After more than a decade in St. Louis, a local Jewish leader will be leaving to take a position on the East Coast.

Ronit Sherwin, founder of Nishmah: The St. Louis Jewish Women’s Project, has accepted a new job as head of the University of Delaware Hillel.

“I’m really excited,” said Sherwin. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for me.”

Sherwin has a long history in the Jewish professional community. A native of Cleveland, she worked at the JCC in Columbus, Ohio as a Jewish program assistant. She also spent time in Boston where she earned her master’s degree in theological studies at Harvard Divinity School.

She arrived in town more than a decade ago after being offered a position as assistant director at the Helene Mirowitz Department of Jewish Community Life. It was a position in which she would remain for five years.

“Really what brought me was Rabbi Phil Miller, who was director at the time,” she recalled. “He’s the reason I took the job. He’s such an incredibly dynamic, charismatic, inspiring educator, I wanted to work for him.”

After leaving the JCC, she created Nishmah with Karen Sher in 2005. Sherwin said the pair felt they were filling a gap in the community.

“We founded it based on what we really saw as a need and a desire to provide more spiritual programming, more leadership development opportunities for girls and women in the community,” she said. “We also wanted to make sure we served as a resource for other Jewish organizations.”

The second aspect played a big role in Nishmah, said Sherwin.

“It wasn’t our intention to be an independent organization that only provides for ourselves but to be collaborative, which I think we’ve done,” she said. “I feel like we got on the bandwagon of collaboration before it became this community priority. We’ve worked with just about every organization in town and built a lot of bridges.”

Sherwin’s move marks a time of transition not just for her but for the organization she helped create. Earlier this year, Nishmah and the JCC announced they were partnering and that Nishmah would move into the J’s offices.

“I feel good that it’s going to be within the framework of the JCC which I think will take it to the next level in the community and bring in some new ideas and energy,” said Sherwin. “There are really more resources in terms of development and marketing. I think that the next director of Nishmah will be able to invest more creative energy than I was because I had the other responsibilities.”

Sherwin said her successor has not been determined but over the next five weeks she will work with the JCC to advance the selection process.

“Nishmah was created as an organization for girls and women in the St. Louis community and I’d like to see another up-and-coming Jewish woman professional have an opportunity to create some new vision and dreams for it,” she said. “The opportunity I had to do that was critical to my development as a professional. I would love to see another young woman have that opportunity.”

As for Sherwin, it’s off to new opportunities.

“It’s going to be very hard for me to leave Nishmah and St. Louis. I still feel very passionate about the organization and very committed to it,” said the 38-year-old who is an active member of Bais Abraham Congregation. “It’s not that I was burnt out of ideas. Sometimes you just have to go when it’s hot.”

She said changes in family life were a part of the decision, particularly the recent birth of her twins.

“Since I had my kids 18 months ago, I’ve been thinking of making a change and making a career move that would allow me to pursue my other passions and build on the skills that I’ve gained in the process of growing Nishmah,” she said.

“The time just felt right and the opportunity just seemed the best match for my skills,” added Sherwin.

Lynn Wittels, president and CEO of the JCC, said Sherwin will be missed.

“There is a lot that made Ronit special but I think mostly it was her passion and vision to create what is today Nishmah and how she has taken the germ of an idea and really developed it into a wonderful program that serves hundreds and hundreds of women throughout the Jewish community, including my daughter who took part in the ‘It’s a Girl Thing’ program.”

Regardless, Wittels said Sherwin’s legacy in St. Louis will live on in Nishmah’s becoming a JCC function.

“We’re thrilled because it will really allow us to strengthen our efforts as we combine the programming they have with the reach the J has,” she said.

Wittels said she had already spoken with the board leadership at Nishmah, a job description was being drawn up and the JCC would begin managing the search for Sherwin’s successor. The program will become a part of the agency effective July 1.

“We’d like to hire someone before she leaves but we don’t have a firm timetable just yet,” she said.