After many months of careful work by our Search Committee, and a unanimous vote of approval by our Executive Committee which brought its recommendation to The Board of Trustees, we are delighted to share with you that Central Synagogue’s new Executive Director will be Marcia Caban. Marcia will join the Central team on April 18th.

Marcia most recently served as Chief of Business Development at Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, a New York City based nonprofit which aims to increase financial empowerment for low and moderate income individuals and families. Previously, Marcia had an illustrious 24-year career at American Express, working her way up to becoming a Vice President and General Manager for several areas of the company.

Marcia will succeed Livia Thompson, who is retiring from her role as Central Synagogue’s Senior Director after 24 remarkable years. Livia’s contributions to the Central community are too numerous to name, and we are greatly indebted for her decades of service. We hope you will join us as we celebrate and honor Livia at a special Shabbat service on Friday evening, May 6, 2016.

As Executive Director, Marcia will function as the Synagogue’s chief operating officer, overseeing a number of professionally run functions including Member Services, Facilities and Maintenance, Security, Technology, Human Resources, Communications, Finance and Accounting, Events and Operations, and Development. She will partner with and support the clergy and program directors in the financial, operational, and administrative matters relating to their roles. Marcia will also serve as the primary liaison to the Board of Trustees.

Marcia comes to Central with solid business acumen, a strategic mindset, financial proficiency, outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, and impeccable integrity. She is a collaborative manager and consensus builder, and a capable delegator and mentor. We are confident that her diverse experience, including general management, finance, business development, and team building will be a great asset to Central Synagogue.

Marcia earned her MBA at the New York University Stern School of Business. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis and a certificate in nonprofit management from Pace University. Marcia has served on the boards of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and NYC & Company.

We want to thank our Search Committee, chaired by immediate past President David Edelson, which included Seth Berger, Lynn Finkel, Michael Gould, Bruce Gutkin, Antonio Magliocco, Valerie Peltier, Beth Rustin, Mindy Schneider, and Marc Weingarten. They worked diligently and thoughtfully to find the professional who was best-suited to lead Central Synagogue’s administrative team.

We hope you will join us in extending a warm welcome to Marcia, her husband, Noel Caban, and their daughter, Alexandra, as Marcia joins the Central Synagogue community in April. We look forward to working with Marcia to ensure that Central Synagogue continues to go from strength to strength.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi

Abigail Pogrebin, President