Jewish Family Service CEO Liz Vogel has announced she will retire on August 28. With Vogel’s full support, COO Linda Kean and Chief Services Officer Ann Sutton Burke have been named Interim Co-CEOs; they have a combined 49 years of service to JFS.

The JFS board has set up a transition team to oversee the succession plan. A search committee has also been formed and will begin a nationwide CEO search in the next few weeks.

“We have been prepared for any succession scenario,” said Ellen Feld, president of the board. “We are grateful to Liz Vogel for her eight years of dedicated, passionate, and thoughtful service to Jewish Family Service.”

A Legacy of Growth to Meet Community Needs

Vogel is leaving JFS in an excellent position financially and organizationally. She has grown the organization and built a strong and empathetic team. Under her tenure, Jewish Family Service created innovative and significant offerings in Youth Mental Health Services for children and young adults, K’vod Connect’s services for socially isolated older adults, and Adult Day Services’ support for older adults with memory challenges. On the organizational side, Vogel also secured two significant milestones: JFS was approved as a Medicaid provider and received an impressive three-year accreditation from CARF International.

This past year has been especially successful. JFS served the most people ever—almost 3,500 people, an almost 20 percent increase. After being inspired by visiting Israeli nonprofits, Vogel set a goal to increase JFS’s number of volunteers; as a result JFS doubled its number of volunteers last year to nearly 175. Also in 2025, donations to the organization were the highest ever.

Vogel on What Meant the Most

What meant the most during her tenure? “What means the most to me is the impact my coworkers and I made together,” said Vogel. “We significantly expanded our reach into the Jewish community, engaging with more people than ever before. I also have to shout out the expertise on the board that guided me and the organization through so many complex decisions.”

Vogel will miss a few things. “I'll miss my colleagues, supporting the mission of JFS, and helping the people we serve,” she said. “[But] I have also never been more confident that JFS is and will continue to be a successful and growing organization.”

What has inspired Vogel? “The generosity of people in our community is truly inspiring,” she said, “It's their support, along with that of our amazing funders, that makes our mission possible.”  

Community Leaders Speak to Vogel’s Legacy

Asked about Vogel’s legacy, Nina Perlove, Executive Director of the Foundation for Cincinnati Jewish Seniors, emphasized her success under pressure: “Under Liz’s leadership, JFS has expanded its programs to meet new challenges for our community, steering her agency through Covid and adapting to post-October 7th needs. Foundation for Cincinnati Jewish Seniors is proud to have been able to support this work and see new initiatives thrive under the leadership of Liz and her outstanding team.”



Brian Jaffee, CEO of the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, also commended Vogel. “The hallmark of Liz’s tenure has been her passion for, and commitment to, serving the Jewish community of Cincinnati—particularly the most vulnerable among us,” he said. “Through Liz’s leadership, JFS partnered very effectively with the Jewish Foundation and other community funders to find new ways to bring more resources and assistance to more people, particularly in two areas: isolated Jewish seniors; and youth, teen, and young adult mental health. We are very grateful for all that Liz and her team have been able to accomplish.”  

Asked about the news, Danielle V. Minson, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, said, “I’m so appreciative, and I know I speak on behalf of our Jewish community, of Liz for her eight years of leadership. She has been a strong business leader who has grown the agency. She has been a steady partner to the Federation and other community funders, solving for new and increasing community needs with adaptability and truly committed, skillful stewardship.”

Asked for an iconic “Liz story,” Ann Sutton Burke, Chief Services Officer and new Interim Co-CEO, shared a story of Liz’s sense of justice. “We had a client who was getting ripped off by a plumbing company. Everyone who could have helped, including me, was out. Liz went immediately to the client's home and straightened the plumber out, so the client was not scammed out of hundreds of dollars.” 

Vogel’s Future Plans

“I’m sad to leave behind the mission I love and I’m eager to explore what comes next,” said Vogel in her retirement note to staff. Asked what she’s looking forward to, Vogel said, “You’ll likely find me doing all the things I struggle to find time for today: practicing guitar, spending time with friends, traveling with family, adding cardio to weight training, and battling nature on our Kentucky farm as I test my agricultural skills.” Asked if there was indeed, as rumored, a tractor in her future, she laughed. “I’ll leave the picture of me driving a tractor to your imagination.”