Adrian Breitfeld named as Vice President of Finance and Administration/CFO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2019

Contact: Michelle Starkman

Director of Communications

michelle.starkman [at] aju.edu

(310) 440-1526

American Jewish University Names Adrian Breitfeld as Vice President of Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer

Los Angeles, CA – April 17, 2019 - American Jewish University (AJU) announced today the appointment of Adrian Breitfeld as the university’s next Vice President of Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer effective June 1st. In this role, Breitfeld will be leading the university’s accounting and finance operations and will report directly to Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, AJU President. Breitfeld was selected after a highly competitive national search and will officially join AJU on June 1, 2019.

“Adrian Breitfeld brings to AJU more than a decade of finance and accounting experience within the non-profit and Jewish communal sector, and has an extensive background in accounting, financial planning, management and strategy in changing landscapes. I would like to welcome Adrian to the AJU team and look forward to working closely with him as we execute our financial management strategies,” said Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, President of AJU. “Adrian has a proven track record to managing financial operations and a reputation for implementing best practices and initiatives.”

Mr. Breitfeld is a graduate with an MBA from the Marshall School of Business of the University of Southern California, with an M.A. in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, and is currently the Chief Financial Officer of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. In this capacity, he worked to align financial resources to strategic priorities while leading and developing a tactical response to guiding the organization through its goals.

“It is with gratitude and great appreciation that I have accepted the position of Vice President of Finance and Administration / CFO at American Jewish University,” said Adrian Breitfeld. “AJU's mission and vision for the future are exciting, and I cannot wait to return to Los Angeles and be part of such an opportunity at such a prominent Jewish institution. Dr. Herbst, along with a highly committed board and staff are transforming the university, and I'm motivated to join them and contribute to such a process.”

During his career, Breitfeld also held the position of Controller at the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, where he was responsible for the operations of all accounting and finance needs and oversaw a portfolio of $1.7 billion in assets, as well as a five-year stint as Controller of Jewish Family Service of Greater Los Angeles.

In addition to an MBA and M.A., Breitfeld holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Accountancy from Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Administratión from the Universidad de la República in Uruguay.

Mr. Breitfeld will succeed Zofia Yalovsky who is retiring after 22 years of service to AJU as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial, Administration and Technology Officer.

More information on American Jewish University and its leadership can be found online at www.aju.edu/about.

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American Jewish University (founded in 1947) is a thriving center of Jewish life, built upon the mission of Jewish learning, culture, ethics, leadership and peoplehood. In 2007, the University of Judaism merged with the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, creating a landmark entity - American Jewish University (AJU). With two campuses (in Bel-Air, California and Brandeis, California) AJU is now one of the largest Jewish institutions in the world. Offering abundant community programming, degree programs and learning experiences, American Jewish University continues to create a distinctive learning environment in which we nurture innovation, incubate new ideas and integrate socially-just values into community life. Learn more at www.aju.edu.