Posted on December 16, 2025
Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield is the Chief Executive Officer of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where she leads the staff, shapes the vision, strategy, and growth, develops the culture, and oversees program and operations. As a member of the Institute’s global executive team, she plays a central role in advancing strategy across the organization. During her tenure, Rachel has guided major strategic planning processes that secured transformational support, strengthened governance, expanded fundraising capacity, and fueled significant organizational growth. She works closely with the board, staff, and partners to align Hartman’s vision and strategy with its mission impact.
Rachel has spent three decades at the intersection of Jewish education and social justice as an entrepreneur, executive leader, educator, and communicator. Previously, she served as Executive Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America for eight years; as Director of Experiential Education at the American Jewish World Service, where she launched the Global Justice Fellowship and other national programs; and as the Founding Director of the Jewish Greening Fellowship, the first organized Jewish communal initiative to address climate change.
Rachel is widely recognized as an effective communicator, writing for Jewish publications, appearing on podcasts, moderating panels, and facilitating dialogues with leading thinkers. She designs and leads educational and leadership development programs and serves as a mentor and coach to emerging leaders across the sector.
Beyond her executive work, Rachel contributes to the broader Jewish and nonprofit ecosystem. She is a founding advisory board member of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action; and has previously served on the boards and executive committees of JPRO, Girl Be Heard, and the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale. She is an alumna of the Selah Leadership Program and the Muehlstein Fellowship for Jewish Professional Leadership.
Rachel graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis and earned her M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in Riverdale, NY with her husband Paul, a psychiatrist, and they are the proud parents of two grown children.
She is the parent of Maayan Rosenfield (Bronfman ‘17).
