Executive Director Halie Soifer

Halie Soifer is a seasoned congressional aide, Obama administration alum and foreign policy expert, and now the first executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

For the past 16 years, Soifer has served in various national security roles supporting Democrats in the U.S. Senate, House, and executive branch. Most recently, from January 2017 until May 2018, Soifer served as national security advisor to Senator Kamala Harris (CA), where she advised the senator on matters related to foreign policy, defense, veterans and cybersecurity.

Previously, Soifer served as foreign policy adviser for three members of Congress – Sens. Ted Kaufman and Chris Coons (both DE) and Rep. Robert Wexler (FL) – including serving as senior foreign policy advisor and Senate Foreign Relations Africa Subcommittee staff director during her four years working for Sen. Coons. Soifer also served in the Obama administration for two years as senior policy adviser for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, and in the Bush Administration, where she served as a civil servant in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

Soifer has a long record working on issues of importance to the Jewish community and of concern to Jewish voters. During President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, Soifer served as the campaign’s Florida Jewish vote director, where she led a successful statewide effort to organize the Jewish community in support of Obama during the general election. In her positions on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Soifer served as a liaison to the Jewish community and organizations, and worked extensively on national security issues, including those related to Israel.

Soifer received her master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Middle East Studies and international economics, and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan Honors College. She is a native of East Lansing, Michigan.