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NEW YORK, NY – National President Rhoda Smolow and CEO Naomi Adler of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, are pleased to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Cullen as Government Relations Director, beginning June 1, 2023. In this role, Cullen will lead Hadassah’s advocacy efforts in Washington, DC, where she will be based, working to expand the organization’s presence and impact.
“As the largest Jewish women’s organization in the US – with almost 300,000 members and supporters covering every congressional district – Hadassah has a powerful voice in advocacy,” said Adler. “We are thrilled to have Elizabeth join us and know that her passion for women’s health and her breadth of advocacy experience, particularly in the health care arena, will take Hadassah’s policy agenda to the next level in Washington and across the country.”
Cullen will work to deepen Hadassah’s relationships with lawmakers, the White House and other partners. She will lead strategic campaigns that advance Hadassah’s advocacy priorities and federal affairs agenda, which focuses on promoting Zionism and the US-Israel relationship, championing women’s and public health and combating antisemitism.
“I am proud to be joining Hadassah, which has been an important part of my family for generations,” said Cullen. “I look forward to working with powerful women throughout the country who are deeply committed to Israel, fighting against hate and protecting women’s health at this critical moment. I am excited to amplify the important voices of Hadassah’s network of passionate members here in the nation’s capital and to promote the work of the Hadassah Medical Organization, Hadassah’s medical center in Jerusalem.”
A nationally recognized leader in health policy, Cullen joins Hadassah with over 20 years of federal and state advocacy experience. Most recently, she served as Associate Director of Health Policy for the Jewish Federations of North America (Jewish Federations), one of the country’s largest philanthropies. There, she represented the interests of local federations throughout the country as well as a broad array of Jewish communal health and social service organizations. In this capacity, she cultivated relationships with Congress, federal agencies, health-provider executives, community leaders and other partners to advance Jewish Federations’ federal legislative and regulatory priorities across a diverse range of health policy matters, including hospital system and other provider priorities, women’s health, access to care for underserved and vulnerable populations and health equity.
In her previous role as Washington Representative for the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, Cullen served as the Network’s chief lobbyist and public affairs advisor, leading the development and implementation of the group’s advocacy agenda and strategy.
Earlier in her career, Cullen served as Director of Congressional Affairs and Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs for the American Psychological Association, where she advocated on a diverse array of health policies to improve access to mental health care.
Elizabeth Cullen earned a Bachelor of Arts in women’s studies from Brown University, a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University and a law degree from the New York University School of Law.