Name:
Donna Bender
AIPAC Role:
Member of AIPAC's Board of Directors
Professional Profile/Associations:
Member of AIPAC's National Board of Directors since 2013 who serves on its Executive Committee; chairs AIPAC's Valley Division and the Valley Pro-Israel Political Network, having served the pro-Israel community in leadership roles for over two decades. Following a 25-year career as a healthcare executive, she departed to devote her energy to Israel. Participates in congressional trips to Israel and attended Israeli President Herzog's address to a joint session of Congress in July 2023 on behalf of JFEDLA. Board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the L.A. Birthright Leadership Council; sponsor of Camp Ramah in California. Donated $18,100 to AIPAC and gives an annual $5,000 to United Democracy Project (UDP) and $2,500 to Defend the Dream PAC. Honored at Valley Beth Shalom's 2023 Gala alongside her husband. Her husband Ron Bender is Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of the insolvency and bankruptcy law firm Levene, Neale, Bender, Yoo & Golubchik LLP.
Accountability:
As a member of AIPAC's Board of Directors, Donna Bender bears individual legal responsibility for the organization's conduct. Under U.S. nonprofit law, board members hold fiduciary duties to ensure organizational compliance with applicable legal standards, implement oversight systems for core activities, and respond to credible information about organizational wrongdoing. In Stern v. Lucy Webb Hayes (1974), the federal district court held that nonprofit directors who fail to supervise organizational decisions breach their fiduciary obligations. In In re Lemington Home for the Aged (3d Cir. 2015), the Third Circuit upheld $2.25 million in damages against nonprofit directors who ignored red flags and failed to exercise reasonable oversight. The information in these profiles is drawn primarily from AIPAC's most recent IRS Form 990, supplemented by publicly available sources including news reports, official announcements, and public records. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, AIPAC is legally required to file Form 990 annually with the Internal Revenue Service, and these filings are public documents.
However, IRS regulations allow organizations up to eleven months after their fiscal year ends to submit these forms, meaning publicly available data typically lags by approximately one year. This inherent delay underscores why AIPAC—like most major organizations of its size and influence—should maintain a current, public-facing leadership page identifying its board members and senior executives. The absence of such transparency from AIPAC necessitates this project. We are committed to accuracy and will update these profiles as new information becomes available. If you have corrections, updates, or additional sourced information, please contact us at advocacy@dawnmena.org.
