Veteran Charity Leader Picked to Head National Human Services Assembly

The National Human Services Assembly, a coalition of more than 80 nonprofits, has named veteran charity executive Lee Sherman as its new president and chief executive.

Mr. Sherman will replace interim leader Irv Katz. Mr. Katz, who led the Washington, D.C.-based network from 2001 until March of last year, rejoined the organization when his successor, Gloria Johnson-Cusack, resigned in December after eight months on the job.

The new CEO will take over on June 6. Mr. Sherman has led the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies since 2009 and brings more than 25 years of experience as a nonprofit and business executive to his new position. He currently serves on the Human Services Assembly’s Board of Directors.

In a statement, Mr. Sherman noted key challenges he expects to grapple with as head of the coalition: a growing demand for social services coupled with limited resources and a pervasive lack of political support for aiding the needy.

The group, he stated, “must respond to the voices of fear and recrimination that are all too prevalent in our public discourse.”

To that end, he expressed enthusiasm for the organization’s Reframing Initiative, an effort launched last year to help human-service providers and advocates explain their work and the complex issues it addresses more effectively.

The Reframing Initiative, he said, “is the single best tool today for changing the conversation.”