Meet our CEO, Orit Lender!
Orit Lender, CEO of the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island, is a community-minded leader with more than 25 years of experience in outreach, community building, and philanthropy.
Prior to her time at the JCC, Orit served as the Youth Coordinator at Seaman’s Society for Children and Families, where she facilitated youth groups throughout Staten Island. She built on this background in her first role at the JCC as the Youth Empowerment Director. This position gave her the opportunity to make a positive difference in young people’s lives through programs like camp and an anti-tobacco campaign. After taking on the role of Program Director in 2009, Orit’s work brought her out into the community to work with Staten Island’s senior population. Working closely with community leaders and government agencies, she developed and supervised all of the JCC’s senior centers including the Innovative Senior Center. In 2015, Orit was appointed Assistant Executive Director, and as she expanded her portfolio, she was named Deputy Executive Director. In these roles, her vision and leadership touched all aspects of the JCC’s work across Staten Island. During this time, she also completed the Duke University Executive Leadership for Non-Profit Certificate program. In 2020, Orit was selected to be the JCC’s next Chief Executive Officer. She has the distinction of being the agency’s first female CEO. In 2023, Orit also became the CEO of Hillel of Staten Island, which the JCC operates through a management agreement that came to fruition under her leadership.
Across her work, Orit fosters a sense of community driven by the Jewish principle of tikkun olam, or repairing the world. Her leadership fosters a spirit of teamwork within the JCC, but also helps to bring the JCC out to the larger Staten Island, New York, and Jewish communities. Under her leadership, the JCC has greatly expanded its social services, most recently diving into the field of career readiness. During the COVID pandemic, Orit led the charge of providing food and social services for vulnerable Staten Islanders, as well as overseeing a mass vaccination effort.
Orit cultivates meaningful relationships between the JCC and religious and lay leaders, government agencies, and other community organizations. She serves as a member of many of these organizations, including UJA-Federation of NY, JCC Association of North America, Metropolitan Centers Executives Association, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) Business Council, the Council of Jewish Organizations (COJO), and the Wagner College Chai Society—to name just a few. Orit serves on the board of Nonprofit Staten Island, American Friends of Israel Community Centers, and the Richmond University Medical Center Foundation Board. She serves on the Mifgash Steering Committee for JCC Association’s national conference and the ExecNet Steering Committee for UJA-Federation.
These relationships, stewarded by Orit’s leadership, have allowed the JCC and its partners to serve more Staten Islanders of all ages and backgrounds and work towards building a better, more caring community. Orit has also received awards and recognitions for her work from the Wagner College Chai Society, NYC Digital Media Center, and Soroptimist International of Staten Island. She was named one of PoliticsNY’s Power Players in Corporate Social Responsibility and City & State’s Power 100 multiple times. In 2024, she received the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce’s Louis Miller Award and the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Woman of the Year Award. Under her leadership, the JCC also received an award from Protecting One Young Heart at a Time for its work serving youth.
The daughter of two Israeli parents, Orit lived in Israel on Kibbutz Urim before moving to Staten Island as a child. She has been married to her husband Ed for 24 years. Orit and Ed are the proud parents of two children, David and Ethan. David is currently a student at the University of Delaware, and Ethan is a student at Wagner High School and the JCC is their second home.
Prior to her time at the JCC, Orit served as the Youth Coordinator at Seaman’s Society for Children and Families, where she facilitated youth groups throughout Staten Island. She built on this background in her first role at the JCC as the Youth Empowerment Director. This position gave her the opportunity to make a positive difference in young people’s lives through programs like camp and an anti-tobacco campaign. After taking on the role of Program Director in 2009, Orit’s work brought her out into the community to work with Staten Island’s senior population. Working closely with community leaders and government agencies, she developed and supervised all of the JCC’s senior centers including the Innovative Senior Center. In 2015, Orit was appointed Assistant Executive Director, and as she expanded her portfolio, she was named Deputy Executive Director. In these roles, her vision and leadership touched all aspects of the JCC’s work across Staten Island. During this time, she also completed the Duke University Executive Leadership for Non-Profit Certificate program. In 2020, Orit was selected to be the JCC’s next Chief Executive Officer. She has the distinction of being the agency’s first female CEO. In 2023, Orit also became the CEO of Hillel of Staten Island, which the JCC operates through a management agreement that came to fruition under her leadership.
Across her work, Orit fosters a sense of community driven by the Jewish principle of tikkun olam, or repairing the world. Her leadership fosters a spirit of teamwork within the JCC, but also helps to bring the JCC out to the larger Staten Island, New York, and Jewish communities. Under her leadership, the JCC has greatly expanded its social services, most recently diving into the field of career readiness. During the COVID pandemic, Orit led the charge of providing food and social services for vulnerable Staten Islanders, as well as overseeing a mass vaccination effort.
Orit cultivates meaningful relationships between the JCC and religious and lay leaders, government agencies, and other community organizations. She serves as a member of many of these organizations, including UJA-Federation of NY, JCC Association of North America, Metropolitan Centers Executives Association, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) Business Council, the Council of Jewish Organizations (COJO), and the Wagner College Chai Society—to name just a few. Orit serves on the board of Nonprofit Staten Island, American Friends of Israel Community Centers, and the Richmond University Medical Center Foundation Board. She serves on the Mifgash Steering Committee for JCC Association’s national conference and the ExecNet Steering Committee for UJA-Federation.
These relationships, stewarded by Orit’s leadership, have allowed the JCC and its partners to serve more Staten Islanders of all ages and backgrounds and work towards building a better, more caring community. Orit has also received awards and recognitions for her work from the Wagner College Chai Society, NYC Digital Media Center, and Soroptimist International of Staten Island. She was named one of PoliticsNY’s Power Players in Corporate Social Responsibility and City & State’s Power 100 multiple times. In 2024, she received the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce’s Louis Miller Award and the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Woman of the Year Award. Under her leadership, the JCC also received an award from Protecting One Young Heart at a Time for its work serving youth.
The daughter of two Israeli parents, Orit lived in Israel on Kibbutz Urim before moving to Staten Island as a child. She has been married to her husband Ed for 24 years. Orit and Ed are the proud parents of two children, David and Ethan. David is currently a student at the University of Delaware, and Ethan is a student at Wagner High School and the JCC is their second home.
