The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is pleased to announce that Talya Messeri is joining the ZOA team in a major new post as National Director, Outreach and Engagement. She has over 10 years of experience working with multiple non-profits from coast to coast as a fundraiser, outreach professional, and structural strategist; her background also includes a degree in film production from the University of Southern California’s prestigious School of Cinematic Arts.

Ms. Messeri will be working with the National Executive Vice President, the President, the Board and staff to head up ZOA’s national outreach and engagement effort. She will be designing a donor engagement structure to implement nationally, and will work with the current regional directors to apply it to the existing ZOA chapters around the country. In the long term, she will extend this model and work with other regions of the country that are home to eager, dedicated volunteers and board members looking to build ZOA’s presence in their communities. In addition to shaping a national framework, Talya will also be serving as a member of the New York Metro team.

With years of professional experience in the effort to counter the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel bias in the media and change the overall cultural narrative, Talya brings to ZOA her passion and principles and is excited to be able to call this organization her new home.  

She states: “As a longtime advocate for Israel and Western values, I’ve followed ZOA’s numerous successes and have been impressed by its loud, clear, unwavering voice when it comes to speaking out for Israel and combating the numerous anti-Semitic forces in the world today. ZOA’s multi-faceted approach of arming students and young professionals with knowledge and resources, empowering lobbyists and giving them access to the decision-makers in Washington, DC, and taking groups and individuals to task through legal channels by way of the ZOA Center for Law and Justice (headed by Susan Tuchman, Esq.) is particularly inspiring and effective. I’m honored to join ZOA and to have the opportunity to help shape the future structure of this critically important organization that has remained, since its inception, on the correct side of history.”

ZOA president Morton A Klein said: “We are thrilled to have Talya on board, and look forward to having her help take our chapters to the next level, and continue to expand our outreach throughout the country.”