Joanna Mendelson

Senior Vice President, Community Engagement, Jewish Federation Los Angeles

As Senior Vice President of Community Engagement at Jewish Federation Los Angeles, Joanna Mendelson leads JFEDLA’s impactful work in advocacy, coalition-building, and mobilization of the Jewish community. Under her leadership, the Federation has expanded its reach across local, state, and federal levels, fostering partnerships with diverse communities and leading initiatives to counter hate and bigotry.

Under her leadership Federation has amplified its role in advancing key legislative priorities, uniting communities around shared values, and strengthening our civic muscle. Los Angeles. Her leadership has also catalyzed key initiatives, including the LA Roundtable on Antisemitism, Civic Partnerships, and United Leaders Project.

A seasoned professional for over 22 years, Joanna previously worked in monitoring extremism for the ADL, where, as Associate Director of the Center on Extremism, she led the Investigative Research team and trained over 12,000 law enforcement officers, public officials, and tech leaders.