UJA-Federation of New York has announced the nomination of Alisa Doctoroff for president and Linda Mirels for chair of the board. The decision of the organization's Nominating Committee for Officers, chaired by past President John M. Shapiro, was announced at yesterday's Board of Directors meeting. The board will vote on June 13, 2013 and the new leaders' terms are slated to begin July 1, 2013.
"I am delighted that we have two such accomplished and dedicated individuals to assume leadership of this great institution," said Jerry W. Levin, whose term as President of UJA-Federation ends June 30, 2013. "Alisa Doctoroff and Linda Mirels bring great stature, extensive expertise and a profound commitment to our community. They bring to UJA-Federation a leadership team that is extraordinarily qualified to meet the challenges of the increasingly complex environment in which we operate."
Serving as the top voluntary officers for a term of three years, Doctoroff and Mirels will guide UJA-Federation, one of the nation's premier nonprofit organizations, in its work in New York, Israel and more than 60 other countries throughout the world.
Alisa Doctoroff, who currently serves as Chair of the Board of UJA-Federation, said, "All of us recognize both the continued challenges and the incredible opportunities ahead of us as we address the changing face of our Jewish community in all its dimensions. My focus will be to implement strategic approaches to apply our financial and human assets to our communal needs, and to do this effectively, whether in response to crisis, such as Hurricane Sandy, or every day. I am truly honored by this opportunity to serve."
Doctoroff was previously the Chair of UJA-Federation's Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal, having served as a member for more than a decade and leading its Israel Task Force. A passionate believer in the importance of high-quality formal and informal Jewish education, Doctoroff is a past president of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School and was instrumental both in founding its high school division in 2001 and in its recent expansion. She serves on the boards of a variety of other organizations, among them the Jewish Theological Seminary, Moving Traditions and Mechon Hadar.
Linda Mirels co-chaired the UJA-Federation Campaign Steering Committee for three years, culminating with the 2011 Campaign, which raised a total of $188 million, surpassing the 2010 campaign by more than $7 million. She previously chaired the Women's Campaign and currently is an Executive Committee member-at-large and sits on the Board of Directors of UJA-Federation. She is involved in a number of other philanthropic organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, where she serves on the Executive Committee; the Jewish Funders Network, where she is on the Board of Directors; and the Metropolitan Opera, where she serves on the Advisory Board.
"UJA-Federation's community is caring, committed and generous," said Mirels. "I am thrilled to have this chance to work with the extraordinary lay leaders and professional staff to move the organization further toward its full potential."
John S. Ruskay, Executive Vice President and CEO of UJA-Federation, said of the newly nominated leaders: "Alisa and Linda bring extraordinary leadership, experience and wisdom, and they complement each other well. They have held both leadership positions in the Jewish community and senior positions at UJA-Federation. Their appointment is well-earned recognition of their involvement with UJA-Federation and will serve the organization well. My colleagues and I look forward to working with them."