MADISON – Monica Nolan, an experienced nonprofit director, has started as executive director at Jewish Social Services, after a challenging year for all organizations working in one of its core spaces – refugee resettlement.
She started Jan. 1. Nolan brings nonprofit leadership, sustainability expertise and advocacy experience to Jewish Social Services. From 2016-2024, she served as executive director of the First Unitarian Society of Madison.
“I’ve long admired JSS for its steadfast commitment to Jewish values, its human-centered approach, and its willingness to show up not only in moments of crisis but in the quiet, everyday work of rebuilding lives,” Nolan shared. “To now be entrusted with supporting this organization into its next chapter is both grounding and energizing.”
Prior to her service as executive director at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Nolan led NuGenesis as executive director and held roles in education and outreach at the YMCA and Girls Incorporated. In June 2024 she launched Driftless Commons Farm, where she applies her passion for land stewardship and sustainable agriculture in the Greater Madison area.
Nolan, selected after a national search, joins JSS at a pivotal moment. Earlier this year, the agency, which serves people of all faiths and backgrounds, felt the effects of dramatic federal cuts to the national Reception and Placement Program — responsible for resettling refugees and supporting them during their first 90 days in the U.S., according to a JSS news release. This left a significant budget shortfall. In response, the agency said it mobilized community support to sustain essential services for the hundreds of refugee families it has welcomed over the years.
Despite the national headwinds, the resettlement program has reported major accomplishments this year, including increased employment placements, support for several emerging refugee-led businesses, and expanded capacity for immigration legal services, according to JSS.
Additional JSS programs have also seen meaningful growth, according to the agency:
Spiritual care, led by Rabbi Renée Bauer, earned a competitive grant from the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab in 2024 to expand addiction-related support and programming in the Jewish community, while continuing to provide essential lifecycle and pastoral care.
Housing stability efforts have placed JSS on the frontlines of Dane County’s housing crisis. Through the Tim and Kathy Mazur Emergency Fund, JSS continues to provide emergency financial assistance to individuals at risk of losing housing.
Family and Senior Services offers long-term case management and wraparound support for individuals and families across Dane County, filling gaps left by other service systems.
JSS launched a monthly Memory Café, creating a stigma-free space for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers to gather, connect, and find community.
JSS continues to nourish community life through its signature programs, including the Lechayim Lunchtime Series, the Levy Summer Series, and services for all major Jewish holidays.
Nolan underlined her commitment to collaboration: “I’m eager to deepen partnerships with congregations, agencies, civic leaders, and every neighbor who believes the world is repairable — even on the days it doesn’t behave that way. This next chapter won’t be written by one person or one office; it will emerge from the chorus that has always sustained JSS: generous, justice-seeking, beautifully human. I’m grateful to be here with you. Let’s keep planting so those who come after us inherit shade, shelter, and possibility.”
JSS, in a news release, extended deep gratitude to Interim Executive Director Shahanna McKinney-Baldon for her steady leadership and profound commitment during this transition. The executive director position was previously held by Kai Yael Gardner Mishlove.
Jewish Social Services, based in Madison, seeks to empower individuals and families across generations and cultures to build community and self-sufficiency. Rooted in Jewish values and committed to serving people of all ages and backgrounds, JSS seeks to provide essential services including refugee resettlement, family and senior support, spiritual care, housing assistance, and community education.
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