New roles: Aaron Rosenfeld, left, is now interim executive director of the JCC of Greater Monmouth County; former executive director Jess Levy has moved into the newly created position of chief executive officer. Photo courtesy Jill Garbi
February 05, 2008
An increase in services and programs at the JCC of Greater Monmouth County in Deal has resulted in changes in the organizational structure of the facility.
Jess Levy of Ocean Township, who has been the JCC’s executive director for 18 years, has moved into the newly created position of chief executive officer, and Aaron Rosenfeld of West Long Branch, the center’s associate executive director, was named interim executive director.
The staff changes were announced at the JCC’s annual meeting on Jan. 10.
“The agency is growing and has greater community significance than ever,” Levy told NJ Jewish News. “We have more programmatic needs and a greater need for financial resource development. We are a 100,000-square-foot facility with a $5 million budget, and a lot of time and energy must be devoted to the JCC’s day-to-day operations.”
Levy said the JCC’s growth led to a greater need for increased capital fund-raising, community and county-wide initiatives and grants, and further development of the Axelrod Performing Arts Center.
These tasks require full-time management by a chief executive officer, while the daily operations of the JCC require management by the interim executive director, he said.
Levy will work with the JCC’s board of governors to develop a separate board of directors that will focus solely on the use and activities of the Axelrod PAC, the 550-seat theater that opened in 2005.
“The performing arts center cannot be neglected,” he said. “It has been utilized to an enormous extent since the day it opened, and because it’s become such an important part of the JCC, it’s become necessary to create a separate PAC board. That will be part of my focus as CEO.”
Before assuming the executive director’s position, Levy served as assistant director and associate director. He is credited with successfully developing and expanding the JCC summer day camp program, overseeing building expansion, conducting a capital campaign, the completion of the Axelrod PAC, and balancing budgets during his 18 years as executive director.
Levy will be familiarizing Rosenfeld with the responsibilities of the executive director’s position. The board will eventually decide when the transition is complete and will subsequently appoint a permanent executive director. The board has not established a timetable for these actions, Levy said.
But Rosenfeld said he is ready for the job.
“I will be a candidate,” he said.
Rosenfeld was a practicing attorney in Monmouth County and served on the JCC’s board of directors and executive committee before joining the staff. He left his law practice in 2001 and became the JCC’s assistant director. In 2005, he completed the two-year JCC Association of North America Executive Development Training Program and was promoted to associate executive director in 2007.
“Practicing law just didn’t satisfy my soul,” Rosenfeld said. “I’ve been involved in JCC activities since I was a kid, and my own two children are involved now. I did a lot of soul-searching and decided that it was more important to do what felt right. Working with the adults and children of the Jewish community and bringing people together in positive ways is my passion.”
He said he welcomes the challenges that lie ahead.
“There have to be structural changes so we can accommodate all of our goals,” Rosenfeld said. “The JCC needs the proper infrastructure in order to meet the expanding needs of the community. Those needs include expanding the camp program; the after-school programs, such as the sports, art, and dance programs; meeting the needs of the senior population; and making sure we continue to reach out to the residents of Monmouth County. We’re doing a lot, but you can always do more.”
Levy said he is honored to become the agency’s first CEO.
“This is a large facility and a large facility demands a lot of attention,” he said. “We have to keep growing and changing to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. While I was executive director, we were the only JCC in the United States to host two national events — the 2007 JCC Maccabi ArtsFest and the 2001 Maccabi games. That was fantastic, but I think there are even greater things in our future.”