative, and just plain fun. She urged, encouraged, and taught me how to do things I did not think I was capable of.”
— Former Piedmont Education Endowment Chair
For more than forty years, Eileen has been an accomplished leader in the Bay Area, with an impressive record of devoting her time to Jewish organizations. Beyond serving as our Federation Board Chair, Eileen has been intensely involved in many key aspects of the Federation’s work, including serving on the Executive Committee, the CEO Search Committee, the Board Nominating Committee, the Endowment Committee, the Executive Committee of the Endowment, and strategic planning task force. Eileen also served as the president of the East Bay Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, and was one of the leaders who set the groundwork for uniting the East Bay Federation with the San Francisco-based Federation.
“When there is a cause that I feel strongly about, a person or community worthy of support, Eileen is the first person I think to go to. She does not care about credit for what she contributes, she simply wants to make the world a better place: a place where all families have the opportunities they deserve. And she delivers – time after time.”
— David Silver
“I spent many years in leadership at [Temple Sinai] and could always count on Eileen for wise counsel and guidance as well as financial and fundraising support. Eileen is honest and direct and has a great ability to see through to the issue at hand. As President of the temple during the pandemic and recovery, I relied on Eileen to listen to ideas and give me her honest opinion.”
— Jon Braslaw
Eileen also models philanthropy as a generous member of the Federation’s Centennial Living Legacy Society. After her husband passed away in 2016, Eileen established the Rob Ruby Memorial Fund for Jewish Teen Programming to honor his commitment to supporting and engaging young adults. Recently, Jewish LearningWorks established the Ruby Award to honor talented teen educators.
Although the Federation has been a constant centerpiece in her life, Eileen has also been involved in other Jewish organizations, serving on the boards of Kevah, Jewish Film Institute, Oakland JCC, and Berkeley Hillel, as well as helping to lead Temple Sinai’s Capital Campaign. Outside of the Jewish community, Eileen has chaired the Endowment Campaign for the Piedmont Education Foundation, chaired the Annual Home Tour for the Children’s Support League, and served two terms as a Piedmont Park Commissioner. She has hosted events for dozens of community organizations, including Oakland Promise and Strive for Change Foundation.
The Federation is proud to honor Eileen, a true embodiment of the values of the Judith Chapman Memorial Women’s Leadership Award.
