SILVER SPRING, Md. — HIAS, the world’s oldest refugee aid organization, announced today that Dr. Beth Oppenheim has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Oppenheim, who has served as interim CEO since March 2025, has held key leadership roles at HIAS as Chief Advancement Officer and Chief External Relations Officer since joining the organization in 2023. The announcement was made by HIAS Board Chair Tamar Newberger, following a vote by the HIAS Board of Directors to appoint Oppenheim as CEO. Oppenheim will be HIAS’ first female CEO in its over 120-year history. The appointment follows a ten-month effort led by a distinguished executive search firm.
With more than 700 global staff, HIAS draws on Jewish values and history to advocate for the rights of displaced people and helps them rebuild their lives. The organization has a storied history supporting individuals fleeing persecution, beginning with Eastern European Jews escaping antisemitic violence, and has evolved into a leading international Jewish humanitarian nonprofit, providing vital services to refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced people of all backgrounds across the world.
As CEO, Oppenheim will lead HIAS’ efforts to address the urgent needs of refugees and displaced people around the world, respond to an unprecedented moment of challenge for immigrants and refugees, and uphold its foundational commitment to “welcoming the stranger.”
“During this unprecedented moment of hardship and cruelty towards immigrants and refugees in our world along with the immense uptick in antisemitism and other forms of hate around the globe, HIAS is privileged to have a leader like Beth. As our next CEO, she will ensure that HIAS, an organization that has helped many thousands of American Jews settle and thrive in this country, can continue to lead in welcoming those facing persecution around the world,” said Tamar Newberger, Chair of HIAS’ Board of Directors. “On behalf of the Board and the entire HIAS community, I look forward to continuing to work with her as we begin this new chapter. Under her guidance, HIAS will remain the go-to organization for protecting the dignity, safety, and opportunity for those displaced by conflict and persecution.”
Oppenheim steps into the CEO role with a wealth of experience. Before joining HIAS, she served in executive roles in several international development and refugee resettlement agencies, including longtime partner of HIAS, Church World Service. She is an expert on displacement and poverty alleviation in Africa, having held positions in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Mozambique, amongst other locations. Through her senior leadership positions at two of the ten resettlement agencies in the U.S., she has helped to shape how the sector preserves welcome for newcomers in a changing landscape. Oppenheim holds a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Cape Town, a Master of Science in Global Affairs from New York University, and earned her Bachelor of Arts from NYU, where she double majored in Metropolitan Studies and Hebrew and Judaic Studies. A recognized thought leader in her field, Oppenheim has written and published extensively on development and the NGO sector.
In responding to her appointment, Oppenheim said: “I am deeply honored to be HIAS’s next CEO and to lead an organization with such a proud history of standing up for refugees and displaced people worldwide. My late grandfather owed his life to HIAS, coming to the United States from Germany to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. At this critical moment, HIAS’ mission is more vital than ever. Looking ahead, I am committed to working alongside our dedicated staff, partners, and supporters to ensure HIAS remains at the forefront of advocating for the most vulnerable and continuing to protect welcome.”
“Beth is the right person to lead HIAS during one of the most challenging periods in our organization’s history,” said HIAS President Mark Hetfield. “Building on our decades-long legacy, Beth brings a fresh perspective and is exactly what HIAS needs as the international Jewish community’s agency for forcibly displaced people.”
With this transition, HIAS is excited about and is steadfast in its commitment to continue to advance its core mission – and to draw on our own history as a Jewish people to advocate for dignity, safety, and compassion for all.
For press inquiries, please contact media@hias.org.
HIAS is a 120-year-old international Jewish humanitarian organization dedicated to transforming the lives of refugees and asylum seekers. With the Jewish community behind us, we deliver vital support through protection services, economic empowerment, mental health care, and robust advocacy—defending the rights of all displaced people to rebuild their lives and creating a world of welcome, safety, and opportunity.