Press Contacts:
Carrie Oman | 212.415.5435
Patrick Preblick | 212.415.5537
Andrew Sherman | 212.415.5693
Meryl Wheeler | 212.413.8841

The 92nd Street Y, New York Announces the Nomination of Jill Lafer As New Board Chair

Ms. Lafer brings decades of nonprofit leadership experience to advance 92NY’s mission and strategic vision at a critical moment of renewal for the organization.

New York — February 13, 2025 — The 92nd Street Y (92NY), the world-class cultural and community center, announced today that its Board of Directors has formally nominated Jill Lafer as its next Chair.

"At a time when division seems to define us, 92NY creates a rare and powerful space in which different perspectives meet and genuine dialogue flourishes," said Jill Lafer. "92NY is a unique institution – created by the Jewish community 150 years ago and today serving both the Jewish community and people of every conceivable background and belief. I am honored to help advance 92NY's mission of bringing people together to build understanding and community. I look forward to partnering with Seth, Alyse, and the Board of Directors to ensure that the 92nd Street Y has world-class facilities that will mirror the world-class programming. I am excited to build on the incredible legacy of Jody Gottfried Arnhold, 92NY’s current Chair, to whom the entire Board is so grateful.”

“Jill has been an incredible champion of 92NY, bringing deep experience in nonprofit leadership and the arts,” said Seth Pinsky, CEO of 92NY. “As Chair of our Board of Directors, Jill is poised to further our evolution as an organization that serves not only New York, but the world. Her commitment to cultural excellence, community engagement and making the world a better place is consistent with the Jewish values on which we were founded and makes her the ideal leader for our board."

Pinsky continued: “I’d also like to extend my thanks to outgoing Chair Jody Gottfried Arnhold, who has led 92NY through remarkable era of transformation - a crucial capital campaign to fund a top-to-bottom building renovation, and an institutional rebrand. Jody has left an indelible mark on the 92nd Street Y, and we will be forever grateful for her steadfast leadership.”

In her new role, Lafer will help guide 92NY through an exciting new chapter in the center’s storied history, marked by the ongoing physical transformation of its home on 92nd and Lexington Ave. She joined the Board of Directors at 92NY in 2022 and has since immersed herself in a broad range of the organization’s offerings, chairing the Nominating & Governance Committee while serving on the Arts Committee, and as a mentor in the Women in Power Fellows program.

Over the past century and a half, 92NY has grown into one of New York City’s — and the world’s — most influential cultural institutions and community centers. The organization has harnessed the power of arts and ideas to enrich, enlighten and change lives, and the power of community to repair the world. 92NY continues to adapt to a changing world — rapidly expanding its online programming events and classes and announcing new initiatives like the Dialogue Project to foster civil discourse around controversial topics.

Lafer will begin her role on July 1, 2025.

###

About Jill Lafer:

Jill Lafer has been a leader in the women’s reproductive rights and health movement for 40 years. Jill is the former board chair of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and also served as board chair of NARAL Pro-Choice New York. She served on the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and chaired the Planned Parenthood Action Fund PAC. She was a board member of the National Institute for Reproductive Health and was the treasurer of The No Bad Apples PAC founded by New York State Senator Liz Krueger.

With a background in the business sector, Lafer was an auditor for Arthur Young and Company, worked in strategic planning for Citibank and co-founded a consumer licensing business, Hoffman/Lafer Assoc. L.L.C. Since 2009 she has served as a mayoral appointee (Bloomberg, DeBlasio, Adams) to the Central Park Conservancy Board. She has also served on the boards of The Children’s Museum of Manhattan and New York City Opera.

Jill is the President/CEO of The Stober Lafer Family Foundation, which supports the Arts, education, gun control, women’s reproductive rights, Jewish affairs, food insecurity and LGBTQ+ organizations.

She was honored to be a Fellow at The Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute in 2018-2019, and has been a guest speaker at The Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School and UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Other honors include the 2024 Women Who Dares Award, by the National Council for Jewish Women, the 2019 Champion of Change Award from Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, and in 2016, Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright presented her with the Woman of Distinction Award as a part of Women’s History Month.

About The 92nd Street Y, New York:

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92NY.org.