JCC Association of North America today announced the appointment of Deann Forman as the inaugural executive director of the Center for Innovation and Impact, one of three newly established Centers of Excellence part of the organization’s strategic framework. In this role, Forman will provide founding leadership to strengthen organizational effectiveness across JCC Association and the JCC Movement, drive innovation, and support JCCs and JCC Camps across North America in achieving intentional and measurable impact. She brings more than two decades of executive leadership, operational expertise, and career coaching experience within the JCC Movement and the broader nonprofit sector. Forman will begin in the role on February 1, 2026.
JCC Association is advancing its work through a new strategic framework developed by president and CEO Barak Hermann in partnership with the board of directors. Central to this evolution are the three Centers of Excellence: the Center for Talent Development, the Center for Jewish Peoplehood, and the Center for Innovation and Impact. Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus was recently appointed executive director of the Center for Jewish Peoplehood, and Forman’s appointment marks another significant milestone in building the leadership structure for this framework. The Centers are designed to bring greater alignment to the organization, strengthen and expand existing programs, launch new initiatives, and ground the work in measurement and analysis. Together, they will reshape the organization’s portfolio and support JCCs and JCC Camps across North America.
The Center for Innovation and Impact will serve as the engine to help the JCC Movement learn, adapt and evolve faster and smarter. The Center will focus on identifying, piloting, and scaling high-impact programs and practices; advancing movement-wide data measurement, benchmarking, and impact reporting; and expanding access to shared tools, resources and communications that elevate the movement’s collective profile.
Statements
“We are thrilled to welcome Deann back to JCC Association,” said Barak Hermann, president and CEO of JCC Association, in a press release. “As one of the professionals who helped create JCC Benchmarking, the movement-wide data collection and analysis resource that JCCs and JCC Camps rely on, Deann brings unmatched JCC executive level experience in using data to strengthen organizational performance at JCCs and tell the story of our collective impact. I can think of no one better suited to provide the foundational leadership needed to build and lead the Center for Innovation and Impact.”
Forman said she is honored to step into this role at such an important moment for the JCC Movement.
“JCCs are complex, community-centered organizations doing essential work,” said Forman. “The Center for Innovation and Impact will support JCC leaders with the tools, data, and partnerships they need to build strong, sustainable organizations—and to use data to tell the story of their impact in the communities they serve.”
Forman currently serves as CEO and principal of Perspicuity Coaching & Leadership Services, where she provides executive coaching and leadership development to senior leaders and teams across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. She has coached more than 500 professionals — including C-suite executives — and specializes in organizational effectiveness, team development, and leading through change.
Previously, Forman was chief executive officer of the Riverdale YM-YWHA in the Bronx, where she led a successful organizational turnaround, strengthening financial stability, expanding programs and building a high-performing senior leadership team. Earlier in her career, she served as chief operating officer of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, New Jersey. Forman holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University with a concentration in nonprofit management and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brandeis University.
Further Information
Earlier in her career, Forman served as director of excellence for JCC Benchmarking at JCC Association of North America, where she provided strategic consulting to more than 70 JCCs and helped position Benchmarking as a core tool for strengthening organizational performance across the movement. In her new role, she will oversee and expand JCC Benchmarking, which supports JCCs through shared data, peer comparisons, and insights that help leaders assess organizational health, identify emerging challenges, and drive continuous improvement.
“Deann is a proven leader with deep roots in the JCC Movement and an exceptional ability to help organizations thrive,” said David Wax, the JCC Association board chair. “Her appointment reflects our commitment to clarity, accountability, and impact, and to supporting JCCs with the tools, data, and leadership they need to succeed. Deann’s experience and vision will be invaluable as JCC Association continues to evolve to meet the needs of our communities and partners.”
JCC Association, in partnership with the JCC Movement, dynamically influences efforts to build and sustain stronger, more dynamic Jewish communal agencies, vibrant Jewish life, and intentional and measurable Jewish outcomes in local communities and across the continent. JCCs serve more than 1.5 million people weekly, in person and online, and drive an economic engine totaling $1.6 billion annually.
