Press ReleasesSAN DIEGO (June 25, 2024) – The Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) Board of Directors announced today that current CEO Michael Hopkins, who has been at the helm for 13 years, will retire at the end of June 2025. The board has selected Dana Toppel to become the new CEO when Hopkins retires. Toppel is currently the COO and has been an integral part of the organization for over 15 years.
Through a wide range of integrated services, JFS serves over 95,000 individuals annually, empowering people of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds to overcome challenges, set goals, and build more stable, secure, and connected lives. The nonprofit believes everyone should be treated with dignity and have access to the tools and resources to meet the challenges of today and plan for tomorrow.
“We are all indebted to Michael for growing our agency in size and impact to be the largest JFS outside of New York City. His transformational leadership changed the landscape for our community. It is no exaggeration that many hundreds of thousands of people have received life-changing support and services as a result of his vision and passion,” said board chair Deborah Bucksbaum Maio. “In over 106-years as an organization, Michael and Dana are remarkably only the fifth and sixth CEOs, respectively, demonstrating JFS’s strength and executive leadership continuity. Dana is an inspiring and dedicated leader who will carry on the traditions of innovation, partnership, and responsiveness. We look forward to a smooth transition and continued growth and community impact in the future.”
About Michael Hopkins
Hopkins has made an indelible impact on JFS and the San Diego community. When he began his tenure, JFS was a $16 million agency with just under 350 employees. Through Michael’s visionary leadership JFS has grown to a budget of over $115 million with almost 550 team members.
“I’m filled with appreciation, pride, humility and gratitude. I have witnessed how JFS’s work is critical and life-changing for the individuals we serve and transformative for the community,” said Hopkins. “And, early in my tenure, I realized that how we did the work also made JFS special, as we are a place for people with shared values working together to repair the world. I am continuously grateful for our incredible staff, tireless volunteers, dedicated supporters and visionary board members.”
His many accomplishments include expanding the JFS headquarters in Kearny Mesa to create the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus, enabling the agency to increase and centralize services; the creation of the Center for Jewish Care that assists community members who are experiencing trauma, grief or financial challenges; facilitating JFS’s leadership in the creation of the San Diego Rapid Response Network and its Migrant Shelter Services for people seeking asylum that JFS operates, now regarded as a national model; and leading the nonprofit through its Centennial Celebration and Campaign, to sustain the future of the organization.
