Longtime center organizer to lead JCC

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus has selected its next chief executive officer.

Michael Klapper, who began working at the center in 1992, will begin his new role July 1 when Carol Folkerth, the current executive director, retires.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead an organization that represents such a worthwhile mission and serves as the hub of a truly amazing Jewish community,” Klapper said in a statement released Friday afternoon.

Klapper previously worked at the Jewish Community Center's day camp in Indianapolis, where he grew up. He began at the Columbus center in 1992 working in youth sports and then went on to direct the center's recreation and wellness program. He has served as the assistant executive director while the center's membership has increased and the early childhood program and fitness center have rapidly expanded. “Mike has built strong relationships within our JCC and throughout the community,” Folkerth said. “He is the right person to lead the JCC for the future.”

Klapper graduated from Indiana University with a degree in psychology Klapper and received a teaching certificate.

He was selected after an extensive national search conducted by the center's executive search committee and the Jewish Community Centers of North America.

“In a rapidly changing world, providing an environment where people feel welcome and a sense of belonging is our essential mission,” Klapper said.