Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander has been named President-Elect and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone (OTS).

Founder and Chancellor Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is stepping down as chancellor in July but will continue his involvement in OTS. Co-Chancellor Rabbi David Stav will continue in the role he holds today.

Rabbi Brander comes to OTS from Yeshiva University, where he is vice president for university and community life and teaches rabbinics at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. The OTS network is comprised of 24 educational institutions, leadership development, outreach initiatives and social action projects accommodating more than 3,000 students on 12 Israeli campuses. Hundreds of its graduate rabbinic couples and emissaries serve Jewish communities globally.

At Yeshiva University, Rabbi Brander was the inaugural David Mitzner Dean of Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future – YU’s catalyst to infuse the student body with a spirit of leadership and commitment to the Jewish people and society.

Among his initiatives at YU were leading the Graduate Program of Advanced Talmudic Studies and Biblical Interpretation for Women, providing a platform for women to play leadership roles in the Jewish community and strengthening the rabbinic placement bureau.

Additionally, he created a multitude of opportunities for students to engage in the betterment of society whether around the corner in inner-city public schools or in service to communities around the world culminating with establishing Neal’s Fund, a socio-entrepreneurial fund providing micro-financing grants to students involved in startups that provide services to the Jewish community or general society.