Jessica Rothbart

Jessica Rothbart is our Vice President, Global People and Culture. She is a strategic, results-driven organizational leader known for transforming complex institutions through vision, clarity, and people-centered change. With more than 15 years of senior experience across the Jewish communal and nonprofit sectors, she has led large teams, shaped organization-wide strategy, and strengthened cultures to drive measurable impact. Jessica recently served as Head of Human Resources at The Juilliard School, where she has guided culture change, cross-departmental alignment, and enterprise-level strategic initiatives for an 1,800-person institution. Previously, as COO of SEEDS and as the Director, Operations and HR at The Jewish Education Project, she steered multimillion-dollar budgets, advanced innovative program models, and partnered closely with boards, funders, and community stakeholders to expand visibility and mission outcomes. 

Jessica holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management and an MA in Jewish Professional Leadership from Brandeis University’s Hornstein Program at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. She earned a BS in Advertising with minors in Psychology and Judaic Studies from Boston University and Certificates in Behavioral Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board for Jewish Queer Youth (JQY), with previous board roles as an advising board member of Gender Equity in Hiring and Congregation Beth El’s Thelma K. Reisman Preschool & Jewish Learning Center.