Hadassah Lieberman

Hadassah Lieberman (née Freilich), born on March 28, 1948, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, is an American health relations specialist, nonprofit executive, and author. Her parents were Holocaust survivors, and she immigrated to the United States with her family in 1949, settling in Gardner, Massachusetts. Her father, Samuel Freilich, was a lawyer and rabbi, and her mother, Ella (Wieder) Freilich, was a survivor of Auschwitz and Dachau. Lieberman graduated from Gardner High School in 1966, pursuing higher education at Boston University and Northeastern University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Dramatics from Boston University in 1970, followed by a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Northeastern University in 1971.

Throughout her career, Lieberman has focused on public health, nonprofit organization support, and educational standards. She held positions as a research analyst at Lehman Brothers, a director of Policy, Planning, and Communications at Pfizer, and a senior program officer at the National Research Council. Her work has included developing an Advisory Network for Women’s Health, known as the Sister Network, which focused on heart disease awareness and prevention. She also directed HFL & Associates, a consulting firm for nonprofit organizations, and was involved in launching an $11 million healthcare campaign for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, developing a public affairs department at Hoffmann-La Roche, and working to link American business with global standards in mathematics and science. In 2005, she was hired as a senior counselor in the health care and pharmaceuticals practice at Hill & Knowlton. Her commitment to public health also extended to serving as a global ambassador with Komen for the Cure’s Global Initiative for Breast Cancer.

Lieberman has also contributed significantly to community service, including her involvement with Best Friends, a youth development program, and Meridian House, an institution promoting international understanding. She has served as Chairman of the Ambassador’s Ball for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and an Honorary Board Member for the Society for Women’s Health Research. As the wife of former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, she was actively involved in his political campaigns, including his vice-presidential campaign in 2000. She is also the author of “Hadassah: An American Story” (2021) and co-authored “An Amazing Adventure: Joe and Hadassah’s Personal Notes on the 2000 Campaign” (2002). Her efforts contribute to discourse on women’s health, immigrant experiences, and the challenges of caring for aging parents.