We’re thrilled to share that Ariel Zwang, the noted American nonprofit executive and Jewish leader, has been named the next CEO of the Global JDC.
Ariel, the CEO of Safe Horizon, is the first woman to hold this position in JDC history and will officially join the JDC family in January. We want to take this opportunity to wish her ‘mazal tov’ on this proud achievement.
“I’ve spent my career working on behalf of those who don’t have all the basics that every human being deserves. And I have also lived my life knowing that we Jews are all responsible for each other, no matter the circumstances,” Zwang said. “So it is a tremendous privilege to join JDC, which has saved countless lives over the past century and more, and unite my professional and personal passions.”
Ariel is one of New York’s most noted nonprofit executives, an expert on human services for vulnerable populations, and a strong advocate for volunteerism and public service informed by Jewish values.
Ariel leverages this robust skillset with previous roles as Executive Director of New York Cares, as a White House Fellow in the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs; in New York City government; and private sector consulting. She holds an undergraduate degree and MBA from Harvard.
During her tenure at Safe Horizon, Ariel transformed the organization and today oversees its staff of 1,000, a $100 million budget (including tens of millions of dollars in government contracts and grants), and programs impacting 250,000 vulnerable people annually. She has doubled the size and enhanced the financial, operational, programmatic, and strategic health of the organization. She raised millions in new funds from individuals, foundations, government, and corporations including the Gerstner Family Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, the Oak Foundation, and the NBA. She achieved this by crafting and deploying the organization’s strategic vision and focus on the highest impact services for victims of crime and abuse as well as building strong and dynamic relationships with philanthropic and government partners.
A Hebrew speaker educated in the Solomon Schechter Day School system and Camp Ramah alum, Ariel has carried forward her family’s passion and commitment to Jewish life by serving in numerous leadership positions and involvements in the Jewish community, including: as a current Vice President of B’nai Jeshurun in Manhattan; a variety lay roles at UJA-Federation of New York; as a past Board Member of Jewish Coalition for Service; the New York Committee for Harvard Hillel; and travel to Israel where her brother lives.
We have no doubt she will carry forward JDC’s tradition of professional excellence and innovation guided by Jewish values and action. Together, we will fulfill our mission in service of the Jewish people, their needs today, and those of the future.
Moving forward, Ariel will take up the CEO position on January 2, 2021.
