JFNA Leadership

Our board members are consummate leaders committed to addressing pressing issues in the Jewish world today, and dedicated to cultivating and sustaining a strong global Jewish community—now and for generations to come.

View a full list of the Board of Trustees of The Jewish Federations of North America.

Richard V. Sandler Chair, Board of Trustees

Richard V. Sandler

Richard Sandler is chair of the Board of Trustees of The Jewish Federations of North America. Mr. Sandler is a past chair of the board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

Mr. Sandler is a member of the boards of the American Jewish University, the Valley Beth Shalom synagogue, the Milken Community High School, the University of California at Berkeley Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Milken Institute.

Mr. Sandler also serves on a number of corporate boards including KU Education, Inc., Knowledge Schools, Inc., and Heron International Limited, an international real estate company.

Mr. Sandler is the executive vice president and a trustee of the Milken Family Foundation. He is a partner in the law firm of Maron and Sandler which specializes in business restructurings and acquisitions, securities transactions and real estate.

A member of the State Bar of California, Mr. Sandler is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and received his law degree from UCLA Law School.

Read missives from Richard Sandler.

Cynthia D. Shapira Vice Chair, Board of Trustees

Cynthia D. Shapira

Cynthia D. Shapira is the vice chair of the Board of Trustees of The Jewish Federations of North America. Co-chair with her husband David Shapira of the 2016 GA, Ms. Shapira also chairs JFNA’s Jewish Education & Engagement unit.

Ms. Shapira chairs the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and sits on the Board and executive committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel, where she also chairs the Strategy & Planning committee.

Ms. Shapira is President of the Shapira Foundation. With her husband David, she leads the development and implementation of the foundation’s initiatives, such as Onward Israel (which transforms young adults through professional summer internships with Israeli businesses) and the Comprehensive Excellence project with Hillel International (creating a data-informed culture to define and achieve a new standard for non-profit operational excellence.) She is a trustee of Brandeis University and member of the board of the Jewish Funders Network and Leading Edge.

Ms. Shapira was recently elected Chair of the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. She served as Vice-Chair of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's transition team, and also serves on the Governor's Advisory Board on Education and Workforce Development. She was appointed by Governor Corbett to the Pennsylvania Commission on Women and was a member of the 2012 Pennsylvania Electoral College. Her civic activity in Pittsburgh includes serving as a Board Member for the Allegheny County Airport Authority. Past service includes chair of the Pennsylvania Center for Women In Politics at Chatham University, the boards of Point Park University, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, The Pittsburgh Promise, United Way of Allegheny County, and WQED Pittsburgh.

Ms. Shapira was Honorary Co-Chair of Allegheny 365, an initiative to ensure access to individuals of varying abilities in Allegheny County, and founded the 21 & Able policy project to address the needs of youth with disabilities aging out. She was a management consultant for twenty years in the non-profit and education sectors, including ten years as executive vice president of Pappas Consulting Group, Inc.

Ms. Shapira has a Master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Wellesley College.

Suzanne B. Grant National Campaign Chair

Suzanne B. Grant

Suzanne B. Grant is the National Campaign Chair of The Jewish Federations of North America.

Ms. Grant has also served as Chair of JFNA’s Investment Committee and was the co-chair of the 2014 International Lion of Judah Conference.

Ms. Grant has held many positions within the Jewish Federation of Delaware. She served as co-chair of the Annual Campaign from 2005 and president from 2007-2009. Suzanne currently chairs the Investment Committee of the Jewish Fund for the Future, the endowment fund of the Delaware Jewish Federation, and serves as a trustee on the Board of the Federation.

Ms. Grant has also served on the Allocations Committee, the Executive Board, the Finance Committee, the Human Resources Committee, and the Women’s Philanthropy Committee. She is a past member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet and is currently on the board of National Women’s Philanthropy. She has been a Lion of Judah since 2000 and a LOJE since 2007. She is currently a Prime Minister’s Council Lion. In January of 2011, Governor Jack Markell appointed her as chair of the Delaware State Pension Fund where she also serves on the Investment Committee.

Wendy C. Abrams Chair, National Women's Philanthropy

Wendy C. Abrams

Wendy C. Abrams is Chair of National Women’s Philanthropy (NWP) of The Jewish Federations of North America. Ms. Abrams previously served as Chair of two National Women’s Philanthropy Retreats and as an NWP Class Chair. She is an active Board member of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF). She currently chairs the Community Outreach and Engagement Committee and has served on and chaired many other committees.

At the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Ms. Abrams is Immediate Past President and Campaign Chair of the Women’s Board. Ms. Abrams was also the President and Campaign Chair of the Young Women’s Board and has held many positions on both boards. In 2002, she received the JUF/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Young Leadership Award.

Ms. Abrams is a practicing Speech Pathologist and has spent the majority of her professional career volunteering.

Jodi J. Schwartz Treasurer

Jodi J. Schwartz

Jodi Schwartz is treasurer of the Board of Trustees of The Jewish Federations of North America. Ms. Schwartz is a past chair of the Retirement Fund Committee and the Governance & By-laws Committee. She serves on the board of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the Jewish Community Project of Lower Manhattan and serves on the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Ms. Schwartz, recognized as one of the world's leading lawyers in the field of taxation, is a Partner at Watchell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. She is a member of the Executive Committee and past chair of the Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association and also is a member of the American College of Tax Counsel.

She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania; an M.B.A from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and an LL.M. from the New York University School of Law.

Sheryl Kimerling Secretary

Sheryl Kimerling

Sheryl Kimerling is secretary of the JFNA Board of Trustees and a National Women’s Philanthropy advisory board member. Ms. Kimerling is also the co-chair of Yesod, a new volunteer leadership program of the Mandel Center for Leadership Excellence at JFNA and a member of the intermediate communities committee.

Ms. Kimerling and her husband Jon are past chairs of the Birmingham Jewish Federation's Campaign. Sheryl is a member of the board of directors of both the Birmingham Federation and the Birmingham Jewish Foundation. Sheryl is the Jewish Community Relations chair and Lion of Judah chair for the Birmingham Jewish Federation. She has also been heavily involved in leadership roles in the broader Birmingham community and has played major leadership roles in the YWCA of Central Alabama and the United Way of Central Alabama.

David T. Brown Chair, Israel and Overseas

David T. Brown

David T. Brown is chair of Israel & Overseas of The Jewish Federations of North America. David is immediate past chair of the Human Services & Public Policy committee and prior to that was co-chair of the Domestic Affairs Health & Long-Term Care Workgroup.

David is an active Board member of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) and is immediate past-Chair of its Board of Directors. David has also held multiple positions within the JUF, including Chair of the Overall Planning and Allocations Committee (OPAC), End of the Year Chair for the 2004 and 2008 campaigns, Chair of the Government Affairs Committee, and President of the Young Leadership Division. David is active in AIPAC and is a regular visitor to Israel. David has run in the Chicago Marathon eleven times on behalf of the American Liver Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and most recently on behalf of JUF.

David T. Brown is an accomplished attorney and committed civic leader. David is Chairman of the Chicago-based law firm, Much Shelist, P.C., where he is actively involved in strategic planning and leadership development for the firm. David is an experienced business and transactional attorney who also serves as a valued business advisor to his clients.

David is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law (J.D., 1986) and the University of Illinois (B.S., 1982).

David J. Butler Chair, Domestic Policy and Government Affairs

David J. Butler

David J. Butler is the chair of the Domestic Policy & Government Affairs Council. Mr. Butler is a past President and Annual Campaign chair for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and the immediate past president of the United Jewish Endowment Fund.

Mr. Butler is an active advocate for the Jewish community in the Washington area, where he has taken on many roles with local Jewish organizations, having served as president of Kemp Mill Synagogue, president of Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, and treasurer of the Jewish Community Relations Council. He continues to serve as a Trustee of the United Jewish Endowment Fund and a member of the Philanthropic Fund Advisory Council.

Mr. Butler is a past Chair of JFNA’s Global Planning Table and By-laws committee, and is a member of JFNA’s executive committee.

Mr. Butler has more than three decades of experience as a trial lawyer. In addition to his active commercial litigation and dispute resolution practice, Mr. Butler is counsel to Hillel: the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and special litigation counsel to the Orthodox Union.

Mr. Butler is a partner in the Washington, D.C. and New York City offices of Morgan Lewis & Bockius.

Michelle Hirsch Co-chair, National Young Leadership

Michelle Hirsch

Michelle Hirsch is Co-Chair of National Young Leadership and is a past Cleveland YLD Chair. She currently sits on the boards of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Jewish Family Services, ORT, Mandel Jewish Day School and University Hospitals.

Ms. Hirsch is the Sr. Vice President of Brunswick Companies, the third-generation family-owned insurance and risk management consulting firm, serving businesses and individuals nationwide.

Jeff Rum Co-chair, National Young Leadership

Jeff Rum

Jeff Rum is Co-Chair of National Young Leadership. In addition, he is the Vice President of Marketing on the Executive Board of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and erves as Vice President of Kol Shalom Synagogue in Rockville, Maryland. In 2015, Mr. Rum completed the Zin Fellowship, a two-year leadership development program with Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

Mr. Rum is Founder & CEO of Ignite Digital Strategy Group Inc., a marketing consulting firm based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Andrew Groveman Chair, UIA

Andrew Groveman

Andrew J. Groveman is chairman of United Israel Appeal. He is a member of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors and the Executive Committee, past President of the Memphis Jewish Federation and has served as a Past President of Baron Hirsch Congregation and two Orthodox Jewish day schools in Memphis. Nationally, Andy serves on the National Council of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is a Trustee of Yeshiva College of Yeshiva University and is past Chairman and current Board of Directors member of the L.A. Pincus Fund, an endowment fund dedicated to Jewish education based in Israel, and is on the Executive Committee of the American & International Societies for Yad Vashem. He is President and Founder of the International Center for Jewish Peoplehood, and is a Board Member of Beit Morasha.

Mr. Groveman is a Principal of Belz Enterprises, a multifaceted real estate development and investment company located in Memphis, Tennessee. The company owns and/or manages a variety of asset classes that include industrial, office, retail, multifamily and the historic Peabody Memphis hotel which is considered the cornerstone of the redevelopment of downtown Memphis.

Jerry B. Silverman President and Chief Executive Officer

Jerry B. Silverman

Jerry Silverman is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Jewish Federations of North America. He is a highly experienced leader in the North American Jewish community and longtime corporate executive, with over 25 years of experience.

Before joining The Jewish Federations, Jerry served as president of the Foundation for Jewish Camp.

For a decade before that, Jerry held a range of executive positions at the Stride Rite Corp. of Boston, including president of its international division; president, Stride Rite Children’s Group, and president, Keds Corp. Between 1979 and 1994, Jerry held several senior executive positions at Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco including national sales manager of Levi Dockers.

Over the years, Jerry has been on the boards of a range of Jewish organizations, as well.

Read missives from Jerry Silverman

Read missives from Richard Sandler and Jerry Silverman

The JFNA Financial Resources Department has recruited a group of high-level, experienced leaders to serve as a strategic governing body for our activities. This FRD Cabinet, which includes past campaign chairs, city-size representatives and affinity representatives, will help the JFNA FRD Department set our vision and strategy and prioritize our work. View a full list of the FRD Cabinet.