Executive Leadership

Lonnie Nasatir has served as President of the Jewish United Fund since 2019.

During his tenure, Lonnie has led the organization through a series of historic world events that will define this generation: the COVID-19 global pandemic; the war in Ukraine; and Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the war that has followed.

Under Lonnie’s leadership, and in deep partnership with lay leaders and committed community members, JUF immediately mobilized community solidarity with Israel to meet the extensive—and continuous—human needs on the ground.

This intensive effort to support the Jewish homeland comes on the heels of JUF’s response to the war in Ukraine, where the organization helped deliver humanitarian aid to 500,000 people living under fire while enabling 92,000 to make aliyah and another 180,000 to find refuge in the U.S.

The war in Ukraine came as JUF was winding down the multi-faceted support it provided the community throughout the COVID pandemic, as the organization provided emergency assistance to meet human needs, and to ensure that Jewish Chicago emerged from the pandemic in a place of strength.

Lonnie’s thoughtful handling of JUF’s response during these situations is emblematic of the energy and vision he brings to the organization.

During his time at JUF, Lonnie has focused attention on strategic visioning, organizational culture and alignment. Another hallmark of Lonnie’s leadership has been his focus on engaging the next generation.

Before coming to JUF, Lonnie was the Anti-Defamation League’s longtime Regional Director of the six-state Greater Chicago/Upper Midwest area, where he distinguished himself as a community leader in fighting antisemitism and all forms of bigotry.

Prior to his tenure at ADL, Lonnie served as Administrator for the Illinois Department of Public Aid (now the Department of Healthcare and Family Services), Division of Child Support Enforcement. He began his career as a prosecutor for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Regularly featured in the annual Who’s Who list, published by Crain’s Chicago Business, Lonnie serves as a member of the Cook County Hate Crime Prosecution Council. The recipient of ADL’s Professional Excellence Award and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Leadership Award, in 2016 Lonnie was named Man of the Year by the Shomrim Society, the fraternal organization of Jewish law enforcement officers.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lonnie received his Juris Doctor from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Rabbi Scott Aaron, PhD, is Vice President, Community Outreach and Engagement at JUF. In this role, Scott leads JUF’s efforts in creating meaningful programming for families, synagogues and schools, and other points of connection between JUF and the community. Previously, Scott was Associate Vice President of JUF Education where he led the organization’s communal investments in congregational education, early childhood education, Israel education and educational research and evaluation.

Currently, he serves on the adjunct faculty and as a professional development mentor at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Life and Learning, and has served as adjunct faculty at The Ohio State University School of Law, Loyola University Chicago, the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Having earned his Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Education from Loyola University Chicago, Scott also has Rabbinic Ordination and a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law, and his B.A. from the University of Cincinnati.

A published author of books and academic journal articles, Scott has been a project consultant to various foundations and agencies in the Jewish community. He is married to Rabbi Donni Aaron, and they have three young adult children: Meitav, Nitzan and Naor.

Boaz oversees finance, accounting, technology, real estate, investments, insurance and risk management for JUF.

His fiduciary responsibilities extend to over $2.5 billion in total assets and an annual budget of nearly $200 million. Boaz also oversees an investment portfolio of $1 billion, the use of more than 1,000,000 square feet of real estate in 24 locations, and a debt portfolio of $250 million, as well as IT infrastructure, applications and services for nearly 1,000 users.

Among Boaz’s accomplishments during his tenure at JUF are changing the investment management model, strengthening the balance sheet and corporate structure, and introducing digital transformation, including the organization’s recent migration to the multi-functional Salesforce CRM platform that offers significant efficiencies and enhanced cross-department collaboration.

Prior to JUF, Boaz spent 25 years in banking and finance in Chicago, Silicon Valley, London and Tel Aviv, primarily in high tech and venture lending, commercial real estate banking, structured finance, wealth management and investment banking, foreign exchange and middle market lending.

Boaz earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Tel Aviv University and his master’s in business administration from the University of Hartford. He also graduated from Stanford University’s Executive Program in Financial Management, and the Wharton School’s Business Analytics program.

Dan oversees the Jewish Community Relations Council, the umbrella body for more than 40 Chicago-area Jewish organizations, and operates as JUF’s community relations division. He also leads the Government Affairs department, whose mission is to promote public policies and legislation at all levels of government that support the health and human services provided by JUF’s network of affiliated agencies. This includes enhancing the interests of the Jewish community both domestically and overseas, building and strengthening relationships with elected and appointed government officials, and educating and engaging the Jewish community in public policy advocacy.

Among his proudest JUF accomplishments is leading a trip to Israel in 2019 with ten Latinx leaders. There they met with Israeli elected officials, scholars, military leaders, and average citizens, a member of the Palestinian Authority’s senior leadership and a Palestinian teacher from Hebron. Dan reflected that each person on the trip came back with a better understanding and deeper appreciation for Israel as a Jewish state, and closer ties to JUF and Chicago’s Jewish community.

Dan joined JUF in August 2018 after working as Midwest Regional Director and Deputy Director at AIPAC. Prior to that, Dan was the Midwest Executive Director for Israel Bonds and a litigator and consultant at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, Navigant Consulting and Alix Partners.

Dan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994 and from Northwestern University’s School of Law in 2000.

Rabbi Lazovsky has held a variety of positions throughout his 30 plus years at JUF, including multiple roles in the campaign department and serving as Assistant Director of Budget and Planning. Previously, he served as Executive Director of The ARK, as a Director of Truman College, Spiritual Advisor of Yeshivas Brisk, and Faculty Member of the religious and secular studies department at Ida Crown Jewish Academy.

Rabbi Lazovsky is the spiritual leader at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Kesser Maariv Anshe Luknik, the oldest Orthodox Congregation in the Midwest. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, Chicago Board of Rabbis and the Alumni Board of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. In reflecting on his tenure with JUF, Rabbi Lazovsky said, “I love the people I work with more than words can describe and I am grateful for the opportunity to take care of those who take care of others in the community.”

Rabbi Lazovsky earned his undergraduate degree in history from Roosevelt University, his graduate degree in public policy from the University of Chicago and his Rabbinic Ordination from Brisk Rabbinical College. He is a Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), a Senior Certified Human Resources Professional (SHRM-SCP) and has a Certificate from the College for Advanced Management of Health Benefits and Pharmacy Benefits Academy.

John oversees the Departments of Campus Affairs and Education at JUF. He also serves as Executive Director of IsraelNow Education Foundation, which brings 8th grade students to Israel for a pivotal Jewish identity experience.

With great pride, John works toward battling hate, eradicating antisemitism and enriching Jewish life for students on college campuses across the State.

Before joining JUF in 2012 as a professional, John held multiple volunteer leadership positions at the organization. He was a former YLD president and served on the JUF Board of Directors. He was also a Vice Chairman, member of the Executive Committee, lead solicitor for Jewish Day School Guaranty Trust Fund, as well as the End of Year JUF Campaign Chairman. Beyond his work with JUF, John has served as Chair and President of the Midwest Region of Friends of the I.D.F. and as Chairman of the capital campaign for Ida Crown Jewish Academy.

John received his B.A. from Tufts University and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. His varied professional background includes twelve years at Sportmart, Inc, where he rose to be its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Tracy is responsible for managing and growing JUF’s Annual Campaign by leading a team of development professionals focused on cultivation and stewardship. JUF's Annual Campaign fuels essential health and human services and vital points of community and connection in Chicago, Israel, and around the world.

Tracy has worked at JUF since 1995 in a variety of roles, including in the Campaign and Planning & Allocations departments. Previously, she was Vice President, Community Outreach & Engagement, where she helped build the department responsible for creating meaningful Jewish experiences for families, teens, young adults and volunteers through impactful partnerships with synagogues, preschools, youth groups, and many other organizations. She also was responsible for the Community Program Development department, mobilizing resources that help fuel the programs and services at the heart of the community, in addition to fundraising and securing grants for JUF programs, the JUF Annual Campaign, and partner agencies.

Among her most notable accomplishments during her tenure at JUF is assisting in the creation of the Technical Assistance Collaborative which launched in response to the pandemic. This program offered expertise to hundreds of local organizations, in disciplines ranging from employment law, financial modeling and technology to marketing, fundraising and security.

Originally from St. Louis, and a graduate of the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Tracy received the Samuel A. Goldsmith award in 2002, which is awarded each year to an outstanding young Jewish professional.

Steve Nasatir served as President of the Jewish United Fund from 1979-2019, guiding the community through four decades of tremendous change and challenge.

He now serves as JUF’s Executive Vice Chairman.

Just the fourth chief executive in the institution’s history, Steve grew JUF into the hub of one of the largest humanitarian networks in the nation. During his tenure, JUF/Federation raised more than $8 billion to provide help, hope and healing to countless millions in need.

As historic events unfolded – such as the exodus of more than a million Soviet Jews and the rescue of Jews from Ethiopia – Steve always was the first to commit community resources.

He is a staunch Zionist and leading advocate for Israel and its people.

A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he earned his master’s from Roosevelt University and his doctorate from Northwestern University.

David Prystowsky began his JUF career in 2001 as a Young Leadership Division associate and has since held a range of lead roles in the Campaign department, working with YLD, JUF Professionals Network, Corporate Partners Program, and as the professional leader for the annual Nachshon Mission. He also served as Executive Director of JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council.

Under David’s leadership, the Annual Campaign has experienced continued growth as the central source supporting human services from baby to bubbe in Chicago, in Israel and around the world. David’s track record of fundraising success, combined with his unique ability to understand what inspires a donor to give, has defined the strategic and compassionate fundraising of the organization, which fuels a network of 75 agencies and initiatives that support Jewish life and Jewish lives.

“Leaders who have come before me have built the foundation and trust in this campaign and in JUF. I take great pride in being the steward for this generation as we continue to move forward with purpose,” David reflected.

Prior to joining JUF, David worked in film production in Los Angeles.

An Indianapolis native, David graduated from Indiana University with degrees in history and film studies.

Jenny Puchtel serves as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the organizational health of JUF and operationalization of JUF’s goals and vision. In this role, Jenny directs the allocation of resources across departments, works with leaders to develop and implement work plans, and spearheads strategic initiatives to optimize resources and enhance the effectiveness of JUF.

Jenny developed a passion for managing organizational change and driving efficiency throughout her 20-plus year career in higher education and professional services. Prior to joining JUF, Jenny was most recently Assistant Provost, Administration and Finance at Northwestern University, overseeing business operations, including budget planning and human resources, for the Office of the Provost and its 30 departments. Before that, she served as Director of Organizational Strategy and Change and Manager of Accreditation, leading university-wide projects to evaluate programs and design evidence-based solutions. In her 10 years at Northwestern, Jenny worked to assess organizational challenges and implement improved structures, operations, and processes.

Earlier in her career, she worked at the Huron Consulting Group in their higher education practice and at Deloitte Tax in global employer services.

Jenny is a dual graduate of Northwestern University, earning a B.A. in economics and a master of science in higher education administration and policy.

David leads a team focused on planned giving, donor-advised giving, major gifts and special fund initiatives.

Under David’s leadership, JUF’s Legacies & Endowments programs have grown to over $2 billion, while making distributions and grants of over $120 million a year, to Jewish and non-Jewish organizations. This work has resulted in a variety of new and important projects, including the Siegel Campus for JCFS, the One Happy Camper Endowment, Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, Silverstein Base Hillel, JCC Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp and a significant increase in funding of CJE SeniorLife programming for the Jewish elderly through the Delighter Foundation.

David joined JUF over 37 years ago from the Illinois Attorney General’s Charitable Trusts and Solicitations division, where he served as Assistant Attorney General. David currently serves as Chairman of the Illinois Attorney General’s Charitable Advisory Committee.

A frequent speaker before a variety of lay and professional groups, David consults frequently with Jewish Federations and other nonprofit groups across the country, sharing his expertise. He has served as Chairman of the Chicago Bar Association Trust Law Committee and the Annual ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law Not-For-Profit Law Conference.

In 2017, the Chicago Council on Planned Giving honored David with the Russel V. Kohr Memorial Award in recognition of his contributions to the field of planned giving.

Trained as a tax lawyer, David earned a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School and a Master of Laws from DePaul University.

Jim Rosenberg has been with JUF since 2000, holding a variety of key leadership positions. He became Chief of Staff in 2012. In this role, Jim works with the President, senior staff and volunteer leadership on alignment, strategic direction, project management and organizational health, while also building a strong culture and experience for JUF employees.

Jim reflected, “My job is to help my colleagues be as successful as possible. I love doing that. Whether directly assisting them or helping build a system and culture in which they can thrive, nothing gives me greater satisfaction than helping facilitate success.”

Previously, Jim served as Vice President, Financial Resource Development, overseeing multiple aspects of the Annual Campaign and supplemental giving. He has spent considerable time focused on understanding donors and designing paradigms for donor engagement.

Before coming to JUF, Jim worked at the Jewish Federations in Cleveland and Detroit.

Jim holds a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Illinois and master’s in social work and a certificate in Jewish communal service from the University of Michigan.

Joy Schwartz, Chief Marketing Officer, heads a team responsible for conveying JUF’s identity and message to Chicago and the world via ever-expanding channels – ranging from print, email, the web and social to video, advertising, speeches, outside media and more.

Joy joined JUF in 2017, bringing broad experience from the world of advertising and marketing. She was President of the Chicago office of Havas Worldwide global advertising and marketing, and also held leadership roles at several other major agencies and exclusive boutique firms. Her clients have included Citibank, Kraft, Sprint, Reynolds Wrap, S.C. Johnson and other industry leaders, as well as national nonprofits such as AARP. She also was Chief Marketing Officer for a path-to-college company serving student athletes.

Joy is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a bachelor of science in journalism.

Emily Muskovitz Sweet is a veteran social impact leader with over 25 years of experience driving positive change in the nonprofit, philanthropic, government, and corporate social impact sectors.

In her current role as Chief Impact Officer at JUF, Emily leads the Planning and Allocations Department, which is responsible for identifying ongoing community needs, setting funding priorities, and allocating communal resources locally, nationally, and internationally.

Prior to joining JUF, Emily was most recently Vice President of Social Impact at OpenComp, where she established and led OPEN Imperative (Organizations for Pay Equity Now), a coalition of 400+ CEOs, investors, and business leaders dedicated to closing their gender pay gaps. Emily also served as the Director of Strategic & External Affairs at the Lefkofsky Family Foundation, where she developed and managed the family’s philanthropic and political giving strategy and grantmaking portfolio.

Emily has held previous leadership roles at JUF, including serving as Executive Director of the Public Affairs Department— where she led government relations, advocacy, and inter-faith coalitions— and was Executive Director of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Chicago. She began her career working to address gender-based violence at a domestic violence shelter program and then as the Project Director for the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence.

Emily is a national Vice President of the National Council of Jewish Women, a 130-year-old civil rights organization. She was a 2013 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and past recipient of the Jewish Federation of Chicago’s Samuel A. Goldsmith Award. Emily was a featured speaker at the 2023 White House Business Roundtable on Pay Equity, and is a frequent speaker, writer, and podcast guest on philanthropy, social impact, and gender equity. She received her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and her Masters degree in Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, where she was a McCormick Tribune Fellow. Emily lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

Jay’s areas of responsibility range from security to public policy, inter-group relations, to marketing, fundraising, and oversight of JUF’s Israel office.

A trusted adviser to many leading philanthropists, Jay serves on the boards of several family foundations and has led over 30 trips to Israel with leaders from every level of government.

When asked about what inspires his work at JUF, Jay shared, “The international breadth and the depth -- profoundly enriching so many lives—makes working at JUF meaningful. Layer that with partnering with the world's best colleagues, volunteers and donors, and you have a recipe for a rewarding 30-year career.”

An ROTC scholarship cadet at Georgetown University, he received his bachelor’s in Soviet studies from American University and a master’s from the University of Chicago. He is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and a graduate of the national Mandel Executive Development Program.

In between his schooling, Jay served four years in the U.S. Army. A captain and graduate of the 5th Group Special Forces (Green Beret) Paratrooper Course, Jay was a platoon leader in a NATO Air Defense Unit based in the former West Germany.