The National Council of Jewish Women has tapped longtime staff member Jody Rabhan as CEO, effective immediately following the departure of previous CEO Sheila Katz in October. 

Starting at NCJW early in her career as a legislative fellow, Rabhan has since spent a cumulative 20 years with the council in multiple roles, including director of Washington relations, director of government relations and advocacy and, most recently, executive vice president. In a statement, Laura Monn Ginsburg, NCJW’s president and board chair, touted Rabhan’s long tenure and deep knowledge of the organization.

“Jody knows our mission inside and out — not just because she has helped lead it, but because she has lived it throughout most of her career. The board has complete confidence in Jody’s ability to guide NCJW forward with strength, purpose and care,” Ginsburg said. 

In early October, Katz left NCJW after six years at the helm, joining the Jewish Federations of North America as chief Jewish life officer. Prior to Katz’s departure, Rabhan served as NCJW’s chief strategy officer. In October, Rabhan stepped into the interim executive vice president role while the board weighed a national CEO search; they ultimately chose to stick with Rabhan and not to do the national search. 

“I have had the honor and the privilege of learning just about everything I know through NCJW,” Rabhan told eJewishPhilanthropy. “To be a part of the leadership team over the last couple of years was an incredible opportunity, and now to be at the helm is something that feels so special. I’m so proud. I’m so privileged.”

Rabhan described her trajectory — from a fellowship shortly after concluding her studies, to the organization’s CEO two decades later — as unorthodox, adding that she feels deeply honored to lead the organization at “a pivotal moment for our country and a consequential one for NCJW.”

“This is not an ordinary trajectory in this day and age,” said Rabhan. “And I just feel so honored to be here in this moment.”

NCJW is about halfway through a five-year strategic plan, and Rabhan will be tasked with bringing the priorities outlined in the plan to fruition. They include expanding NCJW’s advocacy efforts, building a new regional staffing model to bolster state and local “ground game” advocacy for issues ranging from reproductive rights to gun control, and launching the NCJW Center for Jewish Women’s Leadership, to create more “entry points” for women’s leadership.

The organization is also in the process of expanding its staff, particularly in communications and regional operations. With many of the NCJW’s priority policy battles unfolding on the state level, over the next several years, the organization plans to develop a regional staffing model with staff based in eight regions nationwide.

“We have seen how in moments like this, how challenging it is to really make an impact on the federal level, and how important the states are to the issues that we care about. So it’s really an investment in our field, in the leaders within NCJW and in service to being able to identify some really key issues that are historic and really unique to NCJW, where NCJW has got a real and clear moral voice and we can really make an impact for generations to come,” Rabhan said.