Molly Hess has been announced as the new director of Jewish Experiences, a collaboration of the Jewish Federation of Kansas City and The J, having joined the team at the end of August.
Hess brings eight years of experience in the Jewish nonprofit world, where she has found meaning through roles that bring community members together.
“I believe in connecting the community in a meaningful way,” Hess said. “I want people to have a holistic experience within our Kansas City Jewish community, and I want to make sure that people who have an interest in connecting have an opportunity to do so, both by developing different programs that appeal to our diverse collective while ensuring these opportunities are affordable.”
As director of Jewish Experiences, Hess will collaborate with both Jewish Federation and The J as she works to further the mission of the department. Jewish Experiences was reimagined in 2020 as a full collaboration between the two organizations, with the focus of educating and engaging those interested in learning more about Jewish arts, cooking, history, language, literature, meditation, spiritual growth and more.
“I am so excited that Molly is stepping into this key role,” said Jay Lewis, president and CEO of Federation. “I have been privileged to work with her in multiple settings and have seen her talents up close. Molly’s passion for connecting people to the Kansas City Jewish community is unparalleled, and we are fortunate to have her on board.”
Through Hess’ leadership, The J’s Chief Operating Officer Carly Stein hopes to see continued growth in programming that will allow individuals of all backgrounds to engage and learn about Jewish culture.
“We are ecstatic Molly has joined The J team,” Stein said. “Her wealth of knowledge and extensive experience in Jewish programming and education will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our Jewish Experiences team. Molly’s passion for fostering meaningful connections promises to elevate our offerings and engage our community in new and exciting ways. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly make.”
Hess most recently served as the Priya and chaplaincy program manager at Jewish Family Services. In her role at Priya, she helped individuals and couples within the community on their family-building journeys. She worked to foster a supportive environment for all people navigating personal experiences.
Prior to her work with Priya, Hess served as the Community Connector for TribeKC, where she developed comprehensive engagement and outreach strategies for Jewish millennials in Kansas City. This included programming, leadership development, individual connection and consulting with local Jewish agencies and synagogues.
In addition to her professional roles within the Jewish community, Hess volunteered on the Day of Discovery committee in 2024, the Jewish Culture Fest committee in 2022-2023, the PJ Library committee and as a religious school teacher at New Reform Temple.
Hess is a native of San Diego, California, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in art history from Indiana University Bloomington and a Master of Arts in art history from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Before transitioning to the Jewish nonprofit sector, Molly worked at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, but Hess has always been drawn to working within the Jewish nonprofit world.
“It’s my family business,” she said. “My mom ran a Jewish preschool at our synagogue for 20 years, and my dad was the programming director at Jewish Family Services of San Diego. My younger sibling is a director of education for a congregation in Boston, so after working in the museum world for six years, it only felt natural to come work in the Jewish community.”
