Jill Lexier- 2023 Innovative Leadership Award

NCJW Chicago North Shore is proud to honor Jill Lexier with the 2023 Innovative Leadership Award. This award is presented to an outstanding NCJW member who has influenced our section’s development and engaged others in strategies for new ongoing leadership. Jill has been outstanding in empowering new leaders to build deep alliances and coalitions to enhance NCJW’s advocacy in the community. In her national role as NCJW State Policy Advocate (SPA) for Illinois, she has led both sections in powerful fight or human rights and particularly in the area of reproductive rights. Legislatively and through every medium, it has been the cornerstone of her social justice contribution.

Jill became a feminist in sixth grade when she was denied the opportunity to be a crossing guard because it was “only for boys”. She became a fierce advocate for gender equality in college as the only women in her engineering class and continued advocating for and mentoring other women in STEM throughout her career.

Born in Canada, Jill spent her 30 year career as an Environmental Engineer in the energy industry, developing green alternatives to gasoline throughout the world. When she moved to Naperville 17 years ago with her family. she joined The National Council of Jewish Women. Her many leadership talents were evident to all. She served as Treasurer for Tri-County Section for two years before becoming President in 2012. In 2014 she spearheaded the merger of the Tri-County Section into Chicago North Shore Section. Once retired, she served on the NCJW Chicago North Shore Board of Directors before becoming the SPA for Chicago North Shore and South Cook sections in Illinois since 2017.

Through her national position with NCJW, she has vigorously led both sections in advocating through legislation, coalitions, and other programs the fight for bodily autonomy, gun violence prevention, racial equity, voting, and especially abortion rights and access in her pursuit to impact social justice and improve the quality of life for women and their families.  By creating the NCJW Illinois Policy Committee she successfully empowered and inspired active advocates from both sections to connect and engage; to shout out and join forces with members of the greater Chicago community to maintain our rights during these shaking times.

Go back to purchase tickets for our Women of Vision Awards Gala here: https://ncjwcns.org/events/women-of-justice/