Sheila Katz

Chief Jewish Life Office, Community & Jewish Life, Jewish Federations of North America

Sheila Katz is the Chief Jewish Life Officer at the Jewish Federations of North America, leading efforts to strengthen Jewish life and belonging at every stage, from early childhood and day schools to college campuses and lifelong engagement. In her role at Jewish Federations, she helped build and launch The Opportunity Fund for Jewish Education, a new flagship scholarship granting organization designed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to help more families access Jewish day schools.

 Previously, Sheila served as CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), where she tripled the organization’s base of advocates and expanded its national impact in advancing equity and safety for women, children, and families. Before leading NCJW, Sheila spent 12 years at Hillel International, where she launched national initiatives that expanded Jewish and civic engagement on college campuses, including Ask Big Questions and MitzVote. Earlier in her career, Sheila was a public elementary school teacher and a trauma counselor specializing in sexual assault on college campuses, experiences that shaped her lifelong commitment to inclusive education, empathy, and building communities where people can thrive.

A recognized leader and strategic voice in American Jewish life, Sheila has been named a Top 10 Faith Influencer by Religion News Service and one of the 50 Most Influential Jews in the World by The Jerusalem Post. She has served on the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University, the Executive Committee of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and the boards of Heart of a Nation and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.