Comings and Goings:
Sheila Katz;
Mariam Shpeen Feist
The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) has named Sheila Katz as its new CEO to lead the organization into the future and build on its 125-year legacy of turning progressive ideals into action. Katz will join NCJW this summer after 12 years with Hillel International, where she was named the youngest-ever vice president in the organization’s history.
With her proven track record of community organizing, digital engagement, and coalition-building, Katz will work alongside NCJW’s 90,000 members and supporters nationwide to advance its signature advocacy initiatives ensuring a fair and independent judiciary, reproductive freedom, civic engagement, and empowering women across Israel.
Nancy Kaufman, who has served as NCJW’s CEO for the past eight years, said, “I came to NCJW in 2011 as the organization’s first CEO and I am proud to have put it back on the map as a progressive, activist Jewish women’s organization.”
During her tenure at Hillel International, Katz launched MitzVote, a non-partisan voter engagement campaign, co-founded “Ask Big Questions,” a national initiative focused on building civil dialogue, and served as a steering committee member for the White House Campus Interfaith Challenge during the Obama Administration.
Katz currently serves on the executive team of the Safety Respect Equity Coalition, which is working to address sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and the gender pay gap in Jewish workplaces and common spaces. She has dedicated countless hours helping to empower sexual assault survivors, including as a rape crisis counselor, serving on the board of the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse and working closely with Vice President Joe Biden’s “It’s On Us” initiative focused on bystander intervention.
“Through her 12 years with Hillel, Sheila has impacted the lives of thousands of students and professionals, engaging and empowering the next generation of Jewish leaders. She truly embodies the leadership qualities and innovative spirit that Hillel International seeks to develop in all our professionals,” said Eric D. Fingerhut, President and CEO of Hillel International. “I will greatly miss her advice and counsel, as well as her insights into the current generation of students.”
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The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas has named Mariam Shpeen Feist the organizations’ next President and CEO, effective August 1, 2019. Mariam currently serves as the Federation’s Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer.
Mariam has more than 33 years’ experience in the fundraising field. She began her career at UJA-Federation of Greater New York’s Women’s Division and then joined the staff of the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey. During her 13-year tenure, she served as its Women’s Division Director, Campaign Director and Assistant Executive Vice President.
Following stints at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr, PA. and Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Mariam joined the newly formed campaign team for World ORT as their Senior Development Manager. In 2012, Mariam joined the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas as the Chief Development Officer, and in 2014 assumed the role of Senior Vice President & CDO.
In her seven years as SVP and Chief Development Officer in Dallas, Mariam has, among other accomplishments, invigorated the culture of pride-filled giving, transformed the Jewish Women’s Philanthropy Center, rolled out new programming, and created an atmosphere of transparency in both the Federation’s Case for Giving and the planning and allocations process.