Lisa Messinger has been a long-time leader and volunteer in several community organizations and Jewish organizations in New York and throughout North America. Until the 2018 death of her husband, HUC-JIR President Rabbi Aaron Panken, Lisa was his nearly full-time partner, traveling on behalf of HUC. After his death, she spearheaded a $12 million campaign to endow four new professorships in her husband’s name — one on each of HUC’s campuses.
Lisa completed four years as President of Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) and has served on the Board of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. She is past chair of the Union for Reform Judaism’s Northeast Camp Institute (Eisner and Crane Lake Camps).
Lisa received her B.A. from Northwestern University. She is a graduate of the Columbia University Coaching Certification Program and is a Wexner Heritage Fellow in Jewish Leadership. She sits on the boards of Central Synagogue and The Marlene Myerson JCC in Manhattan and acts as an advisor to several other non-profit organizations.
Lisa has two children with her late husband Aaron Panken.