Anthem Executive Seeking CEO for Jewish Federation

February 11, 2021 – Executive recruitment firm Anthem Executive has been enlisted to find the next president and chief executive officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles (JFGLA). Leading the assignment are co-founders and consultants Michael Ballew, Mike J.R. Wheless, Scott Watson and senior client service partner Florene Stawowy. “The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles is poised for continued growth and advancement,” said the search firm. “The federation is seeking a strategic CEO to lead them forward. A leader with an evolving vision for the Jewish community and Jewish life. A passionate CEO with the ability to build relationships throughout the community by sharing and implementing this vision in an energetic, compelling, and meaningful way.”

The Jewish community of Greater Los Angeles has evolved into a culture of philanthropy with a deep commitment to building and further developing their community, said the search firm. The CEO will be expected to continue to grow this culture. Engagement of donors and funders will be a high priority for the new CEO. The non-profit’s leader will further develop, grow and manage a portfolio of local, national and international donors and funders, said Anthem Executive. The new CEO will be expected to engage with and cultivate relationships with individuals at all levels, developing, maintaining, and deepening ties with current and prospective donors and funders, community foundations and multi-generational families who have been the historical foundation of JFGLA’s support.

A Community Leader

The successful CEO must be a respected and charismatic community leader who will build and maintain productive relationships with agencies, organizations, day schools, synagogues and other professionals in the community, with the goal of building on the collaborative and innovative ethos that the JFGLA is known for. The CEO should be a results-driven leader who can prioritize, maintain, and expand existing programs and increase opportunities for community members to engage in and strengthen their connections to Jewish life.

Anthem Executive said the next CEO will be a key leader of the Jewish community and will play an integral role in ensuring Greater Los Angeles’ Jewish communal values are fortified for generations to come.

Candidates must have a deep love and commitment to the Jewish people, Jewish life and Jewish values, said the search firm. An understanding of the political aspects of Jewish life locally, nationally, and internationally is essential. Prospects should have a proven capacity to build trusting relationships with donors and funders and their families, and the ability to monetize those relationships.

Prior experience successfully managing a multi-million-dollar budget is required. Candidates should possess a deep understanding of fiscal oversight and fiduciary responsibility as well as successful experience in leading a complex organization.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, founded in 1911, serves the second largest Jewish population in the U.S., and the third in the world. JFGLA has grown into one of the most influential and impactful Jewish organizations in the country.  The organization convenes and leads the community and leverages its resources to assure the continuity of the Jewish people, support a secure State of Israel, care for Jews in need here and abroad, and mobilize on issues of concern to the local community, all with its local, national and international partners. JFGLA has a staff of 135 professionals and 46 support personnel. Its budget is about $52 million, which covers annual expenditures and allocations. An average of $45 million is raised annually.

Seasoned Recruiters

Anthem Executive, headquartered in Houston, TX, serves clients across a range of business sectors, including higher education, health sciences, corporate and non-profit institutions, global software and technology, private equity, insurance, service and manufacturing, oil and gas, and others. Its consultants bring a combined 80 years’ experience in the search industry. The firm’s higher education practice spans the entire leadership spectrum. In other sectors, Anthem Executive covers all roles from CEO and other C-suite leaders, board directors, vice president and director, and others.

Mr. Ballew, a registered Native American and member of the Echota Cherokee Tribe, serves as the firm’s chief diversity, inclusion, equity and compliance officer, as well as search committee facilitator. He joined the executive search industry 14 years ago following a 20-plus year career in senior-level management with expertise in recruiting, counseling, training, operations, strategic planning, facilitation, project management and workplace diversity.

Mr. Wheless, a veteran of more than two decades in the search industry, has served a broad portfolio of clients across many industry lines on behalf of organizations ranging from small operations to Fortune $100 billion plus enterprises – including working with and recruiting some of the nation’s most influential leadership. Mr. Wheless has served institutions and organizations across a broad range of geographies and sectors in higher education, technology, healthcare, energy, financial services, law, insurance, hospitality and food services, retail, CPG, EPC, manufacturing, aerospace, mining, construction and real estate.

Mr. Watson has been in the executive search industry for over 30 years. In addition to higher education institutions, he has served hospital/health systems, global software and technology companies, private equity enterprises, MCO’s, insurance companies, service and manufacturing organizations with global footprints, and others.

Ms. Stawowy, who has been in executive search for over 20 years, is a core member of the higher education and academic health practice. Over the last two decades, she has developed deep expertise in senior‐level search, having been charged with numerous executive leadership transitions with a particular emphasis on higher education and academic health search.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media