The Russell Berrie Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Idana Goldberg as our new CEO. Goldberg, who previously served as Chief Program Officer, succeeds founding CEO Ruth Salzman, whose term concluded in December 2021.
“After an extensive national search, we are delighted to have selected Idana Goldberg to lead us into the second half of our Foundation’s journey,” said Angelica Berrie, President of The Russell Berrie Foundation. “Over the last four years, Idana has been instrumental in shaping program strategy, leading our team in the execution of our strategic priorities to maximize our impact. At this critical juncture of the Foundation’s growth, Idana is the right leader to take us into the future.”
“I am honored by the confidence that the Foundation’s Trustees have placed in me, and I’m thrilled to partner with them during this exciting next chapter of the Foundation’s work,” Goldberg said. “Our Foundation has a well-deserved reputation for investing in innovative ideas and inspiring leaders, and for being true partners to our grantees. We have a tremendous opportunity to build on that legacy, amplifying our impact in the years to come.”
Goldberg was exposed to the power of philanthropy early in her career, while working at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. There, she saw first-hand how big ideas can combine with big investments to make lasting change. After receiving her PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied the centrality of philanthropy and non-profit organizations to the early American Jewish community, she joined the Jewish Funders Network in a variety of roles, including Director of the Matching Grants Initiative and Director of North American Grantmaking for the Genesis Philanthropy Group.
Goldberg spent seven years in senior leadership roles in the Jewish day school field, including as Co-Executive Director of RAVSAK: the Jewish Community Day School Network and Vice President of Field Advancement and Advocacy for Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools. She lives in White Plains, N.Y. with her husband, Michael Kellman. They are the parents of three teenage children.
Ruth Salzman, whose leadership as CEO over the past 13 years put The Russell Berrie Foundation on an upward trajectory, described Goldberg as “a talented leader who played a critical role in strengthening the Foundation’s work.” Salzman said: “As Chief Program Officer, Idana significantly deepened strategic clarity. I’m confident that as CEO she will skillfully lead the Foundation to achieve great things and leave a lasting legacy.”
The Russell Berrie Foundation was created by New Jersey philanthropist and sales entrepreneur Russell Berrie. The Foundation identifies and invests in visionaries, institutions and unsung heroes doing groundbreaking work, in areas that reflect Russ Berrie’s passions: advancing diabetes care and research, strengthening Israel through pluralism and regional economic development, building interfaith bridges, improving healthcare and enhancing Jewish communal life in New Jersey.
The Russell Berrie Foundation’s transformational gifts over the years include establishing the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, and the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales at William Paterson University in New Jersey.
Please contact communications@rbfdtn.org for media inquiries.