Eli Hagler came to BMA in June 2019 as the Executive Director. Eli previously served as the Acting Executive Director and began as the Assistant Executive Director in August 2016 when he moved with his family to Hollywood. There, Eli oversaw the operations and finances of an institution which spans a 24 acre campus, with a $7.5M budget. Eli oversaw all programming, including a vibrant Early Childhood school and its extensive after-school programs, summer camp with 650 campers, an active local theater, Museum and Art Gallery, and a successful fitness center. Eli also served as Games Director for the 2017 JCC Maccabi Games, which brought 1,300 teenage athletes and artists from 7 countries and 30 states to Miami for a week of competition and Jewish enrichment.

Eli graduated from Yeshiva University in 2006 with a degree in Business Management. He then served one year as the Yeshiva University Presidential Fellow in the Office of Student Affairs, and then worked for four years as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions. He oversaw recruitment and admissions, as well as multiple recruitment events including the annual open house and the Sarachek and Wittenberg tournaments. Eli then spent five years as the Associate Director of Yachad, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities, an agency of the Orthodox Union. There, Eli oversaw operations, large scale programming, and human resources of the $12M agency. He was integral in professionalizing and streamlining the operations including instituting a customized data management system which enabled the organization to grow significantly by making data-driven decisions.

In addition to his undergraduate degree, Eli holds a Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College and certificates in both Jewish Leadership on Inclusion and Disabilities from the Jewish Leadership Institute at the University of Delaware, and in Jewish Philanthropy and Fundraising from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work.

Eli and his wife Shani are proud BMA parents of Ava (2025), Joey (2029), Noah (2031) and Lily (2034) and are committed to, and passionate about, our school’s mission and future.