Shelly and Jeff Kupfer 2022 Gala Sara and Stuart Lessans Community Leadership Award Honorees
Since moving to Washington DC almost 30 years ago, Shelly and Jeff Kupfer have been devoted members of the Jewish community, assuming leadership roles both locally and nationally. They have been staunch supporters of the Jewish Federation, Jewish day school education, disability advocacy and inclusion, Hillel, and Jewish camping. Shelly grew up attending Young Judaea summer camps and credits this experience with shaping her Jewish identity. Her involvement in the local Jewish community began as a teacher at the Jewish Primary Day School (now called the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School). In 2003, Shelly attended her first Jewish Federation event and has never looked back. She joined the Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet and became chair in 2011.
Continuing with JFNA, Shelly co-chaired the 2016 International Lion of Judah Conference and from 2019 to 2021, chaired National Women’s Philanthropy. Leading NWP during COVID, Shelly and her team introduced new programs, including a Current Event Series and a Book and Author Series, that reached thousands of women across the Federation system. At the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Shelly served on the board for many years and as Vice President for Women’s Philanthropy. She received the Jerome Dick Young Leadership Award in 2008. Shelly has also served on the boards of Capital Camps and Retreat Center, Sunflower Bakery, Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Partnership of Jewish Life and Learning. She is an incoming board member at both Northwestern University Hillel and the JCC Association of North America. From 2013 - 2015, Shelly was a Wexner Heritage Fellow.
Jeff’s Jewish engagement began in Pittsburgh, where both parents served as president of the local Federation. Like Shelly, he served on the JPDS board and he is currently on the board of Sulam, the community’s premier K-12 Jewish special education inclusion program, where he chairs the development committee. After being selected as a Zin fellow in 2015, Jeff joined – and continues to serve - on the board of Americans for Ben Gurion University. In July 2022, Jeff became the president of Makom, formerly called the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes.
Jeff’s public service extends to his professional pursuits, where he served in senior level positions in the Treasury Department, the White House, and the Energy Department. He currently runs a consulting practice focusing on energy policy and teaches at Carnegie Mellon University.
Shelly and Jeff were honored by the Jewish Primary Day School in 2014 and by Sulam in 2017. Shelly and Jeff have three children -- Danielle, Adam and Andrew. They are proud that all of their children have found their own places within their Jewish communities and have a strong love of Israel.