Golin’s goal at JF&CS: to make Jewish community strong
Dr. Jordan Golin has been named president and CEO of Jewish Family & Children’s Service. Effective this September, Golin will replace current president and CEO Aryeh Sherman, whose upcoming retirement was announced last fall.
“Aryeh has done a fantastic job growing the organization over the past 17 years. I’m really excited to build on his work and grow and expand JF&CS,” said Golin.
Following Sherman’s announcement, a board-appointed search committee, including representatives from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the United Way, selected Golin to lead the organization.
“I know they did a full search, and they felt that Jordan had the best of everything,” said Iris Valanti, public relations associate at JF&CS.
Golin holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a master’s in clinical psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a bachelor’s from University of Florida.
Prior to being named president and CEO, Golin served JF&CS for 16 years. Though initially hired as clinical director, Golin’s responsibilities have included clinical supervision, outcome measurement, grant writing and program development. Most recently, Golin served as chief operating officer and director of clinical services and elder care at JF&CS.
As director of clinical services and elder care services at JF&CS, Golin advanced programming and services including consultation, caregiver and care coordination services, special needs services and critical needs services.
Cumulatively, Golin’s vast knowledge of psychological therapy and testing has benefited JF&CS for more than a decade. Those involved with JF&CS believe that Golin’s past productivity promise future success.
“We feel complete confidence in his ability to lead JF&CS into a productive future, and his total commitment to the organization has been in evidence every day since he joined the agency,” said JF&CS board chair Jeffrey D. Freedman in a written statement.
While several months separate the organization’s decision from implementation, Golin greatly appreciates the buffer between Sherman’s announcement and departure.
“Aryeh has been really wonderful to give us enough time to be thoughtful and planful about the transition process,” said Golin.
That process will enable Golin to glean much from his predecessor while discovering what needs exist.
“One of the things I’ll be doing between now and the end of September is working with Aryeh and members of the board and members of the committee to see what are the ways that our agency can be most helpful,” Golin said. “By the fall we should have a pretty good sense of the areas that we are going to be putting most of our energy into.”
Some tasks have already begun.
“JF&CS completed a strategic plan about a year ago and outlined several areas that the organization will be focusing on,” said Golin.
Such areas include “identifying and responding to the challenges faced by the Jewish community, expanding services to address needs met by the general community and ensuring that the services we provide have a measurable impact on individuals and the community.”
Also ahead are more partnerships.
“We’ve been surveying members of the community to see where there are needs that are unique to the Jewish community and to identify solutions and who we can partner with to see that those needs are addressed,” said Golin. “We have a number of initiatives that are in the pipeline that we’ll be sharing more information about. They all involve collaborating with other Jewish organizations and are about maximizing life for the members of our Jewish community.”
“I have always believed that our strength lies in the continued cultivation of partnerships with other forces for good that are all around us,” said Sherman in a written statement. “Jordan himself is one of those forces.”
“Pittsburgh has a really strong Jewish community,” said Golin, “and we’re just trying to make it even stronger and a better place to live.”
Adam Reinherz can be reached at adamr@thejewishchronicle.net.
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