Executive Leadership Program

In this section:

About the Program

Organizations that serve the Jewish community operate in a rapidly changing social, cultural and political landscape. The Executive Leadership Program is an 18-month fellowship designed to prepare outstanding mid-career professionals for senior leadership roles. Fellows analyze the changing communal landscape, sharpen their guiding visions of Jewish life, and expand their leadership and management skills.

Program Overview

The program includes four in-person seminars, skills-focused short courses and peer-led practice groups. Three seminars are taught by the program’s multidisciplinary faculty and held at the Mandel Institute’s space in Brookline, MA. One seminar is held in Israel and features joint learning with fellows of Mandel’s Israel-based programs. All program costs and most travel expenses are covered by the Mandel Institute. The curriculum is organized around three strands:

Social Analysis

Fellows analyze trends in North American Jewish communities and Israeli society, and deliberate together about salient opportunities and challenges.

Visions of Jewish Life

Fellows examine ideas that animate contemporary Jewish life in diverse settings, and sharpen their own visions of the Jewish future.

Nonprofit Management

Fellows develop their leadership signatures and stories, and learn ways to catalyze organizations to achieve vision-guided change.

Alongside cohort-based learning, fellows meet monthly with a program mentor. All program mentors are current or past leaders of Jewish organizations. The mentoring program is tailored to each fellow’s current workplace challenges, unique leadership profile and future career pathways.

Seminar Dates

Cohort V (2024-2025)

Seminar One: Boston – January 7-11, 2024

Seminar Two: Israel – May 28 – June 4, 2024

Seminar Three: Boston – October 27-31, 2024

Seminar Four: Boston – June 8-12, 2025

Cohort IV (2022-2024)

Seminar One: Boston – November 6-10, 2022

Seminar Two: Israel – May 16-23, 2023

Seminar Three: November 5-9, 2023

Seminar Four: May 13-17, 2024

About the Fellows

Fellows of the program are mid-career Jewish communal professionals who aspire to and are on track for executive leadership positions. Executive leadership positions include CEO roles in organizations of any size and senior leadership (C-Suite) roles in large organizations.

The Executive Leadership Program is coordinated with Jewish Federations of North America and Jewish Community Centers Association of North America. Cohort V will include a mix of federation and JCC professionals, alongside professionals who work in other Jewish nonprofit settings. We strive to recruit cohorts that reflect the diversity of the Jewish community.

Fellows & Graduates

Sam Aboudara

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Matt Abrams Gerber

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Marni Allen

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Steven Baker

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Michal E. Becker

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

David L. Cohen

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Isabel de Koninck

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Stacey Aviva Flint

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Derek Gale

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Evan Goldman

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Adam Kolett

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Naomi Lamb

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Lisa Long

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Amy Marks

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Judith Moses Dworkin

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Gabe Most

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Rori Picker Neiss

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Betsy Polk Joseph

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Alexandra Roth-Kahn

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Richard Walter

Executive Cohort IV 2022-2024

Judy Alperin

CEO of the Jewish Federation, Foundation & JCC of Greater New Haven

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Lisa Armony

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Ronnie Conn

Chief Operating Officer of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Abbey Feinberg

Annual Campaign Director at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Brad Finkel

Chief Operating Officer for JCC Chicago

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Abbey Frank

Former Senior Director for Program Operations and Planning at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Meggie Fredman

AJC’s Director of the Alexander Young Leadership Department

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Dan Goldwin

Executive Director for Public Affairs for the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Chicago (JUF)

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Stephanie Hausner

Chief Program Officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Matt Kernkraut

Chief Development Officer for Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Naomi Knopf

Chief of Staff at Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Ashley Lasher

Executive Director of the Asheville Jewish Community Center

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Allie Lipner Rosenblum

Director of Development Operations at AJC

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Liv Mendelsohn

Director of Accessibility and Inclusion at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre and Artistic Director of the ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Maxima Patashnik

Director of the JCRC and Government Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle where

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Shelley Rood Wernick

Managing Director of the Center on Aging and Trauma at The Jewish Federations of North America

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Darren Schwartz

Chief Planning and Strategy Officer for the Jewish Federation of San Diego

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Karen Sher

Vice President of Community Leadership and Engagement for Jewish Federation of St. Louis

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Stefanie Tuzman

President & CEO of Jewish Nevada

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Martín Yafé

Chief Program Officer of the YM&YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood, located in Northern Manhattan, NY

Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Zach Briton

Chief Development Officer of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Jessica Brown Smith

Senior Director of Development of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Roxanne Cohen

Former Managing Director of Community Impact, Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund in San Francisco

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Sam Cohen

Vice President, JCC Maccabi at JCC Association of North America

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Andrew Cushnir

Executive Vice President, Donor Relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Anita Denes-Meador

Chief Program Officer for JCC Chicago

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Karen Elam

Director of the Levine Center to End Hate, an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Sally Flinchbaugh

Chief Operating Officer at the Oshman Family JCC

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Mindee Fredman

Vice President of Community Impact at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Hana Gruenberg

Managing Director of the Jewish Life department at UJA-Federation of NY

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Chavie N. Kahn

Director of School Strategy and Policy at UJA-Federation of New York

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Jason Kunzman

Chief Program Officer for the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

David Kurzmann

Senior Director, Community and Donor Relations, at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Eric Lightman

Executive Director of the JCC of the Lehigh Valley in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Naomi Rosenfeld

Executive Director of the Atlantic Jewish Council, the Jewish Federation of the eastern Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Rachel Rubenstein

Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County, NY (JFGOC)

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Sami Sinclair

Former Vice President of Development for JCC Greater Boston

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Dani Weinstein

Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ (CJP) Associate Vice President of Women’s Philanthropy and Young Adult Philanthropy

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Nataly Yusim

Chief Operating Officer at Galbut Family Miami Beach JCC on the Simkins Family Campus (MBJCC) in Miami Beach, FL

Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Sarah Beutel

Vice President of Community Building at the Jewish Federation of Ottawa

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Tova Birnbaum

Director of Jewish Content at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Elisa Deener-Agus

Chief of Staff of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington in Washington, D.C.

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Adina Frydman

CEO of Young Judea Global

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Sue Gelsey

Chief Program Officer at the Jewish Community Center Association

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

James Greene

Executive Director of Camp Laurelwood in Madison, CT

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Jennifer Gross

Chief Executive Officer of American Friends of Tel Aviv University

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Daniel Held

Chief Program Officer of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Renée Kutner

Chief Operating Officer at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Michelle Labgold

Chief Planning Officer of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation (GMJF)

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Abbie Levin

Senior Vice President of Operations at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Paul Lurie

Chief Operating Officer of the JCC of Greater Baltimore

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Jesse Rosen

President & CEO of the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Erika Rudin-Luria

President of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Hugh Seid-Valencia

Director of Collaborative Leadership and Jewish Engagement at Jewish Silicon Valley

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Adam Silver

Chief Executive Officer of Calgary Jewish Federation and Calgary Jewish Community Campus Corporation in Alberta, Canada

Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Faculty & Mentors

Naomi Adler

CEO, Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America

Mentor

Deborah Ancona

Seley Distinguished Professor of Management, a Professor of Organization Studies, and the Founder of the MIT Leadership Center at the MIT Sloan School of Management