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 empowers rising leaders of Jewish nonprofits to sharpen their guiding visions of Jewish communal life and expand their leadership and management skills.
Program Pillars
Social Analysis
Fellows analyze trends in North American Jewish communities and Israeli society, and grapple together with salient opportunities and challenges.
Visons 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.
Program Overview
A 18-month program including three seminars in Boston and one in Israel.
Instruction by the Mandel Institute’s multidisciplinary faculty in leadership and nonprofit management, social analysis and visions of Jewish life.
Group deliberation and live case studies on the changing communal landscape: increasing diversity, new patterns of association, rising polarization, and new dynamics in the Israel-diaspora relationship.
Joint learning with fellows and faculty of Israel-based Mandel leadership programs.
Short courses on a variety of leadership and management skills.
Individual work on leadership and career pathways with a Mandel Institute mentor.
Seminar Dates
Cohort III
Seminar 1
May 23-27, 2021 (Virtual)
Seminar 2
January 10-13, 2022 (Virtual)
April Gathering
April 3-5th, 2022 (Boston)
Seminar 3
May 9-16, 2022 (Israel)
Seminar 4
January 8-12, 2023 (Boston)
Cohort IV
Seminar 1
November 6-10, 2022 (Boston)
Seminar 2
May 16-23, 2023 (Israel)
Seminar 3
November 5-9, 2023 (Boston)
Seminar 4
May 13-17, 2024 (Boston)
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
Director of the Rose Project, and Chief Impact Officer at the Jewish Federation of Orange County
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
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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
Faculty
Mara Benjamin
Irene Kaplan Leiwant Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at Mt. Holyoke College
Faculty
Robin Bernstein
Interim Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality
Mentor
Jeremy Burton
Mentor
Sarah Bunin Benor
Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion
Faculty
Cindy Chazan
Senior Advisor The Wexner Foundation (Retired)
Mentor
Allan Finkelstein
President and CEO of the Jewish Community Centers (Retired)
Mentor
Alan Gill
Executive Vice President Emeritus of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)
Mentor
Stephen H. Hoffman
President Emeritus of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Mentor
Dan Judson
Dean of the Hebrew College Rabbinical School
Faculty
Asher Lopatin
Executive Director of Detroit’s JCRC/AJC: A Partnership for Community Relations and Jewish advocacy
Faculty
John Ruskay
Executive Vice President Emeritus of UJA-Federation of New York and a Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute in Jerusalem
Mentor
Devora Steinmetz
Faculty, Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership and Hebrew College Rabbinical School
Faculty
David Stolow
Faculty Director of the Public and Nonprofit MBA Program at Boston University Questrom School of Business
Faculty
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Eligibility & FAQ
Applications for Cohort V will open in Spring 2023.