TODAY ’ S FEATURED SPEAKERS
TED DEUTCH AJC Chief Executive Officer , Edward and Sandra Meyer Office of the CEO
Ted Deutch , a lifelong Jewish and pro-Israel activist , assumed the role of CEO of American Jewish Committee ( AJC ) in October 2022 , following more than 12 years of distinguished service in the United States House of Representatives . In Congress , Ted was a leading voice in the fight against antisemitism and efforts to advance the U . S . -Israel relationship . He was a founding member of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism , and he served as chair of the House Ethics Committee and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee , where he chaired the Middle East , North Africa , and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee . Ted began his career in public service in the Florida State Senate , where he gained national recognition for passing the nation ’ s first law mandating that public pension funds not be used to advance Iran ’ s illicit activities . Prior to holding public office , he enjoyed a successful career as a commercial real estate attorney in Cleveland and Boca Raton . He served as a lay leader with the Jewish Federations of Cleveland and South Palm Beach County , and as a member of both UJA ’ s National Young Leadership Cabinet and AIPAC ’ s National New Leadership Network . Ted and his wife , Jill , have lived in Boca Raton , Florida , since 1998 and have three adult children , Gabby , Serena , and Cole .
SARA COODIN AJC Director of Academic Affairs
Before joining American Jewish Commitee ( AJC ), Dr . Sara Coodin was an Associate Professor of Classics and Letters at the University of Oklahoma . Dr . Coodin was trained as a Shakespeare scholar and obtained her Ph . D . in English Literature from McGill University in Montréal , Québec , the city where she was raised . She has written and published extensively on premodern English ideas about Jews , including emerging ideas about Jews and race that inform present-day perceptions of Jewish identity and belonging . As AJC ’ s new ( and first ) Director of Academic Affairs , Dr . Coodin oversees strategic engagement with university administrators and faculty across the United States . Through her advocacy work , she aims to create more meaningful dialogues about Jewish identity , history , and culture in academic spaces , and support innovative approaches to teaching and research that foster dynamic Jewish intellectual infrastructures on university campuses nationwide .