Jewish Family & Career Services (JF&CS) is excited to announce that after a nationwide search, it has chosen Terri Bonoff to lead the agency as Chief Executive Officer.

“I am honored and grateful to be joining JF&CS, an extraordinary, person-centered organization that helps Atlantans improve their lives, and build self-sufficiency for themselves and their families. My leadership stands on the shoulders of all who have shaped and created the impactful JF&CS family legacy,” said Bonoff.

Bonoff is a former business executive and elected official from Minnesota. She served as a Minnesota State Senator from 2005-2016. As Chair of the Minnesota Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee, she championed legislation to create the Minnesota PIPELINE Project, which expands dual training and apprenticeship programs in Minnesota in emerging and high-demand occupations by partnering employers and students.

Prior to her time in the Minnesota Senate, Bonoff had a successful career in the private sector. She began her business career working at Jackson Graves, a women’s retail specialty chain, before moving to Tonka Toys as Manager of Promotional Services. She then served as Vice President & General Manager for the computer products division of Navarre Corporation, the division growing ten-fold during her tenure. She was the 2016 recipient of the Jewish Community Relations Council Sam Shiner award for her work on behalf of the Jewish community and securing substantial state funding for the Parent Child Home Program at the Minneapolis JFCS.

“Terri’s combined business acumen and political experience and her success in building transformative social services programs make her an excellent choice to lead our agency,” said Jeff Alperin, President of the Board at JF&CS. “She shares our passion for making a difference in the lives of others.”

Bonoff moved to Atlanta after her husband joined Delta Air Lines. Shortly after, she joined the Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics & Computing (CEISMC), to launch an Atlanta-based PIPELINE Project. This pilot program partnered Purpose Built Schools, an Atlanta-based non-profit committed to breaking the cycle of poverty through high performing schools, with leading companies in the Atlanta area to facilitate internships and apprenticeships for high school students.

With Bonoff’s hiring, Interim CEO Faye Dresner will resume her role as JF&CS Chief Program Officer, a position she has held since 2015.  Bonoff will assume the CEO role on June 3, 2019.