12.05.2023 / Press Release

Families USA Appoints Experienced Nonprofit Leader Yael Lehmann as Interim Executive Director

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sister Simone Campbell, Families USA Board President, announced that effective December 11, 2023, Yael Lehmann, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, will be the organization’s interim Executive Director. Yael Lehmann currently directs Families USA’s advocacy efforts in coalition with hundreds of partners at the national, state and local levels. Lehmann will lead the organization until the board selects a permanent executive director to succeed Frederick Isasi, who recently stepped down.

Yael Lehmann, who joined Families USA in November 2022, has extensive nonprofit leadership experience and deep roots in strategic community building. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as Executive Director of The Common Market Mid-Atlantic, where she and her team partnered with government agencies, local farmers, schools, community groups, nonprofits and many others to provide almost one million produce boxes sourced from local farms to food insecure families in New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. As The Food Trust’s President & CEO, she guided the organization through dramatic growth in staff size, budget, and geographic reach. Under her leadership, The Food Trust won local and national awards, including the Pioneering Innovation Award, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her background

also includes supporting nonprofits as a consultant, providing assistance with fundraising, strategic planning, and program evaluation. Lehmann holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in social welfare from the University of California at Berkeley.

“We are grateful that Yael will lead our organization until a permanent executive director is in place, ” said Campbell. “The board, staff and our partners view her as a highly capable leader. She will help us prepare for new leadership while furthering the mission of Families USA.”

“I will continue to work with our very committed senior leadership team, staff and board to ensure that the work of Families USA continues without interruption during this interim period,” said Lehmann. “Together, in partnership with many others throughout the country, we will continue to fight for high-quality, affordable health care and improved health for all.”

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Families USA, a leading national voice for health care consumers, is dedicated to the achievement of high quality, affordable health care and improved health for all.