As has happened with many Jews, Jill Hagler had a life-changing experience when she visited Israel for the first time.
But for her, it was a career-changing experience as well. In fact, partly because of it, Hagler as of Sept. 1 is the new executive director of the Jewish Federation of Madison.
Hagler at the time (the middle to late 1990s) was working for the American Heart Association in Miami, Fla.
She was also studying for a master’s degree in English-as-a-Second Language with the thought that she might want to use her gift for languages — she is proficient in Spanish, French, and Italian —to go into teaching.
Then one summer, she went on a Young Leadership Mission to Israel organized by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
“I have to say I was completely blown away,” Hagler said in a recent telephone interview. “I was especially impressed” by how the Miami federation “raised money locally, but the dollars went also to help the community in Israel,” and how this helps “take care of the greater Jewish family…
“I was very moved and impressed. I respect the work the AHA did, but these [in Israel] were my people.”
Therefore, she changed her career path. For the next 12 years, Hagler worked for Jewish federations in Miami, Los Angeles, and South Palm Beach County, Fla., holding such positions as campaign director, associate foundation director, and associate vice president for women’s philanthropy.
And now, at 41, she follows Steven H. Morrison, 65, who is retiring after 27 years of heading the organized Madison Jewish community.
Generational change
The Madison leaders chose Hagler after a thorough search and review process. Lester Pines, the Madison federation’s president, said in a recent telephone interview that ultimately, Hagler “had the package of qualifications that appealed to the search committee, the executive committee and the board.”
Moreover, “she is very personable, makes connections well with people,” and she received “outstanding recommendations from her supervisors.”
Morrison spoke to her briefly and found her to be “a very engaging person” with “solid interpersonal skills” and a “focused listener. I asked her some tough questions, and she did fine with them.”
Pines added that Hagler represents “a generational change” in the Madison community’s leadership. While the federation leaders were not necessarily looking for a younger person, Pines said, “If we’re going to expand and grow and involve more people,” then it could be helpful that the new exec is “younger than the current leadership.”
“That was the case when Steve took over,” Pines said. “It was the beginning of a shift from older, more established members to a new group of people… Now it’s time for the next generation to be doing that.”
It is a less important change, to Pines, that Hagler is the first woman to be the full-time Madison federation chief executive.
“The fact that she was hired reflects the degree to which women have advanced in the workplace in the last 25 to 30 years,” he said. But “we were not looking for either a man or a woman to fill the position. We were looking for the best person.”
Hagler said she applied to Madison for two reasons. “I was looking for the opportunity to take my career to the next level,” she said.
Moreover, she and her husband, Elijah, “were looking for the community in which to be settling down, a small type of Jewish community that would be a wonderful place to raise our daughter” — Maya, 5 — “with strong public school education and a welcoming [and] progressive Jewish community.”
Madison “seemed like the perfect combination,” she said. “I can’t tell you how privileged I feel to have been chosen for this position.”
Hagler will be working with Morrison until he officially steps down at the end of 2010. Her husband is a singer, songwriter, and sound engineer, and will be “trying to work in those capacities.”
When not at work, Hagler said she loves to read, especially “Latin American fiction written by women,” and Latin American dancing.
Moreover, one of her goals is to learn Hebrew. “I love foreign languages, and that definitely is the next one I’d like to learn,” she said.
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