Hillel International announced Adam Lehman as its new president and CEO on Tuesday.
Lehman, who has held the interim CEO position since July 2019, previously served as the organization’s chief operating officer for four years.
In his new role, Lehman will build on Hillel’s success in fostering Jewish life on 550 campuses across 18 countries, with a focus on increased innovation in student engagement, further investments in talent and garnering the resources that can fuel Hillel’s growth and success.
“Adam’s leadership, values and his background as an entrepreneur have been crucial to our commitment to incorporating innovation and data into our work to expand our impact over the last five years,” said Hillel International board of directors chair Skip Vichness in a statement. “As we approach our 100th year, we look forward to seeing the new steps that Adam and his team will take to develop a strong future for Hillel and for Jewish life on campus.”
“Hillel has a unique and crucial role to play in cultivating dynamic, pluralistic and empowered Jewish communities, led by students who will author the Jewish future,” said Lehman. “In 2020 and beyond, we will work to engage and inspire even more Jewish students on campus through our uniquely pluralistic and inclusive philosophy and approach. We’ll also further strengthen Hillel’s role as the platform through which Jewish communities on campus live out our Jewish values, pursuing social justice, volunteerism and relationship building initiatives that serve the broader campus community and world.
He added that “at the same time, we’ll be equipping our professionals to address rapidly changing dynamics on campus, including by working with college administrators and other partners to combat anti-Semitism and ensure a safe campus climate in which Jewish students can feel comfortable expressing and deepening their Jewish identities.”
Lehman succeeds Eric Fingerhut, who stepped down in June to become CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America.