WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) –– MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger President & CEO Abby J. Leibman announced on Thursday that she will retire from her role in mid-2027, bringing to a close a 15-year tenure leading the national anti-hunger advocacy group and establishing its voice as a champion in the fight against hunger. The organization praised her vision and leadership while announcing a nationwide search for her successor.
MAZON President & CEO Abby J. Leibman stated:
“Leading this organization has been the honor of a lifetime. I am so deeply proud of the work that our team has done over the past decade and a half, finding unique and powerful approaches to responding to hunger and ensuring that all those who struggle are seen and uplifted by those approaches. Since MAZON’s founding more than 40 years ago, we have had a lasting and meaningful impact on the response to hunger in both the United States and Israel. It’s a response that is grounded in our Jewish values and stands for holding our government to account for ensuring its policies not only relieve hunger, but also set a course for ending it.
“The progress we have made has truly made a difference in millions of lives, but I know all too well that the work is far from finished. There are tens of millions of Americans living in hunger amid ongoing assaults on our food security programs from our federal government, and no organization is better positioned to lead the advocacy to preserve, protect and strengthen our nation’s response. For 15 years, it has been my privilege and my responsibility to lead MAZON in these efforts – work that has allowed me to demonstrate not only how crucial it is for our country to ensure that no one goes hungry, but to show our policymakers just what is possible if we ensure our policies reflect our values. I am so deeply grateful to have had this opportunity, particularly at this moment in time.”
Over the course of her tenure, Leibman established MAZON as a force in the anti-hunger advocacy landscape and the Jewish social justice arena, launching an office in Washington, DC and strengthening the organization’s public policy efforts. She also highlighted MAZON’s organizational focus on a number of key populations, including military families, single mothers, and most recently immigrants and transgender youth. By understanding and exploring specific populations and their particular food security challenges, MAZON fully embraced its identity as a faith-based advocacy organization, articulating Jewish values as the foundation for its positions and statements as well as spearheading innovative solutions and actions.
MAZON Board Chair Carolyn Schwarz Tisdale added:
“Abby has proven herself to be a generational leader for this organization, the Jewish community, and the anti-hunger movement at large. These past 15 years have seen remarkable growth and success for MAZON, and we can attribute that directly to her hard work and dedication. More importantly, her commitment to her staff is unparalleled, and she has helped foster a strong environment and infrastructure for her team that we know will continue on for years to come. While we are excited for the future of this organization, we know that we owe so much of our success to Abby’s leadership, and we wholeheartedly congratulate her on her next adventure.”
Leibman also oversaw a major expansion of MAZON’s outreach and education, engaging Jewish synagogues nationwide in the work, rather than simply as an outlet for fundraising. Her two biggest and most groundbreaking initiatives, This is Hunger and The Hunger Museum, captured the imagination of Americans nationwide, providing immersive experiences to fully illustrate the real-life and historical impact of hunger in our country.
Rabbi Harold Kravitz, former board chair of MAZON and member of the executive search committee, added:
“From the start, Abby brought to the role of leading MAZON tremendous insight for what was needed to carry our work forward, and the talent to work with staff and volunteers to take us to the next level as the only Jewish organization committed exclusively to eradicating hunger. We are all blessed to have had such a visionary and dedicated leader at our helm. I look forward to working with our search committee to find a worthy successor to her legacy.”
Ms. Leibman will remain with MAZON through mid-2027 to ensure a smooth transition to her successor. Moving forward, MAZON’s Board of Directors has formed a Search Committee to launch a wide-ranging national effort to identify the organization’s next President & CEO. The committee will work with Isaacson, Miller throughout the process, leaning on the national executive search firm’s deep experience recruiting leaders across the nonprofit and broader civic sector, including organizations working to address complex social challenges. Questions from interested candidates should be directed to Rebecca Swartz and team at Isaacson, Miller.
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Preceding provided by Mazon.