Chip Edelsberg to Step Down in December 2016 as Jim Joseph Foundation Executive Director
April 2nd, 2015
Led Foundation Since 2006, Will Remain Involved Professionally As Consultant
San Francisco, CA – The Jim Joseph Foundation Board of Directors and founding Executive Director Chip Edelsberg, Ph.D., today announced that he will step down effective December 31, 2016. Edelsberg has served in the position since 2006, shortly after the Foundation became a private foundation. The Foundation seeks to create compelling, effective Jewish learning experiences for youth and young adults in the United States.
“Serving as the executive director of the Jim Joseph Foundation has been the professional opportunity of a career,” says Edelsberg. “I am proud to have partnered with Foundation President Al Levitt, the Directors, and staff to build an organization. Together with a diligent, talented staff and a dedicated Board, I have had the privilege to collaborate with grantees and other funders who care deeply about Jewish education. I wish to thank them all for the remarkable gift they have given me—the opportunity to pursue my passion to positively impact Jewish life and learning. Now I look forward to the next stage of life—consulting, teaching, writing, and volunteering. I most certainly plan to enjoy more time with my wife, children, and grandchildren.”
Foundation Board Director Alisa Doctoroff will chair a committee comprised of Foundation President Al Levitt and Board Members Phyllis Cook and Dan Safier to identify a firm to search for the individual to fill Edelsberg’s leadership role. During this transitional time period Edelsberg will remain as executive director.
“Chip came to the Foundation at its earliest stages, just a few years after Jim Joseph, z”l, passed away,” says Al Levitt, President of the Jim Joseph Foundation. “Chip’s vision, leadership, creativity, and determination to design and measure grants strategically have been instrumental in building the Foundation to what it is today—a leader in the field of Jewish education. The Foundation and grantees have been incredibly fortunate to have him at the helm.”
###
By investing in promising Jewish education grant initiatives, the Jim Joseph Foundation seeks to foster compelling, effective Jewish learning experiences for young Jews in the United States. Established in 2006, the Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded more than $340 million in grants to engage, educate, and inspire young Jewish minds to discover the joy of living vibrant Jewish lives.