Jordan Kessler brings more than 18 years of professional fundraising experience to his role as Chief Development Officer at Central Synagogue. Prior to joining Central in April 2022, he led fundraising at the Vera Institute of Justice, the nation’s largest justice reform nonprofit. During his six-year tenure at Vera, Jordan was instrumental in generating hundreds of millions of dollars in philanthropic revenue to support and expand the organization’s work. Before joining Vera, Jordan worked for more than eleven years at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a leading environmental nonprofit, where he oversaw major gifts fundraising in the New York area. Jordan began his nonprofit career at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), where he worked to expose and disrupt online anti-Semitism as Director of Internet Monitoring. Jordan earned a bachelor’s degree in U.S. History from Columbia University. Born in Chicago, Jordan has lived in New York City for more than three decades.

When he’s not working, Jordan enjoys running, attending concerts, and visiting museums.