Austin, TX., March 12, 2021 — Chayla Furlong, Jewish
National Fund-USA’s (JNF-USA) new Director, Central Texas is looking to create
immediate impact by connecting Texans to Israel through JNF-USA. “The Southwest
is JNF-USA’s largest geographic region, but our youngest regional campaign. I
want to capitalize on the explosive growth in Austin and San Antonio to drive results
for the Southwest campaign and position our region to thrive.” It sounds bold,
but Chayla’s history shows a proven track record of growth, expansion, and
attention to detail.
In her eight years at Nordstrom, Chayla rapidly rose
to management, where she took charge of four departments and over $5 million in
sales volume, and also worked as the Customer Relationship Manager for one of
Nordstrom’s largest Northern California stores. She then became the inaugural
Executive Director for Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi (SAEPi), a Jewish sorority and
nonprofit. As Executive Director, Chayla dramatically increased the sorority’s visibility
and presence, more than doubling both membership and the number of SAEPi
chapters and creating strategic partnerships with JNF-USA and other Jewish and
Israel organizations.
Raised in a home where Israel was never discussed,
Chayla says that her time at UC Santa Cruz was her introduction to Israel,
learning about the land and people through the local Hillel and Chabad. “But
really, my true love of Israel began with my Taglit Birthright trip in 2008,”
she said, which only grew as she shifted into a career in Jewish nonprofit, and
learned more about JNF-USA’s vital work in Israel.
JNF-USA Southwest Executive Director Reagan Weil said:
“Chayla has a proven record of growing organizations she’s a part of, and I am
extremely confident she will do the same for our Central Texas campaign. We are
all very excited to have her on board and can’t wait to see her innovative
ideas in action.”
Now living in Central Texas, Chayla believes that her
new community is ripe for expansion. “I think that the Austin community is poised
to grow; it’s poised to explode,” she says, noting the increase in tech
innovation and larger companies moving to Austin. “We have an opportunity to
grow JNF-USA in this region because the city itself is growing, and with that
will come the growth of the Jewish community and the presence of Jewish
National Fund-USA.”
Above all, Chayla was adamant about the importance of highlighting
partners and the important work they do as contributors to JNF. “We need to
create meaningful relationships with our partners,” she said. “They are on the
front lines of our organization, and without them we wouldn’t be able to do all
the wonderful things we are doing in Israel.”
Click here for more information on JNF-USA Southwest.
###
Media Contact:
Jennifer Milton
561.447.9733 x 875
About Jewish National Fund-USA
JNF-USA is the leading philanthropic organization for Israel that supports critical environmental and nation building activities in Israel’s north and south. Through its One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade, JNF-USA is developing new communities in the Galilee and Negev, connecting the next generation to Israel, and creating infrastructure and programs that support ecology, individuals with special needs, and heritage site preservation.