Name:
Susie Bender
AIPAC Role:
Member of AIPAC's Board of Directors
Professional Profile/Associations:
AIPAC national board member and Former Chair of AIPAC Houston. Vice President and Director of the Susie and Scott Bender Family Foundation (founded 2020, assets ≈ $5.3 million). She and her husband received the Joyce Proler Schechter Spirit of Life Award at the Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care gala (2023) for community service. Political contributions reported under varying occupational titles: $2,700 to Ted Cruz (2017) as "Executive of Cactus Wellhead"; $3,300 to Bernie Moreno (2024) as "owner" of Synergy, a data processing services company; $5,000 to Honor Courage Commitment PAC (2023) as "unemployed"; an additional 17 donations listed under the occupation "homemaker." Supporter of Hadassah: The Women's Zionist Organization of America.
Accountability:
As a member of AIPAC's Board of Directors, Susie 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.
