Needham Resident Jevin Eagle Named Executive Director of Boston University Hillel

Needham resident Jevin Eagle, a former business executive and current Hebrew College Rabbinical School student, will leverage his entrepreneurial talent, spiritual depth and passion for Hillel’s mission as he becomes the next executive director of Boston University Hillel, among the largest private university undergraduate Hillels in the country.

“We are thrilled to be contributing such a talented and dedicated professional to the Hillel world in Boston,” said Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. “Jevin brings profound intellectual, interpersonal, and spiritual gifts to this work – work that is deeply aligned with our pluralistic educational mission and vitally important to the Jewish future.”

Prior to attending rabbinical school, Jevin Eagle was the CEO of DAVIDsTEA, a senior executive at STAPLES, Inc. and a partner at McKinsey & Company. He was one of the executives responsible for STAPLES’ Easy Brand Strategy and the famous “Easy Button.” Eagle says his career change from business to the Rabbinate was the fulfillment of a life-long dream to immerse himself in text study and serve the Jewish people. Illustrative of his commitment to the Jewish community while working in business, Jevin served as board chair of Harvard Hillel and Dartmouth Hillel from 2002 to 2006. “I pursued a business career, but Judaism was always my avocation,” said Eagle. “I am extremely excited to combine my business experience with the pluralistic and text-based rabbinic training I am engaged in at Hebrew College to lead BU Hillel. I can’t imagine anything more important than helping Jewish university students find meaning in life through a connection to God and the Jewish people.”

Eagle has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he served as an executive committee member on the Jewish Students Association, and a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, where he majored in religion and government, and served as Hillel student president. Before Harvard Business School, he helped found Jewish Lights Publishing. He serves on the board of directors of Carter’s, Inc., the leading branded apparel marketer for babies and young children.

“Jevin will bring the mind of a CEO and the heart of a rabbi to his work at BU Hillel,” said Eric D. Fingerhut, President and CEO of Hillel International. “He is the perfect person to build on the growth that BU Hillel has experienced in recent years.”

Added Sidney Pertnoy, Chair of BU Hillel’s Board of Directors: “Jevin will be leading by example, showing our students that there are many ways to pursue a Jewish life. We look forward to watching him engage and excite Jewish students at BU.”

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About the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College

Established in 2003, the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College educates rabbis for a richly diverse and changing Jewish world. Our pluralistic approach prepares rabbis to serve in the exciting landscape of Jewish leadership today. Students learn to be wise and compassionate spiritual leaders, rooted in Jewish text and tradition and dedicated to the creative flourishing of Jewish life. Hebrew College Rabbinical School graduates hold leadership positions in Hillels at Harvard University, Tufts University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, and other campuses throughout the country. (www.hebrewcollege.edu/rabbinical)

About Hebrew College

Founded in 1921, Hebrew College promotes excellence in Jewish learning and leadership within a pluralistic environment of open inquiry, intellectual rigor, personal engagement and spiritual creativity. Its programs include a Rabbinical School, a School of Jewish Music, a School of Jewish Education, and graduate degrees and courses in Jewish studies; community education for adult learners; and a supplemental Hebrew high school and middle school (www.hebrewcollege.edu/).