Rabbi Anson Laytner has been the executive director of the Seattle Chapter of the American Jewish Committee since 2005.  He also is an adjunct professor with Seattle University's Dept. of Theology and Religious Studies. 

Previously, Laytner served as the executive director of Multifaith Works, a Seattle non-profit agency serving people with AIDS or other life-threatening illnesses, and prior that he headed the Seattle Jewish Federation's Community Relations Council. 

Laytner is the author of Arguing with God, The Animals' Lawsuit Against Humanity, and over sixty articles on subjects ranging from Jewish theology to the Arab-Israel conflict to the Chinese Jews. 

As a volunteer, Laytner serves on the board of the Sino-Judaic Institute and edits its journal Points East, and on the board of Kavana.  He has served on the boards of the King County Task Force on Human Services, Program for Early Parent Support (PEPS), the Northwest Development Officers Association, the Interfaith Alliance of Washington and many other non-profit organizations.
 
Laytner has degrees from York University in Toronto, the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, a Masters in Not-for-Profit Leadership from Seattle University, and an honorary D.D. from Hebrew Union College.  He is also a graduate of Seattle's Leadership Tomorrow program.

Rabbi Laytner is married to Merrily McManus Laytner, a development consultant.  Between them, they share three daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandkids.