While Naomi Levine is well known for her highly successful tenure as a fundraiser at New York University, she is also an accomplished lawyer, historian, author and owner/founder of a girls’ camp in Upstate New York. A graduate of Hunter College and Columbia Law School, Levine went on to hold several positions at the American Jewish Congress (AJC). She was the Executive Director of AJC from 1971-1978, making her the first female in charge of a major Jewish organization.
Levine came to N.Y.U. in 1980, after deciding to take on a new direction: fundraising. Naomi Levine’s fundraising efforts helped N.Y.U. raise $2 billion in her 22 years of service, including individual gifts of $30 million from Leonard Stern, $25 million from the Tisch Family, $15 million from Helen and Martin Kimmel and an estate from Sir Harold Acton valued at approximately $500 million. Due to Levine’s fundraising techniques, New York University has gone from raising about $20 million a year in 1978 to over $350 million a year at present. At N.Y.U., Levine also started the Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising and the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life and she continues to play an active role in both centers. Furthermore, Naomi Levine is a special advisor to University President, John Sexton, on matters of external affairs and fundraising.
Sources:
- Naomi Levine, Biographical File
From the guide to the Records of Office of the Vice President for External Affairs (Naomi Levine), 1975-1986, (New York University Archives)
