Immediate Past Board Chair Rob Rickles

“For me, JELF’s support represented more than simply another student loan for my undergraduate studies at Northwestern University. It was my Jewish community stepping up to invest in my future. A dozen or so years after I had made the last payment on my loan, I was contacted by JELF as part of an “alumni” outreach effort and was recruited to volunteer.

Grateful for the help JELF had provided to me, it was wonderful to have a chance to give back to the organization. As a communications consultant in the employee benefits arena at Hewitt Associates (today I work for Merrill Lynch), JELF put me to work on the Advancement committee where I participated in a variety of public relations and communications activities, most notably the re-design of the JELF logo.

Through the years I’ve served on a variety of other JELF committees, including the Loan Program and Board Development committees. I have served as JELF Board Chair twice (2013-2015; 2021- 2023), an honor I will always treasure. As a JELF board member and financial supporter, I’ve loved having the opportunity to come full circle so that other Jewish students will have the resources they need to complete their studies. L’dor v’dor.”