LIVING LINKS APPOINTS BARI ROGOFF AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Holocaust Education Organization Names Descendant and Policy Leader
to Guide Next Chapter of Growth
Bari Rogoff, CEO
WASHINGTON D.C. – May 28, 2026 – Living Links, an organization devoted to mobilizing and empowering the descendants of Holocaust survivors, announced the appointment of Bari Rogoff as its first-ever Chief Executive Officer. Rogoff brings a distinguished record in government service and nonprofit leadership—alongside a profound personal connection to the Living Links mission as a descendant of two Holocaust survivors.
Rogoff joins Living Links at a pivotal moment. As antisemitism continues to rise and the generation of firsthand survivor voices grows smaller, the need for compelling, accessible, and effective Holocaust education has never been more urgent. Her appointment signals the organization’s commitment to expanding its reach, deepening its 3G affiliate network, and ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust endure for future generations.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Bari to our team,” said Jen Mendelson, Co-Founder of Living Links. “Bari brings the rare combination of personal conviction and professional excellence. She is someone who carries this history deeply and knows how to translate that passion into organizational impact. As we grow our community and strengthen our programs across the country, Bari’s expertise in building coalitions and scaling mission-driven organizations is exactly what we need.”
Leadership for a Growing Movement
In partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation, Living Links empowers descendants of Holocaust survivors to turn their family testimony into a powerful tool for education. Through a growing network of 28 affiliates across the United States, Canada, and Australia, Living Links has reached educators, community members, and tens of thousands of students through speaker programs and community engagement initiatives. Under Rogoff’s leadership, Living Links will focus on strengthening national infrastructure, expanding affiliate support, creating new partnerships, and scaling opportunities for greater impact.
“The USC Shoah Foundation is incredibly proud of the growth of Living Links over the past three years,” CEO and Finci-Viterbi Chair Dr. Robert J. Williams noted. “We look forward to seeing the next stage of our partnership during this most critical time in our global effort to fight antisemitism and secure permanent memory of the Holocaust.”
A Record of Impact at the Highest Levels
Prior to joining Living Links, Rogoff served at the U.S. Department of State within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, where she advanced international programs at the intersection of education, culture, and public diplomacy. Before her State Department tenure, she served in the White House, where she led the establishment of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP), the first government-wide effort dedicated to women’s economic empowerment.
Her career before government includes roles at some of the most respected foreign policy institutions in the country, including the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and Harvard Kennedy School. Rogoff also pursued a personal commitment to service overseas, volunteering at an AIDS orphanage in Kenya and leading Birthright Israel trips.
Education and Personal Commitment
“My grandparents’ survival shaped who I am and why I do this work. Taking on this role feels like an answer to a calling,” said Rogoff. “With disinformation and antisemitism surging, the Living Links mission is incredibly powerful. Time is forcing us to prepare for a world without survivor voices. We are creating a network that preserves the lessons of the Holocaust and protects future generations from senseless hate. I am honored and energized to lead this important mission and ensure "never again" lives up to its meaning.”
Rogoff holds a Master of Science in Global Affairs from New York University, with a thesis focused on genocide prevention, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan. She is guided by a lifelong commitment to tikkun olam—the Jewish value of repairing the world—and brings scholarly grounding, unmatched professionalism, and deeply personal investment to her leadership of Living Links. She resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband and their two children.
About Living Links
Living Links is the first national organization devoted to mobilizing and cultivating a community of the descendants of Holocaust survivors. In partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation, Living Links empowers descendants to transform their family testimonies into an effective tool for education that fosters critical thinking and civic responsibility to recognize and counter hate in all forms. Living Links serves as an umbrella organization for an affiliate network of 3Gs–third generation descendants of Holocaust survivors–which currently stands at 28 affiliates nationwide and is intentionally growing to reach the over 1 million descendants living in America.
About the USC Shoah Foundation
Founded in 1994, the USC Shoah Foundation records, preserves, and shares survivor and witness testimonies with the aim to learn from the past and build a future that remembers. The collections archive is home to 60,394 testimonies of survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust, contemporary antisemitism, the Armenian Genocide, and other mass atrocities and genocidal crimes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It is the largest such collection in the world.
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Casey Murphy
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