Renee Kutner has been announced as the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s new CEO after a six-month nationwide search. The first woman to serve as CEO, Kutner will assume the role on Dec. 1.
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She has served as COO since 2021, focusing on strategic direction, leadership development, community planning and impact, internal operations, and governance. Kutner is taking the place of longtime leader Eric Robbins, who led the Federation for seven years.
Kutner was one of the Atlanta professionals who traveled to Israel in February, meeting IDF soldiers, Holocaust survivors, and Arab-Israelis, and visiting the site of kibbutzim and Nova music festival attacked by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023.
“This is a tough time in the Jewish world,” Kutner said. “We’re sitting in one of the most crucial moments in the modern Jewish world, and that has a lot of challenges and a lot of uncertainties, but also a lot of opportunity.”
Kutner has noticed that Jewish Atlantans are seeking engagement, regardless of their level of involvement before Oct. 7. “People are seeking community, they are seeking Jewish education, and they’re seeking connection – and the Federation is going to be here to provide it,” she said.
An Atlanta native, Kutner is aware of the ways in which the Jewish community has changed since her childhood. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan and an MBA at UCLA, returning to Atlanta to raise a family.
“I have seen how much the community has grown in the last 40-plus years. I genuinely feel like the people who came before me, and built this community, built it for me,” said Kutner. “There is no better place for me to give back.”
Kutner said the Federation is still in negotiations over a possible relocation to Sandy Springs. The location of Federation’s offices are separate from the community it serves. “If we move, we’re going to do it because it’s the right move for business,” she said.
Regardless of where the offices are located, she said, it is crucial that Federation have different hubs around town. Sandy Springs and Midtown are just two possibilities.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re activating different hubs,” she said.
The Atlanta Jewish community is growing, “just starting to hit our stride.” Atlanta is attracting people with job opportunities, affordability, and a strong Jewish infrastructure. That’s why national organizations are looking to Atlanta as the place to try new programming, Kutner said.
“We have a really long runway,” she said, noting that the younger Jewish demographic in Atlanta is booming.
A new COO to replace Kutner has not yet been announced. She said she’s looking at how best to leverage the team’s amazing talent.
“I am incredibly honored to be the first woman CEO, but I am not the first woman leader of Federation. We’ve been really blessed to have had a number of female board chairs over the years,” said Kutner. “I have had plenty of people in the community writ large, but also at Federation, to look up to as female role models.”
Beth Arogeti, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta board chair, said, “The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is the convener of a diverse and dynamic Jewish community. With Renee at the helm, we will continue to grow and evolve, and meet the needs of people both in Atlanta, in Israel, and around the world.”
