Safety Respect Equity Coalition Announces the Appointment of Elana Wien as Inaugural Executive Director
October 10, 2019. It is with great enthusiasm that the Safety Respect Equity Coalition’s Leadership today announces the appointment of Elana Wien as its inaugural executive director. Following an extensive national search, Ms. Wien will join the Coalition in November. In this role, she will partner with the Advisory Board, Coalition members, and key stakeholders to advance the Coalition’s mission of ensuring Jewish workplaces and communal spaces are safe, respectful, and equitable for all.
Ms. Wien brings a wealth of experience in the Jewish philanthropic and communal service arenas, most recently serving as the Vice President for the Center for Designed Philanthropy at the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles. She also has expertise in civil rights, community relations, strategic communications, fundraising and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. Ms. Wien has a strong track record of supporting innovation, building capacity, fostering meaningful partnerships, and taking projects and organizations to scale.
“Elana impressed us as both a seasoned, thoughtful professional and as a visionary, creative and entrepreneurial leader. Known as a rising star in Jewish life, Elana will be an outstanding inaugural executive director to take our Coalition from start-up phase to the next level of impact. We are thrilled to welcome Elana to the team and look forward to SRE reaching new heights under her leadership,” remarked Lisa Eisen, President of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and Co-Chair of the Safety Respect Equity Coalition’s Search Committee.
Ms. Wien is deeply committed to advancing women’s leadership and gender equity and to preventing sexual harassment and abuse. She was selected for Coro’s Women in Leadership Fellowship and the Wexner Field Fellowship, and she is a member of the LGBTQ Professionals Network and Family Philanthropy Advisory Council of Southern California Grantmakers. She was also featured as an “Amazing Woman in the World of Philanthropy” in local Los Angeles media.
Ms. Wien shared: “I have been inspired seeing the SRE Coalition emerge over the past 18 months from an idea to a powerful partnership of individuals, organizations and funders committed to using their voices and resources to make safety, respect, and equity a priority for Jewish professional spaces and beyond. I can’t think of more meaningful work or a more important time to engage in it. I am grateful to the SRE Coalition Advisory Board and Search Committee for their selection, and look forward to achieving great things together.”
As the Coalition’s first executive director, Ms. Wien will lead the Coalition’s daily operations and will focus on advancing the work of the field and providing a clear value proposition to Coalition members and prospective members to help create lasting, systemic change. A trusted community leader, she has an extensive network within the philanthropic, nonprofit, public and private sectors—both in the Jewish community and beyond—and is perfectly positioned to expand the reach and impact of the Coalition at this crucial moment in time.
“Elana’s unique combination of commitment to SRE’s mission, visionary drive to move us forward, and diplomatic aptitude to help us navigate these complex waters makes her the ideal leader to take the Safety Respect Equity Coalition into the future” said Search Committee Co-Chair Aaron Dorfman, President of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah.
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To learn more about Elana’s vision for SRE, read this open letter to the SRE community.
About the Safety Respect Equity Coalition:
The Safety Respect Equity (SRE) Coalition works to ensure safe, respectful, and equitable Jewish workplaces and communal spaces by addressing sexual harassment, sexism, and gender discrimination. Currently composed of more than 100 organizations, funders, individuals, and experts, the Coalition serves as both catalyst and resource: to support, coordinate, and amplify change in Jewish organizations, as well as to accelerate a broader cultural shift. To learn more, visit: http://safetyrespectequity.org.
