Dr. William H. Weitzer
The Leo Baeck Institute has appointed Dr. William H. Weitzer as its new Executive Director, succeeding Carol Kahn Strauss, who will become the Institute’s International Director. Dr. Weitzer, formerly the Executive Vice President at Fairfield University in Connecticut, earned his Ph.D in Environmental Psychology at the University of Massachusetts. He has served as an administrator and a consultant in a variety of areas, including strategic planning, institutional research, and assessment. Dr. Weitzer has over thirty years of experience in academic affairs, budget and finance, fund raising, community relations, and program evaluation.
Dr. Ronald B. Sobel, President of the Institute, expressed the pleasure of the Board in the appointment of Dr. Weitzer whom he noted brings a wealth of talent and experience to this position. “We have the expectation that new and exciting chapters in the history of the Leo Baeck Institute are about to be written.”
Carol Kahn Strauss
At the same time, Dr. Sobel praised the unprecedented leadership of Carol Kahn Strauss, who led the LBI for almost two decades. He said of Ms. Strauss that “her skills and devotion have brought great prestige and recognition to the Institute’s mission. We are pleased that she will continue to be with us as our International Director.”
Upon his appointment, Dr. Weitzer commented: “I am honored and excited by the opportunity to serve as the Executive Director of the Leo Baeck Institute. It is an opportune way for me to bring together various aspects of my life – being of German-Jewish descent, having involvement in Jewish communal life, working closely with faculty and scholars, and applying my professional and management skills in this new setting. I look forward to working with the Board of Directors, scholars, staff, and supporters of the LBI to preserve and utilize these unparalleled archives of German-Jewish history.”
In addition to his professional accomplishments, community involvement has been a priority in Dr. Weitzer’s life. While at the University of Massachusetts, he served on its Hillel Board and later was active in addressing equity and diversity issues in the West Hartford (CT) public schools, and is on the Board of the Jewish High School of Connecticut. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Lisa D. Grant, who is a professor at the Hebrew Union College.
Contact:
William H. Weitzer, Executive Director: wweitzer@lbi.cjh.org
Carol Kahn Strauss, International Director: carol@lbi.cjh.org
(212) 744-6400