Addie Goodman

Addie Goodman is the President and CEO of JCC Chicago, the largest Jewish Community Center in North America, with programs and services that reach more than 100,000 people every year. Over the course of her career, Addie has aligned her work with issues that matter to her personally—education, female empowerment, social justice and, for the past 12 years, Jewish life. At the JCC Chicago, Addie’s focus is on “growing good kids” and the care and keeping of children and families through positive experiences and teachings about Jewish traditions and culture.

A Jew by choice, Addie was first drawn to learn about Jewish life and community through a summer lifeguarding job at the J in an Orthodox neighborhood. Now, she finds identifying and fostering new Jewish connections to be deeply personal work that requires low-barrier, accessible entry points. As mom to four children ages 19-26, Addie looks back fondly on the joy of Jewish children’s books, the nurturing of Jewish camp, and the warmth of having a family growing up in a Jewish communal ecosystem. She loves having a full nest at home with her family and two pups, as well as reading, writing, trying new hobbies, and getting outside.