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
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Lisa Armony
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Ronnie Conn
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Abbey Feinberg
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Brad Finkel
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Abbey Frank
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Meggie Fredman
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Dan Goldwin
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Stephanie Hausner
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Matt Kernkraut
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Naomi Knopf
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Ashley Lasher
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Allie Lipner Rosenblum
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Liv Mendelsohn
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Maxima Patashnik
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Shelley Rood Wernick
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Darren Schwartz
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Karen Sher
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Stefanie Tuzman
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Martín Yafé
Executive Cohort III 2021-2023

Zach Briton
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Jessica Brown Smith
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Roxanne Cohen
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Sam Cohen
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Andrew Cushnir
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Anita Denes-Meador
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Karen Elam
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Sally Flinchbaugh
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Mindee Fredman
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Hana Gruenberg
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Chavie N. Kahn
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Jason Kunzman
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

David Kurzmann
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Eric Lightman
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Naomi Rosenfeld
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Rachel Rubenstein
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Sami Sinclair
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Dani Weinstein
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Nataly Yusim
Executive Cohort II 2020-2022

Sarah Beutel
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Tova Birnbaum
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Elisa Deener-Agus
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Adina Frydman
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Sue Gelsey
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

James Greene
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Jennifer Gross
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Daniel Held
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Renée Kutner
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Michelle Labgold
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Abbie Levin
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Paul Lurie
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Jesse Rosen
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Erika Rudin-Luria
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Hugh Seid-Valencia
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019

Adam Silver
Executive Cohort I 2018-2019
Faculty & Mentors

Naomi Adler
Mentor

Deborah Ancona
Faculty

Mara Benjamin
Faculty

Robin Bernstein
Mentor

Jeremy Burton
Mentor

Sarah Bunin Benor
Faculty

Cindy Chazan
Mentor

Serena Eisenberg
Mentor

Allan Finkelstein
Mentor

Alan Gill
Mentor

Stephen H. Hoffman
Mentor

Dan Judson
Faculty

Asher Lopatin
Mentor

John Ruskay
Mentor

Devora Steinmetz
Faculty

David Stolow
Faculty
Eligibility & FAQ
Applications for Cohort V will open in Spring 2023.