Beth Kieffer Leonard, MN Accounting Maven, Honored By The Jewish Agency

Beth Kieffer Leonard, managing partner of Lurie, LLP, an accounting and consulting firm in Minneapolis, has spent four years as the chairperson of the Jewish Agency for Israel’s budget and finance committee.

In that time, most of it during the pandemic, she helped the legacy organization sort out its finances and build philanthropic endowments to sustain future work. 

To celebrate Leonard’s efforts as her term on the committee comes to an end, the Jewish Agency honored Leonard on Tuesday at a Jerusalem gala. As an award, she received an artist’s depiction of the old city of Jerusalem shaped in the form of a pomegranate.

The Jewish Agency is the central organization that helps Jews make Aliyah, or immigrate, to Israel, while also investing in Jewish community and identity building globally.

Leonard is a prominent member of the Minneapolis business and Jewish communities, and previously served as president and campaign chair for the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. She has won numerous awards and recognition, including the “2017 Most Powerful Women in Accounting” award by CPA Practice Advisor, and was named one of 2021’s most admired CEO’s by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.

Leonard is widely recognized as a champion for women and minorities in business, and has been on the Jewish Agency’s board of governors since 2008. 

The Jewish Agency has several Minnesota connections; most recently, Minnesota Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf became the chair of the organization’s board of governors.