Philadelphia, PA, January 14, 2020 … ADL (“the Anti-Defamation League”) today announced the appointment of Shira J. Goodman, an experienced nonprofit executive, advocate and attorney, as Regional Director of ADL Philadelphia, which serves eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.
For the past seven years, Goodman served as the Executive Director of CeaseFirePA, a statewide organization working to end gun violence in Pennsylvania. Under her leadership, CeaseFirePA became one of the strongest state organizations fighting gun violence in the nation, advocating for common sense gun laws and action by Pennsylvania’s executive officers and building a large grassroots advocacy network in the Commonwealth. Goodman also spent a decade as the Deputy Director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, a non-profit working for fair courts and equal access to justice, and worked for five years as a labor lawyer at Ballard Spahr.
In her new role, which she assumed on January 13, Goodman oversees ADL’s broad and deep portfolio for fighting hate in the Philadelphia region. She leads the organization’s efforts to combat extremism, train law enforcement, protect victims of anti-Semitism and other forms of bias, advocate for civil rights for all, build coalitions, and teach students, educators and the wider community to challenge hate in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.
“We are thrilled that Shira has joined the Philadelphia team,” said Ed Blumenthal, ADL Philadelphia Regional Board Chair. “Shira comes to ADL with an impressive professional background and skills, but of equal importance, she comes with a peerless dedication to our mission: ‘to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.’ We have no doubt that, under Shira’s leadership, ADL Philadelphia will make great strides in the fight against hate in the region.”
Goodman is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Yale Law School, where she served as a Symposium Editor of the Yale Law Journal. She has served as a member of the editorial board of the Legal Intelligencer and in a number of capacities with the Pennsylvania Bar Association, including as a member of the Project Constitution Task Force. Goodman has served on the Boards of Perelman Jewish Day School and Camp Ramah in the Poconos, and is active in the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. In 2008, she was named one of Philadelphia’s Top 101 Emerging Connectors by LEADERSHIP Philadelphia and has been recognized by several community groups for her work fighting gun violence.
“In today’s climate of surging hate against Jews and other communities, ADL’s mission is more important than ever,” said Goodman. “ADL Philadelphia has led the fight against hate in the region for 75 years, and I am excited to join this storied organization at such a critical moment. I look forward to leading the charge to make our region ‘No Place for Hate.’”
ADL Philadelphia made meaningful strides “to secure justice and fair treatment to all” in the region in 2019, including:
- Teaching over 300,000 students to challenge bias and bullying in 220 No Place for Hate schools and organizations.
- Training nearly 1000 local, state and federal law enforcement professionals on extremism, terrorism, hate crimes and managing implicit bias.
- Responding to nearly 400 calls from community members who reported acts of anti-Semitism and other forms of bias.
- Providing security resources to nearly 200 diverse religious institutions to improve the safety of their congregations and communities.
- Inspiring thousands of people to come together to support inclusion and respect at our 9th Annual Walk Against Hate.
- Leading advocacy efforts to strengthen hate crimes laws in Pennsylvania.
- Many other programs and initiatives to counter bigotry in the region through combating extremism, advocacy, outreach and education.
Goodman succeeds Nancy K. Baron-Baer, who recently retired after serving 17 years at ADL Philadelphia, including the last seven as its Regional Director. This month, Baron-Baer received an award at ADL’s annual dinner, The Good Fight, recognizing her for her exemplary leadership over her nearly two-decade career at the organization.
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ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of bigotry, its timeless mission is to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of bigotry occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate. More at www.adl.org.