Joy Sisisky, a native of Richmond, has been named Interim CEO of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.
Sisisky, daughter of Susan and Mark Sisisky – two longtime Richmond community leaders – has served as that Federation’s chief philanthropy officer since 2016, stewarding a total of more than $1 billion in philanthropic capital from the Jewish community to causes that are a force for change in the Bay Area, nationally, and globally.
“In her nearly six years as our chief philanthropy officer, Joy has earned the respect and trust of the staff, the lay leadership, and the broader community,” said Arthur Slepian, Board chair.
“She has married strong management skills with a commitment to innovation and creativity that has enabled our philanthropy work to flourish and grow under her leadership. All of this makes her an ideal candidate for this Interim CEO position.”
Some of the Federation’s notable philanthropic achievements under Joy’s vision and leadership include:
- oversight of the Federation’s fundraising, donor-advised giving, gift planning, and collaborative giving efforts, including $200 million granted annually through donor-advised giving;
- $119 million raised through annual, designated, and emergency campaigns;
- the launch of Federation Philanthropy Partners, the Federation’s philanthropy advisory practice;
- the launch and expansion of the community impact lending program;
- successful integration of the Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, including $136 million in assets;
- continued success with the Centennial Campaign, totaling $215 million to date;
- establishment of giving circles, such as the Jewish Pride Fund, as a part of the Federation’s philanthropic offerings, the first of any Federation to do so; and
- collaboration with seven other Jewish women to envision, design, and deliver We Commit, the first-ever Bay Area Jewish community-wide convening to address the needs arising out of the #MeToo movement, resulting in a four-day workshop series on creating safe, equitable, and respectful workplaces that was attended by hundreds of Jewish community members.
“I’m grateful for the vote of confidence from our Board and from leadership,” said Joy Sisisky.
“I’m both excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead during this time of transition, both within the Federation and in the world. I’m dedicated to a diverse, dynamic Bay Area Jewish community that’s deeply engaged in Jewish life and doing good locally and globally, and I’m committed to making sure that the great work that we do for the community continues to grow and flourish.”
Earlier Career
Before joining the Federation, Joy served as executive director of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York. Previously, she was selected as the 2007-2008 Ralph I. Goldman Fellow in International Jewish Communal Service at JDC, for which she lived and worked in Ukraine and Ethiopia.
Joy is co-founder of Do Good Ukraine!, an organization dedicated to building civil society through volunteerism in Ukraine. Earlier, she served as the associate director for national women’s philanthropy at United Jewish Communities, where she worked with Jewish federations in the development of gender-based fundraising.
Joy graduated from Brandeis University and earned a double M.A. in Jewish Communal Service and Public Administration at the joint program of Hebrew Union College and the University of Southern California.
