Sheila Katz ’05

Humanitarian Alumni Award

Sheila Katz has been inspiring others since her days as a politics student at Ithaca College, most notably through serving as president of the residence hall association and her work with Hillel at IC. Sheila’s contributions were so significant that she was recognized with a coveted Campus Life Award during her senior year.

In summer 2019, Sheila was named CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), a network of 90,000 feminists across the country who are turning their progressive Jewish values into action by advocating for women, families, and children.

Sheila previously served as Hillel International’s Vice President for Student Engagement and Leadership. During her 12 years with Hillel, Sheila engaged Jewish students around the world through programs she created including Ask Big Questions, which inspired over 300,000 students to participate in conversations that helped them to understand themselves and others; and MitzVote, Hillel’s non-partisan civic engagement campaign that registered 19,000 students to vote. Sheila’s work with Hillel included projects designed to reduce rape culture on campuses and increase inclusion for students with disabilities.

In 2014, Sheila was appointed by the White House to committees advising President Obama on higher education and women’s rights. Sheila is a longtime advocate for equal pay and mentors young women on the issue.

This year, Sheila was one of six women to come forward to expose the sexual harassment and abuse perpetrated by a prominent leader in philanthropy. Her story was a front-page New York Times article. This act of bravery powerfully illuminates how intentionally Sheila lives her values, both personally and in her profession.

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