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.

Julie Platt Chair, Board of Trustees

Julie Platt

Julie Platt is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and is immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and immediate past Chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp.

Prior to serving as Board Chair at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Ms. Platt served as their General Campaign Chair, Chair of their Ensuring the Jewish Future Strategic Initiative, and Chair of the Federation’s Sylvia Weisz Women’s Philanthropy.

She was honored with the Ruby Award for her commitment to leadership and community service, presented by Women’s Philanthropy. Ms. Platt’s lifelong connection with the Jewish community began at Camp Ramah in Ojai, and today she is a driving force behind shining a bright light on the transformative impact of a Jewish camp experience and raising funds for the field.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Platt serves on the Board of Trustees as well as Penn Hillel's National Board of Governors.

David T. Brown Vice Chair, Board of Trustees

David T. Brown

David T. Brown is the Vice Chair of JFNA’s Board of Trustees. He previously served as National Campaign Chair, Israel and Overseas Chair and as Chair of the Domestic Policy & Government Affairs Committee.

Mr. Brown is an active Board member of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF). He is the immediate past-Chair of its Board of Directors and is a member of its Executive Committee. He has held multiple positions at 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. He is active in AIPAC and is a regular visitor to Israel. He has run in the Chicago Marathon 11 times on behalf of the American Liver Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and most recently on behalf of JUF.

Mr. Brown is an accomplished attorney and committed civic leader. He 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. He is an experienced business and transactional attorney who also serves as a valued business advisor to his clients.

Mr. Brown is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law and the University of Illinois.

David Heller National Campaign Chair

David Heller

J. David Heller is the National Campaign Chair.He is the immediate Past Chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

In January 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Heller to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. In addition, Heller serves on the boards of the Parkwood Corporation, United Way of Greater Cleveland, the Cleveland Foundation, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Heller is devoted to serving the Jewish community in northeast Ohio. He has served on the Board of Trustees for Jewish Community Housing and Gross Schechter Day School. He was Board President of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, President of the Board of the Ohio Jewish Communities, and Chair of the Government Relations Committee at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

Heller is the President, CEO and Cofounder of The NRP Group, which is one of the largest multifamily development companies in the US. Since its founding in 1994, The NRP Group has developed more than 42,000 apartment homes and currently manages over 23,000 residential units across the nation. Prior to founding The NRP Group, Heller worked as a consultant for The Townsend Group where he was responsible for more than $3.6 billion in real estate investments over a two-year period. Heller then spent five years at Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago as a manager in the real estate consulting division.

Heller lives in suburban Cleveland with his wife Rebecca. They have four children: Lindsey, Ben, Ellie and Sam.

Iris Kraemer Chair, National Women's Philanthropy

Iris Kraemer

Iris previously served as Southeast Consortium Co-Chair of Partner 2Gether, as well as both Campaign Chair and Board Chair of the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Northeast Florida. She is currently the Governance Committee Chair. Iris has been a member of the National Women's Philanthropy Board for the past four years and has served as Book and Author series Co-Chair and Class Chair. She also served as Education Chair on the Torah Academy Day School Board in Jacksonville.

Iris is a member of JFNA’s Financial Relations Committee and of the Antisemitism and Security Subcommittee of the Domestic Policy and Public Affairs Committee. Iris is a member of the Jewish Agency for Israel North America (JAFINA) advisory committee. Iris is a recipient of the Kipnis-Wilson Friedland Award and the Joe P. Safer Humanitarian Award. In her professional life, she is a speech and language pathologist and dyslexia tutor. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida.

Suzanne B. Grant Treasurer

Suzanne B. Grant

Suzanne B. Grant is the Treasurer of JFNA’s Board. She has held a variety of positions within the Jewish Federation system. She is a past National Campaign Chair of The Jewish Federations of North America, past Investment Committee Chair and was the co-chair of the 2014 International Lion of Judah Conference.

She has held many positions within the Jewish Federation of Delaware. She served as co-chair of the Annual Campaign in 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.

Suzanne B. Grant has served as the Chair of the Board of the Delaware State Pension Fund since 2012 and has been a trustee since 2009. She also serves on the Investment Committee for the fund. Over the past 35 years, Suzanne has held numerous investment-related positions in the investment world including at firms such as Smith Barney, Morgan Stanley and Jefferies & Company.

Suzanne is credited as a producer of highly acclaimed Broadway productions: To Kill a Mockingbird; Moulin Rouge! The Musical!, Lifespan of a Fact, Network, The Waverly Gallery, Three Tall Women, The Iceman Cometh; London productions: The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Red; National tour of Jitney; and Off Broadway: The Visitor, Mornings at Seven; Future Broadway production: Carmen Jones.

Suzanne is a Trustee of Tulane University where she also serves on the Endowment Management, Finance, and Executive Committees.

Dena Boronkay Rashes Secretary

Dena Boronkay Rashes

Dena Boronkay Rashes is the Secretary of the Jewish Federations of North America’s Board. She has been a member of the Jewish Federations of North America’s Board of Trustees and Israel and Overseas Committee and is an alumna of JFNA’s National Young Leadership Cabinet.

As a dedicated leader in the Greater Boston Jewish community, Dena serves on the board of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee as well as on the Board of Directors of Combined Jewish Philanthropies. Dena is the President of the Board of Trustees of the Rashi School, where she is a former Development Committee chair and co-chair of the $30 million campaign to build the school’s permanent home. A committed alumna volunteer, Dena serves as the chair of Wellesley College’s Durant Society and on the President’s Advisory Council.

Sara Gottlieb Chair, Israel and Overseas

Sara Gottlieb

Sara Gottlieb serves as Chair of Jewish Federation's Israel & Overseas Committee.

A former Investment Banker and Investment Manager, Sara now devotes her time to her true passion of Jewish community and Israel.

Sara currently serves as Chair of Women’s Philanthropy for UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. She also is Co-Founder and President of Canadian Friends of Duvdevan. Sara sits on a wide variety of committees and boards including Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) Board, JFNA’s Israel and Overseas Committee, JFNA’s Investment Committee, UJA of Greater Toronto’s Israel and Overseas Committee (of which she formerly Chaired), the Board of TanenbaumCHAT, and TanenbaumCHAT’s Major Gifts Committee.

Sara has previously chaired Major Gifts for UJA Federation as well as for Robbins Hebrew Academy and has served as Atarah Chair and Lion of Judah Chair for Toronto’s Annual Campaign. She is also a former board member of UIA Canada, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, and Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University.

Sara is an alum of JFNA’s Fisher Flight Program and Young Leadership Cabinet , Keren Hayesod ‘s Forum Steering Committee, and of UJA’s Joshua Institute. Sara was the proud recipient of UJA’s Young Leadership Award. When not volunteering, Sara can be found running marathons and travelling with her husband Darren and two sons: Koby and Cooper.

Andrew S. Hochberg Chair, Domestic Policy and Government Affairs

Andrew S. Hochberg

Andy Hochberg chairs JFNA’s Domestic Policy & Government Affairs Council. He is also a key leader in the Chicago Jewish community. He most recently served as Chairman of the Jewish United Fund / Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. Prior to this, he served as Chairman of the JUF’s Overall Planning and Allocations Committee, which decides where funds should be allocated. In 2008, he was the JUF General Campaign Chairman, where he successfully led a record-breaking annual campaign of $83.6 million. He has served in a number of other roles at JUF and has led fundraising for the Jewish Day School Guaranty Trust Fund. He also served, by presidential appointment, on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.

In 1998 Mr. Hochberg formed Next Realty, a commercial real estate investment firm. The firm’s investments total more than 1 million square feet of space, with a combined value in excess of $250 million.

Andy earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University. e education at the University of Chicago.

Bobby Gibbs Co-Chair, National Young Leadership

Bobby Gibbs

Bobby Gibbs is Co-Chair, with Beth Wayne, of National Young Leadership Cabinet.

He is a partner in the retail and consumer goods practice at Oliver Wyman, the strategy consulting arm of Marsh McLennan focused on delivering better customer value propositions through advanced analytics and improved organizational capabilities. He regularly contributes perspectives on the retail sector to major press outlets in television, print and radio. His writing has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and various trade publications.

Gibbs has served on the boards for the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Temple Emanu-El Dallas, the Yale Alumni Association, the Yale Club of Dallas and the AT&T Performing Arts Center. He chaired the 2022 Washington Conference for Jewish Federations of North America and is the 2023-24 Public Affairs Chair for National Young Leadership Cabinet. He represents Cabinet on JFNA’s Domestic Policy & Government Affairs Committee, the Advocacy Corp leadership, and the Israel emergency allocation committee.

He is the 2021 recipient of Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas’s I. Zesmer Young Leadership award for personal contribution, commitment, and exemplary leadership to the Federation and to the highest ideals of the Jewish community. Bobby has a bachelor's degree from Yale University.

Beth Wayne Co-Chair, National Young Leadership

Beth Wayne

Beth Wayne is Co-Chair, with Bobby Gibbs, of National Young Leadership Cabinet.

Beth Wayne lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and owns an IT and Remote Staffing company. She also has a background in sales, holds an active real estate license, and focuses on spending time with her children.

Wayne converted to Judaism and enjoys being active in the Jewish community. She is involved with the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County. She is a proud graduate of its Emerging Leadership Program, Mandel Leadership Institute, and currently is in the inaugural class of the Wexner Heritage Program for Jewish Palm Beach.

Previously she was the Chair of Kol Isha, the young women’s philanthropy group and a member of The Collaborative 45 - NextGen as the campaign cabinet liaison. Wayne currently sits on the Board of Directors for Federation and on the Board for Women’s Philanthropy. She currently sits on the Israel & Overseas Committee, Chairs the Budapest Committee and serves on the JCC Budapest Steering Committee. She is also a trustee for Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Palm Beaches.

Born in Kendallville, Indiana, Wayne moved to South Florida as a young child, and grew up in Wellington, Florida with three sisters. She attended Florida State University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in business marketing with a minor in Communications. She and her husband, Hawkeye, have a 13-year-old daughter, and 11-year-old son.

Lori Klinghoffer Chair, United Israel Appeal

Lori Klingohffer

Lori Klinghoffer is the Chair of the Board of Directors of United Israel Appeal. She has previously served as President and Chair of JFNA’s National Women’s Philanthropy Board. Lori has also served as JFNA’s Nominating Chair.

Lori has been a member of the Board of Governors since 2009. Currently, she serves as the Deputy Chair of The Jewish Agency's Unity of the Jewish People Committee, chair of the Partnerships Committee and is a member of the Activism Committee.

She is Executive Vice President and Creative Director for WPI Communications in Springfield, NJ and is a member of the Directors of Valor Engineering Corporation. She is a past president of the Jewish Federations of Greater MetroWest, NJ.

Eric D. Fingerhut President and Chief Executive Officer

Eric D. Fingerhut

Eric D. Fingerhut is the President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Prior to his appointment at JFNA, Mr. Fingerhut served as the President and CEO of Hillel International from 2013-19. At Hillel, he led the organization’s Drive to Excellence, which resulted in doubling the number of students engaged by Hillel each year to over 130,000 and the total funds raised each year to nearly $200M. His emphasis on recruiting, training and retaining top talent for the system, and on building a data and performance driven organization, have become models for the non-profit sector.

Mr. Fingerhut has also had a varied and distinguished career in public service and higher education. He served as Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents from early 2007 to 2011, leading Ohio’s system of public universities and colleges; as Ohio state senator from 1997 to 2006; and represented Ohio’s 19th congressional district in the U.S. Congress from 1993 to 1994. In 2004, he was the Democratic Party’s candidate for U.S. Senate.

Mr. Fingerhut received a juris doctorate from Stanford University Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. He and his wife Amy have two sons, Sam and Charlie, and beagles Pedro and Lulu.

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