June 11, 2014

JFS Annual Meeting

Installation as President
I want to thank Abe Suckno for his leadership and guidance over the last 2 years.We’ve accomplished so much under Abe’s administration. Abe has a steady handand calm demeanor in dealing with complex and serious issues, and I really thankI want to thank the staff for their hard work and dedication to this wonderfulagency, and I want to thank the Board and all the volunteers who donate their
Congratulations to tonight’s recipients of Volunteer of the Year and Youth
Community Service Awards. Thank you not only for the work you do, but for the
I want to thank all of the Presidents who came before me, on whose backs we
And what a great agency this is. And do you know why? Because JFS is an agency
that helps people in need. Whether sick, infirm, jobless, stressed, aged, needy,
While JFS is a Jewish Agency, guided by Jewish Principles, we are truly non-
I am so proud to be assuming the Presidency of such an agency, and as I do so, I’m
mindful of the great responsibility to continue the work that JFS does.
Management experts will tell you that the first 100 days of a new position or
administration are the most critical, so I’d like to briefly talk about some of the
initiatives I’ve set for myself in my first 100 days as president.
I will be meeting with the Executive Committee to review all the committees and
committee structures to ensure we are aligned in the most effective manner.

• I’ll be creating an ad-hoc committee to review security protocols in the
agency, including electronic and physical security

• I know from Tom that the Executive Directors of the New Jersey JFS
agencies have long had an informal working group amongst themselves. I
will be reaching out to the Presidents of the other New Jersey JFS’s in the
hope of establishing a similar working group where we can share ideas and
perhaps even leverage resources in such areas as Board Development and

• I will be establishing an ad-hoc Committee to review all organizations that
we receive funding from, and organizations that we pay dues to, to ensure
that we are taking full advantage of any services that may be available to us

• I will be arranging for Board Training to ensure that we all understand our
roles, responsibilities, and how we can deliver the same consistent message

• I will be engaging more people, Board Members and non-Board Members,
to assist JFS in their particular area of expertise. I’ve already spoken to
some of you about helping in specific ways, and will be engaging more of

• And finally, I want to ensure that the Board is as fully engaged as is
possible. So, over the next few weeks I will be calling every board member
– new and old – to hear from you, as to what your areas of expertise and
interest are, what you want to work on, and how you can help the agency.
As well as listening to your suggestions, improvements, and development
I look forward to your support, commitment, and engagement, as together we
continue to make JFS the premier Social Service agency in NJ.