The Jewish Theological Seminary Names Rabbi Mike Uram as Next Chancellor

Appointment positions JTS for continued strength and expansion following Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz's planned transition at the end of the current academic year

NEW YORK, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), one of the world's preeminent centers of Jewish higher education, and the intellectual and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism, today announced that its Board of Trustees has named Rabbi Mike Uram as its ninth Chancellor. He will succeed Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, who, as previously announced, is stepping down at the end of the 2025-26 academic year and will transition to Chancellor Emerita, while remaining a member of the faculty.

A JTS-ordained rabbi and nationally recognized leader in Jewish learning and engagement, Rabbi Uram currently serves as the first Chief Jewish Learning Officer at Jewish Federations of North America. Over the course of his career, he has led and advised a wide range of Jewish educational and community-focused initiatives, including serving as Chief Vision and Education Officer for Pardes North America and, for more than 16 years, as Executive Director and Campus Rabbi at the University of Pennsylvania Hillel. He is also the author of Next Generation Judaism: How College Students and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations, which received a National Jewish Book Award.

Rabbi Uram's appointment, which is effective on July 1, 2026, reflects JTS's commitment to being a pre-eminent center of engaged and integrated Jewish scholarship while further expanding its reach to engage a broader and more diverse Jewish community. A 2005 graduate of JTS who has spent his career forging new pathways for Jewish learning and leadership, Rabbi Uram brings both deep familiarity with JTS's intellectual and spiritual traditions, and a demonstrated ability to connect with Jews across a wide spectrum of backgrounds.

"JTS stands at a rare intersection of rigorous scholarship, religious practice, and community," said Rabbi Mike Uram. "As someone shaped by this institution, I am honored to return and work together with faculty, students, alumni, administration, and partners to build on JTS's enduring strengths, while widening the circle of engagement with people of the American Jewish community, Israel, and around the world."

Chancellor Schwartz, the institution's first female Chancellor in JTS's 140-year history, has led JTS through a turbulent period marked by challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and rising antisemitism. During her tenure, she advanced key institutional priorities, including strengthening JTS's core academic programs, growing the faculty, launching new degree offerings, initiating new preparatory programs to fortify the rabbinic pipeline, expanding online and public-facing learning, and deepening JTS's engagement across the Jewish community. 

"Serving as Chancellor of JTS has been a tremendous honor, and I am deeply proud of what this community has built during a demanding yet important chapter," said Chancellor Schwartz. "Rabbi Uram brings a combination of intellectual depth, organizational vision, and formidable skills for engaging and growing Jewish communities. I look forward to supporting a smooth transition and to continuing my work at JTS."

"Chancellor Schwartz has strengthened JTS with her clarity of vision and empathetic leadership, helping the institution grow to be even more resilient and more vibrant," said Alan Levine, Chair of the JTS Board of Trustees. "As we build on that foundation, Rabbi Mike Uram is the right leader for this moment: grounded in Jewish learning at JTS, experienced in shaping educational strategy, and committed to developing the next generation of Jewish clergy, educators, and leaders. We are grateful to Chancellor Schwartz for her service, and we are thrilled to welcome Rabbi Uram back as JTS's next Chancellor."

Rabbi Uram holds a BA in History and Religious Studies from Washington University and Rabbinic Ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary. He lives outside Philadelphia with his wife, Leora, and their three children, and will be relocating to New York.

About Rabbi Mike Uram

Rabbi Mike Uram is the first ever Chief Jewish Learning Officer for Jewish Federations of North America. Previously, he served as the Chief Vision and Education Officer for Pardes North America, building a new platform for Jewish education. Before that, Mike led Penn Hillel as the Executive Director and Campus Rabbi for over 16 years. He is the author of the best-selling book entitled Next Generation Judaism: How College Students and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations, which won a National Jewish Book Award. He is a sought-after speaker and consultant on the changing nature of the American Jewish community, Jewish innovation, cutting-edge engagement, and how legacy organizations can reinvent themselves in the age of millennials. 

Mike has worked with dozens of Jewish organizations, including the Wexner Foundation, the Schusterman Foundation, Hillel International, United Synagogue, The Rabbinical Assembly, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and many local federations, synagogues, and JCCs. Mike served as lead faculty and Jewish coach for the first three cohorts of the Schusterman Fellowship and was the principal architect for the Jewish leadership growth elements of the fellowship. Recently, Mike also co-authored and designed a new educational framework for Birthright Israel.

Mike has spent time in all the different denominations and is most passionate about breaking down the personal, spiritual, and intellectual boundaries that prevent people from having full self-actualized Jewish identities.

Mike holds a BA in History and Religious Studies from Washington University and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He lives outside Philadelphia with his wife Leora and their three children.

Read a letter from Rabbi Uram here.

Read a letter from Chancellor Schwartz here.

Read a letter from Chair of the Board, Alan Levine here.

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SOURCE The Jewish Theological Seminary