Earlier today, Israel recovered the body of Ilan Weiss, the 55-year-old member of Kibbutz Be’eri’s emergency squad who was killed and abducted on October 7, along with the remains of another hostage, whose identity has not yet been released. We pray for the speedy return of the remaining 48 hostages.

It is hard for me to believe that Monday will be my 15^th anniversary as CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. In the current Jewish Federation system, only my colleagues in Pittsburgh and Toronto have served as CEO in their community longer. I am honored to have this role in Portland and look forward to working with the community in the years ahead.

During these past 15 years, I am very proud of our accomplishments. I could provide a long list, but that is not my focus today. And the list of things I have learned along the way may be even longer.

When I started on September 1, 2010, I had three "rules" that I wanted to live by and for the organization to adhere to:

Be Passionate About the Mission

The mission is the foundation of any nonprofit organization’s purpose and direction. It guides every aspect of its work and influences our success. Specifically, mission matters because it clearly explains what the organization aims to achieve, providing everyone a shared understanding and focus. It also guides decision-making and serves as a compass for strategic decisions.

The mission of the Jewish Federation is to “Assure the building and strengthening of the Jewish community locally, nationally, overseas, and in Israel, in accordance with Jewish values."

This defines our core purpose -- to serve every aspect of our community. I often say, the Jewish Federation is the “guardian and trustee of Jewish Portland.” I am passionate about that. Our board of directors and our professional team are passionate, too. And everything we do comes from the lens of our community’s best interests. 

Transparency

Transparency matters. We recently sent out our 2025 Annual Report. Our website has its own page dedicated to our financials and transparency. I hope all nonprofits do the same. Moreover, I am happy to answer any question about the Jewish Federation.

One key about transparency is that it holds our leadership and me as the CEO accountable for our actions and organizational performance. We hope this will foster a sense of confidence – from you – our donors, beneficiaries, volunteers, and the general public. Your trust in us as a steward of community resources and the organization's sustainability are of great importance.

Responsiveness

My personal favorite. And, the word has a double meaning to me.

First, for those who communicate with me, I try to be “hyper-responsive.” Forget my own anxieties that I missed a call, or my inbox has several new emails, I want to get back to people quickly because I value their input, needs, and concerns. I ask the same of our professional team at the Jewish Federation. In fact, we have what I call the “sunset rule” – any call or email that is received by 5:00 p.m. on a weekday should be returned that day. I believe responsiveness is crucial for any nonprofit because it bears an impact on the organization’s reputation, sense of effectiveness, and community trust.

Secondly, we want to be responsive to your needs. We are listening and learning from you. You help us identify emerging needs and challenges in our community, which guides our decision-making and future planning. Look what the Jewish Federation was able to do with the results of the 2023 Community Study and how quickly we implemented nine new initiatives to enrich our Jewish community.

Together – mission, transparency, and responsiveness will contribute to our long-term success. It keeps us focused (and away from “mission creep”), holds us accountable, and reinforces that we are responsible to those we serve and those who support the Jewish Federation.

While writing this, I searched through old graduate school folders and found notes from a course on non-profit management. I found a list of skills/behaviors that help drive success for any nonprofit CEO. They are as relevant today as they were in 1993. As I continue to learn on the job and grow as a professional, I hope I am practicing and continuously improving at each of the following:

Nonprofit CEO Traits:

• Be authentic.

• Have a clear vision, be a strategic thinker, and make things happen. (Recently, a colleague from Israel said to me – “Be a think tank…and be a do tank.” I love that. And I hope the Jewish Federation exemplifies that.)

• Passion drives purpose.

• Cultivate, motivate, and build strong strategic partnerships with the board of directors, donors, professional colleagues, community stakeholders, other organizations, and government entities.

• Communicate the organization’s mission, vision, and needs. (I try to do that through these weekly emails.)

• Sound financial management and budgeting.

• Raise money.

• Work to collaborate – not dictate.

• Adapt to the times. Priorities evolve.

• Build trust every day, especially during a crisis.

• Focus on measurable impact and outcomes.

• Integrity is all you've got. Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. As a volunteer leader often said, "You can never do wrong by doing right."

I am grateful for my first 15 years here in Portland. I certainly have learned a lot (with more to learn), made plenty of mistakes, gained a few pounds, worked with incredible volunteers and professional leaders, and remain focused on building and strengthening our Jewish community.

I love this work! My level of excitement and commitment to the Jewish community never wavers. We have accomplished so much and I know we have so much more we can do. I hope to help lead the way and be our Jewish community's ultimate cheerleader.

I cannot express enough gratitude to the board leadership, especially all the Chairs of the Board (a special thank you to Gersham Goldstein (z”l) who hired me), our generous donors, caring community members, exemplary organizational partners, and the incredible passionate professionals I have and continue to work with. And, of course, I am grateful to my family for supporting me on this journey of 31 years as a federation professional and our years in Portland.

Thank you for the honor and privilege to serve this community. I never take that responsibility lightly.

Shabbat shalom and have a wonderful and safe Labor Day holiday weekend.