Met Council Vows To Stay Alive — Names New CEO

By Josh Nathan-Kazis April 21, 2015

Nearly two years after the arrest of ex-chief William Rapfogel, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty has vowed to continue as an independent organization — and has hired a new leader to chart its future.

Putting rumors of its demise to rest, the scandal-tarred Jewish anti-poverty agency unveiled Alan Schoor as its new CEO.

The Met Council has been in flux in recent months, as it considered pursuing a merger. That’s now off the table.

Schoor, now senior vice president for operations at Touro College in New York, will start work as the group’s CEO and executive director in May.

David Frankel, Met Council’s current executive director, confirmed last August that he planned to step down as CEO in late 2014. A reported potential replacement, Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island head Rabbi Moshe Wiener, did not end up succeeding Frankel. Frankel will continue on as the organization’s executive chairman through 2015.

Schoor, who is Orthodox, has worked as a senior executive at the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services and, during former New York City mayor Ed Koch’s administration, at the City of New York’s Department of General Services.

Met Council acknowledged in January that it was considering seeking a merger agreement with another not-for-profit. A spokesman said on April 21 that that was no longer under consideration. The organization is currently planning its annual legislative breakfast for this June.

In a statement issued by Met Council, the UJA-Federation of New York praised Schoor’s hiring, and the decision taken by Met Council not to pursue a merger. “UJA-Federation supports the decision of Met Council’s board to maintain an independent organization supporting the Jewish Community Councils,” said UJA-Federation president Alisa Doctoroff. “Alan is an experienced executive and we are pleased to have him directing Met Council’s critical work of caring for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.”

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

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