Press release from Jewish Family Services of WNC:
The Board of Directors of Jewish Family Services of WNC, Inc. (JFS) is pleased to announce that Jessica Whitehill has been named Executive Director of JFS following the retirement of founding Executive Director Alison Gilreath.
Whitehill joins JFS from Our VOICE, where she served as the Director of Philanthropy. Previously, she worked at Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) and the Asheville Jewish Community Center (JCC).
“I am honored and thrilled for the opportunity to lead Jewish Family Services,” Whitehill said. “Thanks to Alison’s vision, and guidance over the years from the board of directors, JFS is poised for growth in the areas of mental health, case management, and our Elder Club that has made such a difference in the lives of seniors in Western North Carolina.”
Before moving to Asheville from Bangor, Maine, in 2012, Whitehill was employed at the University of Maine and the Bangor Daily News. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Barnard College and a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Whitehill, who is from Reston, Va., is a volunteer with the JCC and Asheville Symphony.
The JFS Search Committee was made up of Board members Jacob Blass, who chaired the committee, Debra Bergman, Rosemary Dehlow and Gaia Goldman.
The JFS board also announced Gilreath has been named Emeritus Executive Director.
Gilreath, who founded JFS in 1999 as the WNC Jewish Council on Aging based at the Asheville JCC, oversaw the organization’s transition to JFS when it incorporated and became independent in 2011. JFS moved from the JCC to its own space in 2013. Gilreath also started the JFS Elder Day Club Group Respite Program and oversaw the agency’s growth and expansion.
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