John Ruskay

Dr. John Ruskay is Executive Vice President emeritus of UJA-Federation of New York, Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem-based Jewish People Policy Institute, and a Senior Mentor in the Mandel Foundation Senior Leadership Program. He is a partner at JRB Consulting Services LLC. Clients have included UJA-Federation, the Educational Alliance, Innovation Africa, the Yale Center for Social and Emotional Learning, Birthright Israel Foundation, Friends of the Children, Hillel International and the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace.

Having been appointed as a Commissioner by President Obama, Dr. Ruskay served on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom from May 2016 to May 2018. He previously served in senior professional leadership roles in the Jewish community including Executive Vice President and CEO of UJA-Federation (1999-2014), Vice Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (1985-1993) and Education Director of the 92nd Street Y (1980-1995).

Dr. Ruskay earned his PhD in Political Science at Columbia University, specializing in Middle East Politics. He has received numerous honors including honorary doctorate degrees from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership (2011), the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (2011), Hebrew Union College (2013), Yeshiva University (2014), and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (2016). He has written and lectures on issues relating to Jewish identity, the role of Jewish philanthropy, and the central role of community.

Dr. Ruskay lives in New York City with his wife, Robin Bernstein. They have five children and eleven grandchildren.