JCC hires Levitt as development director
When Noreen Levitt relocated to Orlando in 2007, she knew she wanted to get involved in the local Jewish community.
And that she did. The New Jersey native currently serves on the board of directors of the Jewish Pavilion, Dor Shalom, and the local Jewish National Fund, and serves as the co-chair of programming for the Sisterhood of the Congregation of Reform Judaism. She’s also participating in the new class of the Jewish Federation’s Bornstein Leadership Program.
But on Jan. 2, Levitt took her communal involvement to a new level by crossing from the lay to professional side as the new development director for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando.
“I have been heavily involved in the Jewish community since my arrival in Orlando almost five years ago,” Levitt said. “I feel that this is a community that has embraced me willingly and wholeheartedly, for which I am deeply grateful. I welcome the opportunity to use my talents as a development professional to help ensure the continued presence of a vibrant Jewish Community Center here in Central Florida.”
Levitt has more than 15 years of experience in non-profit fundraising and grant-writing. Most recently, Levitt served as the director of development for the Orlando Shakespeare Theater and the Orlando Opera Company. She has also served as the director of corporate and foundation relations for Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.
“I am excited about Noreen and her employment in the capacity of development director,” said Tomer Taggart, the president of the JCC’s board. “Her extensive experience combined with her connection to our local Jewish community will be valuable as the JCC looks to further professionalize its fundraising and donor development practices.”
Now at the JCC, her focus will be on fundraising from individuals, corporations, and foundations on the local and national level in order to support the organization’s financial sustainability. She will be working with David Wayne, the JCC’s executive director, to lead the development team in an effort to strengthen the agency’s donor identification and cultivation process.
“I am thrilled to have Noreen as a member of our professional team,” said Wayne. “The JCC is very fortunate to have found a development director with not only the professional credentials, but an extraordinary level of commitment to the strengthening of our Jewish community.”
Levitt’s passion for the Jewish community is palpable.
“The JCC is crucial to Central Florida as a place where Jews of all kinds can gather and feel the presence of ‘ruach’ (spirit) and ‘kehilla’ (community),” Levitt explained. “The feeling of having a place to gather, learn and celebrate in the spirit of Judaism is part of the fabric of Jewish life. The JCC of Greater Orlando makes this possible.”
To continue this mission, Levitt will aim to streamline and fortify the 39-year-old agency’s fundraising initiatives at its two campuses, the Roth JCC in Maitland and the JCC’s Jack & Lee Rosen Southwest Orlando Campus.
“The JCC’s Jack & Lee Rosen Southwest Orlando Campus serves to extend the JCC’s mission of building community, strengthening family life, and promoting Jewish values in Central Florida ‘from north to south’ of Greater Orlando—therefore, it is important to keep it accessible to all who can benefit from its programs and services.”
Levitt’s involvement around town reaches well beyond the Jewish community. She currently serves on the board of directors for Florida Executive Women, and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Grant Professionals Network of Central Florida, Junior League of Greater Orlando, and the Leadership Orlando Alumni Association.
She holds a Master of Science in Management from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Emerson College.
Noreen and her husband Mark Levitt live in College Park and are members of the Congregation of Reform Judaism.
“I am thrilled to be joining the JCC team. I look forward to reaching out to our community to encourage their continued support of this dynamic and invaluable community center. This support will ensure the JCC’s ability to provide programs the community believes in, remains enriched by and enjoys.”
Levitt can be reached at NoreenL@orlandojcc.org or by calling 407-645-5933.
Read this entire story in the print edition of the Heritage; call 407-834-8787 for more information.