In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews the CEO of the OC Jewish Federation Erik Ludwig and Chief Impact Officer Lisa Armony.
Mr. Ludwig has served as a Jewish communal professional for the past 20 years and brings a wealth of experience, strategic vision, and deep communal relationships to this role. He is recognized as one of the Jewish community’s most innovative and entrepreneurial leaders with a strong record of spearheading organizational change within mature organizations. His strengths were most recently demonstrated during his seven-year tenure as Director of the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at Hebrew Union College where he oversaw the school’s revitalization and growth. Among his numerous accomplishments, he tripled student enrollment by redesigning core academic programs to meet the needs of students in a rapidly changing Jewish professional ecosystem, and significantly grew the school’s organizational capacity through increased philanthropy. Prior to his role at HUC, Mr. Ludwig served as Chief Operating Officer at Upstart Bay Area. He currently serves on the advisory council of IsraAID US and on the advisory board of Jewish Interactive.
Ms. Armony served in strategic planning, educational and communications positions for Jewish organizations in Toronto, Canada and the U.S. As Rose Project Director, she has been instrumental in implementing strategies that create a more civil campus climate for Jewish students on Orange County college campuses, spearheading efforts that create learning opportunities about Israel, empower Jewish student leaders, and support Jewish campus organizations. In 2015, she launched an experiential learning journey to Israel and the Palestinian Authority for diverse student leaders seeking to explore the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That program has been scaled to dozens of college campuses throughout the U.S. and Europe. She has also developed a variety of community education programs on Jewish identity, Israel and antisemitism, including an educational platform for teens that supports leadership development and counters bigotry and antisemitism in the greater Orange County community. As Chief Impact Officer, she oversees Federation’s strategic planning and granting and works closely with Community Partners to support community development and growth.
