Linda Yarden is Named New President of Elluminate

For Immediate Release

New York – June 24, 2025  – Linda Yarden, a New York-based attorney, philanthropic leader and advocate for Jewish women, has been named the new President of Elluminate, which empowers Jewish women leaders and philanthropists working for gender equity and social change.

“I am honored to be entrusted with this responsibility, one that fuels my courage and tireless resolve,” Yarden said. “But alone I am not invincible. Together, we have the power to transform lives. Together, we carry the spark of renewal, the thrill of possibility, and the light of hope. Together we rise — and elluminate hope.”

Yarden, currently serving on Elluminate’s Board, succeeds Stephanie Garry as President and will serve a two-year term beginning July 1.

As a seasoned nonprofit leader, she brings fresh vision and expertise to grow and scale the organization’s resources to its next phase. This includes the launch of Elluminate’s Global Jewish Women’s Network later this year, and the addition of ten Jewish women leaders to Elluminate’s Collective Leadership Advancement Program, which currently has trained, supported, and elevated 60 visionary Jewish women nonprofit CEOs during the past six years.

“We are delighted to welcome Linda as our new President,” said Melanie Roth Gorelick, Elluminate CEO. “It is a pivotal time for women working for social change in the US and Israel as they face deepening societal challenges to their equity and social justice work. Linda aims to strengthen our platform and impact at a time when Israel is at war and gains made for women are under threat in the US. She is the right leader for this moment.”

Yarden is an Arbitrator with FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.  She was a Managing Director of the Golden Seeds Angel Network, an early stage investment firm focused on women-led businesses. In addition, she is former Managing Director of Corporate Placement and Strategy at the prominent legal search firm A.W. Rush & Co., and spent much of her career with Goldman Sachs, the global financial services firm.

She serves on the Board of Trustees at Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan, and the Board of HelpUsAdopt.org, a nonprofit that helps couples and individuals with the significant and increasing costs of child adoption. She is also the co-founder of In the Stacks with Linda, a facilitated book salon.

Yarden graduated from Franklin and Marshall College, where she served as a Trustee for over 10 years, and earned her Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, Chris Smith, and her two children.

Elluminate empowers feminist Jewish women leaders and philanthropists advancing equity and social change in the U.S., Israel  and beyond.
www.elluminatewomen.org

Contact:
Glenn Rosenkrantz, Media Representative
[email protected]