President and CEO of American Jewish World Service to Step Down at the End of 2025
After 16 years, Robert Bank will leave the human rights organization equipped to meet the challenges of the moment, supporting grassroots activists committed to making change in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean
NEW YORK – Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), announced today that he will step down at the end of the year. AJWS is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and defend human rights in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Bank’s announcement comes after 16 years of service, including nearly nine as President and CEO.
“I am convinced now more than ever that AJWS — an organization that works at the intersection of Jewish values and global justice — was made for these unprecedented times,” Bank wrote in a letter to staff and supporters. “On the precipice of this organization’s 40th anniversary, I am ready for my next chapter. I am humbled to have served as AJWS’s fourth executive and remain grateful to my remarkable predecessors Laurence Simon, Andrew Griffel, and Ruth W. Messinger. It is time for me to hand the baton to the next leader of AJWS who will continue our shared legacy of connecting thousands of Jewish and other philanthropists to leaders and activists on the frontlines of some of the world’s most fundamental challenges.”
A human rights attorney, activist and experienced organizational leader, Bank joined AJWS in 2009 as Executive Vice President to both grow and deepen the organization’s impact in championing the rights of the world’s poorest and most oppressed people. He was selected as President and CEO in 2016.
“Under his leadership, AJWS has maximized our impact, expanded our donor base, and refined our distinctive programmatic approach,” said Jill Minneman, AJWS Board Chair. “Robert’s persistent passion for improving the lives of those who are most vulnerable, combined with his dogged commitment to focus our work to achieve demonstrable results, has built AJWS into a strong, strategic, and sustainable organization.”
Prior to joining AJWS, Bank served in New York’s municipal government and in the leadership of Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)—one of the world’s most highly regarded organizations engaged in combatting HIV/AIDS. In 2008, Bank played an instrumental role in the campaign to overturn bans on HIV-positive people entering the United States and on their becoming U.S. citizens.
Bank is a recipient of the Wasserstein Public Interest Fellowship from Harvard Law School. His leadership has been recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award from GMHC and the Partners in Justice Award from Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps. He serves on the board of Leading Edge, which works to ensure that every Jewish organization is a great place to work, lead, and serve; on the advisory board of the Safety Respect Equity Network, a Jewish coalition to address sexual harassment and gender discrimination; and on the leadership team for the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable.
As Board Chair, Minneman will appoint a Board Search Committee tasked with engaging in a formal process to identify the next President and CEO to lead AJWS into the future and continue its life-changing work.
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