2023 Annual Conference Sessions

Bruce Hennes is CEO of Hennes Communications, one of the few firms in North America focused exclusively on crisis communications and crisis management. The firm serves over 180 clients a year, including scores of nonprofits, government agencies, nursing homes, school districts and law firms. He is on the board of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and an assistant professor at the Scripps School of Communications at Ohio University. A former member of NATA, he was executive director of B’nai Jeshurun, a 1200-family Conservative synagogue in Cleveland for three years, a past president of The Cleveland Jewish News and he chairs The Jewish Elected Officials of Cuyahoga County. Bruce has done similar training for the Jewish Federations in Pittsburgh, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati as well as for FEMA, Ohio County Emergency Management Agency, Ohio Mayors Association, American Bar Association and Ohio School Boards Association.

Natasha Kehimkar is a skilled strategic advisor and executive coach. As the CEO and founder of Malida Advisors, she and her team enable organizations to achieve their goals faster by reducing friction and building resilient teams. With over 25 years of experience in leading human resources, talent, and DEI across multiple industries and six continents, Natasha has a track record of expediting organization turnarounds, earning her a reputation as the "rapid response expert" in navigating significant challenges, such as restructuring, culture change, executive team transitions, and acquisitions and divestitures. Natasha has served in leadership roles in startup to enterprise-level companies, including OpenTable, Data.ai, Pfizer, and Guardant Health. Her expertise has been recognized by private companies and nonprofits, and she currently serves as a Board member with the Jewish Community Federation (SF Bay Area), JCRC, and URJ Camp Newman, and she is a past Board member of Temple Sinai in Summit, NJ, Be’chol Lashon, and Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo, CA, where she and her family are current members. She holds a BA in Sociology, a Master's degree in HR and Labor Relations, and has received executive coaching and team coaching accreditations. A graduate of Toronto Jewish Day Schools, Natasha is a Canadian-born Indian Jew married to a Chinese-Hawaiian Jew-by-choice. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area with their two South Korean-Jewish children and a dog named Roti.

Micah Hart is a writer, speaker, and host of Who Knows One?, the Jewish Geography game show. He also hosts Campfires and Color Wars, the summer camp storytelling podcast. Prior to his pandemic pivot he was an award-winning content marketer for the Atlanta Hawks, Buffalo Wild Wings, the NBA and more. When he's not connecting people to each other he lives in Valencia, Spain, with his wife and their two children.

Mike Wirth is a visual artist, digital experience designer, and muralist, best known for his thoughtful murals, public art installations, and client-driven commercial design work that focus on major social justice issues and his identity as a Southern, Jewish-American. Over the past 20 years, Wirth’s murals, published works, and digital museum exhibits have appeared in New York, Miami, Charlotte, NC, and internationally in Croatia, Poland, and Germany. Wirth is an avid educator, serving as Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Queens University and as artist-in-residence with the Stan Greenspon Center for Holocaust and Social Justice Education. In mentoring programs such as Five Sense, Iconic Charlotte: A Civic Symbol Design Initiative, and Project Protege‘. He is a founding member and board mentor for the Talking Walls Festival, Charlotte’s first annual, citywide mural and public art festival. In 2021, Wirth was one of 10 artists-in-residence selected for Charlotte’s wildly successful Immersive Van Gogh Exhibition. In December of 2022, Mike was a featured artist in the JADA art fair during Miami Art Week.

Bruce Hennes is CEO of Hennes Communications, one of the few firms in North America focused exclusively on crisis communications and crisis management. The firm serves over 180 clients a year, including scores of nonprofits, government agencies, nursing homes, school districts and law firms. He is on the board of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and an assistant professor at the Scripps School of Communications at Ohio University. A former member of NATA, he was executive director of B’nai Jeshurun, a 1200-family Conservative synagogue in Cleveland for three years, a past president of The Cleveland Jewish News and he chairs The Jewish Elected Officials of Cuyahoga County. Bruce has done similar training for the Jewish Federations in Pittsburgh, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati as well as for FEMA, Ohio County Emergency Management Agency, Ohio Mayors Association, American Bar Association and Ohio School Boards Association.

Holly Krakow is honored to serve as the Executive Director of Makom Solel Lakeside. She comes from a professional career within the Jewish community for over 15 years, and had the great honor of being chosen as one of 20 Jewish educators throughout North America, to be a JCC Association Sheva Covenant Directors Leadership Institute fellow. Holly also received a Certificate in Social and Emotional Learning through a national cohort with the Jewish Theological Seminary and Rutgers University for leaders who will go on to define the field of Jewish education, engagement and shape Jewish experiences. Prior to the position of Executive Director, Holly spent the past 3 years as President, facilitating and leading the synagogue through a successful unification. Holly is thrilled to bring her love of Judaism and lifelong learning to her role and is committed to helping design and implement the vision of future Jewish growth for Makom Solel Lakeside. Holly lives in Highland Park with her husband Jeff and adores her 3 grown children, Ross, Carly and Sammi.

Sarah Wilschek is the Executive Director of Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom in Youngstown, Ohio. She began her role as the first Executive Director for Rodef Sholom in April 2019 and became the inaugural Executive Director of Ohev Beth Sholom following a merger in November 2021. Sarah received her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in Business Administration. Following a career in financial services and insurance, she began working with the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown as their Youth and Family Director/ Camp Director in 2012 and remained there until March 2019; her final role with the JCC was as their Community Development Manager. During her tenure at the Jewish Community Center and the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, Sarah decided to pursue a lifelong career in nonprofit management with a focus on the Jewish community. In 2018 Sarah completed her Master's degree in Nonprofit Management and Jewish Communal Service from Gratz College. Her graduate thesis focused on the history and strategic future of the Jewish Youngstown. Sarah serves on many community boards and committees including the Youngstown State University’s Center for Holocaust and Judaic Studies Advisory Committee, Ohio Nonviolence Week committee, the Youngstown Area Commission for Jewish Education Board of Directors, and the Hillel at Kent State University Board of Trustees. Currently, Sarah lives in the greater Youngstown, Ohio area with her husband David, children Jacob and Shayna, family dogs, Mando and Maggie.

Rabbi Ana Bonnheim is founding executive director of the Jewish Learning Collaborative, which matches professionals and board members with clergy and educators for personalized Jewish learning. Rabbi Ana was the director of the Open Dor Project, an accelerator for emerging clergy-led spiritual communities, the director of Hebrew Union College’s Founders Fellowship, an incubator for progressive Judaism on college campuses and the associate director of Greene Family Camp, a Jewish overnight camp in Texas. Ana is also the chair of the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ Ethics Committee. Previous volunteer experience includes chairing the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s allocations committee and chairing Dartmouth Hillel’s search for its first full-time executive director. Ana received rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College and an AB from Dartmouth College and lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and two children.

Caroline Dorn Founding Partner ​ caroline@rtstrategygroup.com Caroline is a talented professional who sees the work of Jewish community through a lens of engagement and relationships. She cares deeply about hospitality and welcoming and knows the smallest details can have the highest impact on the way people feel about their communities. Caroline is an alumna of the Union or Reform Judaism Jew’V’Nations LGBTQIA Fellowship, a participant in JDC Entwine’s LGBTQIA Jewish Uruguay and Argentina Exploration, and a 2020 Chai In The Hub award winner.

Ellie is a proud midwesterner who was called to Jewish communal work first as a career professional in Jewish youth engagement and later as a Program Director and Executive Director. Ellie is a 2002 graduate of the HUC-JIR/USD masters program in Jewish Communal Service and Social Work. Ellie lives in Framingham, MA with her husband Jeff and their children, Ada, Sam, and Ted.

Louis Feldstein is the Founder and CEO of Dynamic Change Solutions, LLC, a consulting practice focused on strengthening nonprofits, congregations, academic institutions and mission-driven businesses. Lou brings over three decades of practical experience and professional training to facilitate improved performance in the areas of governance, philanthropy, strategic planning, and operations. Since launching the firm ten years ago, he has worked with almost two-hundred organizations in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Rabbi Sam Zwarenstein has been involved in Jewish community and communal organisations for over 30 years in a variety of roles. He has worked at Emanuel Synagogue in Sydney, Australia since 2009, first as General Manager (Executive Director), and then later as a member of the clergy team. Sam completed his rabbinical studies through SAJTS (South Africa) and the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary (USA) and was ordained in December 2022. His innovation project at PRS focused on maintaining connections throughout and beyond COVID. Sam has a keen interest in technology and new gadgets. He has a firm belief that while buildings provide the facilities for us to pray and gather, it is the connection with others that makes us a community.

Shari is an operations, logistics, marketing, fundraising, and outreach professional with over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. She has spent most of her career working in Reform synagogue life in south Florida. Shari is a strategic thinker with a focus on streamlining operations and process. Shari is currently the Executive Director at Temple Israel of Greater Miami. She has a passion for Miami Heat basketball, cooking, the arts, spending time with her family, Jewish geography and staying very organized. She is famous for her color-coded grid box to-do lists! She has been married to her husband, Stuart, for over 17 years and they have two children, Ben and Lizzie. *Shari is pronounced - SHAH-REE (rhymes with sorry)

Holly Krakow is honored to serve as the Executive Director of Makom Solel Lakeside. She comes from a professional career within the Jewish community for over 15 years, and had the great honor of being chosen as one of 20 Jewish educators throughout North America, to be a JCC Association Sheva Covenant Directors Leadership Institute fellow. Holly also received a Certificate in Social and Emotional Learning through a national cohort with the Jewish Theological Seminary and Rutgers University for leaders who will go on to define the field of Jewish education, engagement and shape Jewish experiences. Prior to the position of Executive Director, Holly spent the past 3 years as President, facilitating and leading the synagogue through a successful unification. Holly is thrilled to bring her love of Judaism and lifelong learning to her role and is committed to helping design and implement the vision of future Jewish growth for Makom Solel Lakeside. Holly lives in Highland Park with her husband Jeff and adores her 3 grown children, Ross, Carly and Sammi.

Sarah Wilschek is the Executive Director of Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom in Youngstown, Ohio. She began her role as the first Executive Director for Rodef Sholom in April 2019 and became the inaugural Executive Director of Ohev Beth Sholom following a merger in November 2021. Sarah received her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in Business Administration. Following a career in financial services and insurance, she began working with the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown as their Youth and Family Director/ Camp Director in 2012 and remained there until March 2019; her final role with the JCC was as their Community Development Manager. During her tenure at the Jewish Community Center and the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, Sarah decided to pursue a lifelong career in nonprofit management with a focus on the Jewish community. In 2018 Sarah completed her Master's degree in Nonprofit Management and Jewish Communal Service from Gratz College. Her graduate thesis focused on the history and strategic future of the Jewish Youngstown. Sarah serves on many community boards and committees including the Youngstown State University’s Center for Holocaust and Judaic Studies Advisory Committee, Ohio Nonviolence Week committee, the Youngstown Area Commission for Jewish Education Board of Directors, and the Hillel at Kent State University Board of Trustees. Currently, Sarah lives in the greater Youngstown, Ohio area with her husband David, children Jacob and Shayna, family dogs, Mando and Maggie.

Louis Feldstein is the Founder and CEO of Dynamic Change Solutions, LLC, a consulting practice focused on strengthening nonprofits, congregations, academic institutions and mission-driven businesses. Lou brings over three decades of practical experience and professional training to facilitate improved performance in the areas of governance, philanthropy, strategic planning, and operations. Since launching the firm ten years ago, he has worked with almost two-hundred organizations in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Doug London, Executive Vice President - CCS Fundraising Doug has invested his entire career in the service of nonprofit organizations, helping them elevate their performance to successfully deliver on their missions. Since joining CCS, Doug has designed, advised, and directed development initiatives and capital campaigns that have raised more than $2 billion, strengthening communities, and positively impacting tens of thousands of lives. Doug has been with CCS for nearly a decade and in fundraising for his entire professional career. Having grown up in a household where tzedakah and tikkun olam were prioritized, Doug learned at a young age the power and value that philanthropy can have in communities around the world. He brings forward this same philosophy to his career. As a lifelong learner and empathetic leader, Doug believes that every successful partnership starts and ends with mutual learning – providing to his clients strategic, action-oriented counsel and learning just as much in return. A proud and active alumnus of Lake Forest College, Doug currently provides leadership as their Alumni Council President and participates in the College’s mentor program. He is a Board Member and Development Committee Chair of Family Equality, a national organization working to advance legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ families and a member of the Jewish Federation of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet, serving as their LGBTQ+ affinity group Co-Chair.

Matt Walzer, Managing Director - Beth El Synagogue While Matt grew up patrolling the halls of Beth El, his professional tenure started in Spring of 2016 as Director of Charitable Giving and has served as our Managing Director since Fall of 2021. After graduating from Millikin University, Matt began his corporate career in 2005 transitioning to nonprofit work in the Jewish community in early 2012. In addition to his work at Beth El, he serves on the board of directors for MoveFWD and Talmud Torah of Minneapolis while also volunteering with Shout Out Loud MN: Suicide Awareness Charity Event. Matt and his wife Kim are proud to raise their daughters, Madeline & Charlotte within the walls of Beth El and enjoy all the community brings. In his free time, Matt enjoys avoiding winter and relating every life experience back to an episode of The Office.

Jackie is dedicated to building deep and authentic connections that create powerful results for mission-driven communities and workplaces. She combines this passion with her diverse experience in the corporate, government and nonprofit sectors to support her clients in achieving lasting culture change. A skilled facilitator and consultant with the Culture of Belonging team at the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Jackie brought belonging expertise to the San Francisco Interfaith Council, Congregation Emanu-El, Sinai Memorial Chapel, The Jewish Community High School of the Bay and the Varda Institute of Community Building, where she served as a Senior Consultant. Prior to her focus on culture change work, Jackie worked on legislative issues for a Los Angeles city councilmember and spent a decade at The Walt Disney Company acquiring intellectual property rights for theme park attractions. She was a Coro Fellow, served as a past board member of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, and represents the Bay Area as a Wexner Heritage Alumni National Delegate. Jackie founded the Hardly Strictly Jewish Women’s Group, a vibrant weekly online discussion and challah-baking circle. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and children, enjoys sending handwritten cards to family and friends and treasure-hunting for vintage jewelry.

Wendy has been transforming teams and communities for as long as she can remember, forging cohesive groups that achieve shared goals. She brings that expertise to organizations across the country as the Founder of Belonging by Design, and as a Senior Consultant for the Varda Institute for Community Building. Wendy blends her unique experience in philanthropy, workforce policy, campaign politics, and business journalism with deep expertise in belonging and team development. Most recently she led a flourishing culture of belonging movement through the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, helping hundreds of organizational leaders create systemic approaches to belonging for diverse populations. As Managing Director of Community Impact, Wendy led the Federation’s engagement strategy along with a multi-million dollar grantmaking portfolio and an international team of twenty-five. Wendy has designed and led hundreds of trainings for thousands of people, and facilitated numerous teams working to improve organizational alignment, engagement and performance. Wendy was a Wexner Heritage Fellow, an M2 Relational Engagement Cohort participant, and served on the boards of UpStart and the Peninsula JCC. She and her husband live in Northern California, where they’ve found meaning raising their three children, dancing and cycling with friends, and participating in Burning Man.

Cory has spent the last 16 years as the Strategic Director of Safety and Security for Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the oldest and one of the largest Jewish institutions in Los Angeles and one of the country’s most highly respected reform congregations. During his time there, he has been the driving force in creating some of the most sophisticated and effective safety, security and emergency preparedness measures which now compete on the global stage. Most notably, he overhauled their entire security department and hired an all in-house, highly trained security team who is a critical part of not only the safety but also the culture of each campus. In addition, he managed complete safety renovations for each Wilshire Boulevard Temple campus, including the infrastructure, site-specific training, and related policies and procedures. Cory led the effort in designing the security infrastructure during several multimillion dollar renovations, as well as overseeing the security design of recently completed $95 million Audrey Irmas Pavillion. Prior to his tenure at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, he served 8 years in the United States Marine Corps with specialties in infantry, and presidential security, and was a martial arts instructor trainer. Cory holds multiple certifications and advanced training from the California Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the White House Military Office, and expertise in all aspects of disaster planning, mitigation, response, and recovery. Cory has also had the unique opportunity to participate in customized training with some of the most elite military, law enforcement and security units in the world. His travels to Israel enhanced and transformed his perspective and approach to creating a safe community. Through partnering with first responders to learn from their experiences and reflections at terror attack sites throughout the world, Cory continues to apply his training and knowledge to better the world around him.

Jodi Berman Bio Jodi Berman is the Associate Executive Director at Wilshire Boulevard Temple. She served as the Executive Director of Synagogue 3000/Next Dor from 2012 - 2014. Prior to joining the S3K team, she was the Director of Development at Milken Community High School. She was Senior Vice President for Leadership Development at The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, where she served the community for 13 years. Before creating that role, she led the Real Estate and Construction campaign division, which experienced unprecedented growth during her tenure, both in fundraising and volunteer engagement and leadership. Jodi Berman is a consultant, professional trainer, and development coach and has presented and keynoted at multiple leadership conferences. She was an adjunct faculty member at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. She is a certified trainer of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and other leadership growth tools and has conducted leadership training and Board development for Jewish groups around the United States including private companies, Federations, synagogues, non profit agencies, schools and camps, and serves as a consultant to many of these organizations with regard to their leadership and development needs. Jodi earned her Masters Degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Colorado State University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Arizona. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and her three delicious sons.

Toby L. Berkow has been a non-profit professional for more than 30 years. Her background includes overseeing synagogues of various sizes, human and civil rights advocacy, and helping garner support for the arts. Most recently, Toby served as the Executive Director of University Synagogue since 2017 and then joined the Wilshire Boulevard Team as one of the Associate Executive Directors in 2021. She has also worked as the Interim Executive Director at Temple Menorah of Redondo Beach, Executive Director of Temple Israel of Hollywood and the Director of Operations at Central Synagogue in New York City. Toby is an active member of the Board of Directors for the National Associate of Temple Administrators (NATA). She holds a Master of Science degree from Pratt Institute in Facilities Management, a Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College in Theatrical Design and Judaic Studies and an Associate of Applied Science from Kendall College in Culinary Arts. Originally from New York City, Toby relocated to Los Angeles in 2007 and joined Wilshire Boulevard Temple as a member in 2009.

Sharon Shemesh joined East End Temple’s professional staff in the Fall of 1997 and officially assumed the position of Temple Administrator in April 2006. Through her work as a TA, Sharon continued to handle end of life matters, work that she did back in Israel at the Kibbutz where she grew up, and is currently part of the newly established Chevrah Kadisha group at Plaza Jewish Community Chapel.

Sue Gold served as the Executive Director of Temple Chaverim in Plainview NY (2006-12) and the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue in Brooklyn NY (2012-21). As an ED, Sue was challenged by but ultimately became very comfortable navigating end of life conversations. In 2021, she retired and pursued her passion to become trained as an End-of-Life Doula, offering dignity and safe space to those at life’s edge.

Ben Wachstein brings a wealth of experience to his service at Beth El, having spent nearly ten years in senior-level positions at Jewish communal organizations, including nine years as a synagogue executive director, most recently at Temple Sinai in Dresher, Pennsylvania. Ben grew up in the Jewish community of suburban Philadelphia. His passion for Jewish life led him to take leadership positions at Jewish youth organizations like BBYO, NFTY, and Hillel before leveraging his considerable talents inside the synagogue walls. Ben has a wife, Amanda, and a fifteen-year-old daughter named Mila, who became a Bat Mitzvah in the Spring of 2021.

Danny Glassman has been Temple Jeremiah’s Executive Director since November 2012. Before coming to Jeremiah, he served as the overnight camp director and conference center director at JCYS Camp Henry Horner in Ingleside, IL. Danny has his bachelor’s degree in social science from National Louis University and is working towards his Masters of Jewish Professional Studies at the Spertus Institute of Learning and Leadership. He is a member of the National Association of Temple Administrators (NATA) where he serves as a Vice President and Co-chair of Distance Learning. Danny was awarded the Myron E. Shoen Service to Community Award from NATA in December 2017 for his work with creating partnerships between Temple Jeremiah and multiple organizations working with developmentally disabled populations. Temple Jeremiah welcomes these individuals into the community each day as greeters and office volunteers. Danny is an active member and past president of the Chicago Area Synagogue Administrators (CASA) the local branch of the NATA. He also still is very much active in the camping community serving as accreditation visitor for the Illinois section of the American Camp Association. When he’s not working or in class, he is with his wife, Krystal, and their children, Eden and Levi.

Rachel Hall (she/her) serves as a Program Manager for the Union for Reform Judaism’s (URJ) Audacious Hospitality team, where she reviews URJ content and programing through an anti-oppressive lens, striving to make our organization as inclusive as possible. Rachel is an openly queer Jewish woman from a working-class background who believes our early experiences with race, economic class, gender, ability, and access to power and privilege shape us individually as well as how we relate to various communities. Rachel has over 15 years of nonprofit experience related to racial equity, diversity, and inclusion, with 10 years focused on nonprofit management and leadership development. Rachel has a BA from Clark University in Psychology and Communications & Culture, with a focus in Women’s Studies. She received her MA from Simmons College in Cultural Gender Studies, focusing on race, class, gender, and systems of oppression.

Yolanda Savage-Narva has twenty years’ experience working with public agencies and non-profit organizations to promote equity and inclusion. She is a Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-trained public health specialist who has led communitybased efforts in community health assessments for Indian Health Service. Yolanda was also the Executive Director of Operation Understanding DC, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding, cooperation, and respect while fighting to eradicate racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination. Yolanda Savage-Narva is currently the Assistant Vice President of Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Union for Reform Judaism and the Religious Action Center. She is also an alumna of JewVNation cohort, a past Vice-Chair of the Commission on Social Action, Senior Schusterman Fellow, a member of the Board of Directors for the Federation of Greater Washington, Capital Jewish Museum, Leading Edge, American Jewish World Services and the Historic Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, D.C. Yolanda is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; an international Black sorority dedicated to community service and education. Yolanda is a graduate of Tougaloo College (Sociology) and has a master’s degree in education from Jackson State University. In her spare time Yolanda loves being outdoors, reading, birdwatching, playing sports and traveling with her son Miles and husband Andrew.

As an experienced education professional, I have dedicated my career to ensuring the success of early childhood education programs. I currently serve as the Executive Director for the Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism, a position I have held since October 2015. In this role, I work directly with congregations to provide support for best hiring practices, job descriptions, job postings, compensation and benefits package information, and how to start a new ECC in a congregational setting. My passion for early childhood education stems from my nine-year tenure as the Director of Early Childhood Education at Temple Solel of Paradise Valley. During this time, I oversaw all aspects of the early childhood program, including budgeting, curriculum development, teacher training, and parent engagement. Through my leadership, I was able to transform the program into a thriving, innovative learning environment that prioritized the needs of each child with a focus on relationship building. In addition to my work with ECE-RJ, I am a mentor with the American Jewish University master’s in early childhood education program working directly with masters’ students and have a private consulting company where I work 1:1 with Early Childhood Directors to mentor and coach in the areas of strategic planning, leadership development, business planning and operations. Overall, I am passionate about early childhood education and committed to providing support and resources to ensure a well-rounded, thoughtful and engaging early childhood center.

First, a youth group advisor and Jewish high school educator for 10 years. (NFTY convention speaker, NFTY-CAR lifetime member) Then, an executive director for 10 years. (NATA board officer, FTA, speaker at WUPJ Conference, NATA conference featured speaker) Now, working for the URJ for 9 years. (The Tent, the Marketplace, Microsoft MVP, emergency response coordinator, collaboration and technology advocate). I live in Hawthorn Woods, IL with my wife Lynn, Superintendent at Grayslake District 46. Eliana is married to Michael, and lives 10 minutes away. Sophie lives in Boulder, and she and her boyfriend Adam will soon move back to the midwest.

Stephanie Viegas joined the Secure Community Network (SCN) as Deputy National Security Advisor in March 2022. In this role, Stephanie provides consultations; building and organizational assessments; training and exercise facilitation; and threat mitigation guidance to Jewish organizations nationwide. Stephanie works with schools, daycare centers, synagogues, camps, campus organizations, assisted living facilities, and other centers of Jewish life. Before joining the Secure Community Network, Stephanie served as the Director of Community Security for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, where she developed a collaborative security program that provided security consultations, site assessments, and training to over 150 Jewish institutions. Previously, Stephanie spent more than two decades as a Special Agent with the FBI, where she served as a subject matter expert in weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Her 22-year career involved extensive operational experience investigating, managing, and advising complex law enforcement and sensitive national security matters. She led efforts to prevent and neutralize WMD threats against the U.S. homeland and interests abroad. Stephanie served as an instructor for the FBI/Department of Defense Counter-Proliferation program, which provides specialized training to law enforcement agencies within the Balkans, Baltics, states of the former Soviet Union, and Asia. In addition, she worked as an instructor for Interpol’s Bioterrorism Program and served in a temporary duty assignment at Interpol headquarters in Leon, France. Stephanie holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from Kutztown University and a master’s degree in criminology with a leadership emphasis in weapons of mass destruction from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Tema Smith is a writer, educator, advocate and community building whose work centers on antisemitism prevention and antiracism. She currently serves as the Director of Jewish Outreach & Partnerships at ADL, where she leads the agency’s work in partnering with Jewish organizations across the United States to fight back against antisemitism and all forms of hate. A recipient of the 2022 JPro Young Professionals Award, Tema speaks and trains frequently on racial equity, diversity and antisemitism for synagogues, Jewish organizations, and community groups across North America. She serves on the Board of Trustees at the Union for Reform Judaism and as the interim board chair for Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy. Prior to joining ADL, she was the Director of Community Engagement at Holy Blossom Temple where she is currently a member.

Dr. Tamar Andrews has been working in synagogue early childhood centers for the past 40 years and is currently the Director Emeritus at Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles and professor at the American Jewish University where she created the BA, MA, and EdD programs in Early Childhood Education. Most importantly, she has three preschool aged grandchildren.

Wendy has been transforming teams and communities for as long as she can remember, forging cohesive groups that achieve shared goals. She brings that expertise to organizations across the country as the Founder of Belonging by Design, and as a Senior Consultant for the Varda Institute for Community Building. Wendy blends her unique experience in philanthropy, workforce policy, campaign politics, and business journalism with deep expertise in belonging and team development. Most recently she led a flourishing culture of belonging movement through the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, helping hundreds of organizational leaders create systemic approaches to belonging for diverse populations. As Managing Director of Community Impact, Wendy led the Federation’s engagement strategy along with a multi-million dollar grantmaking portfolio and an international team of twenty-five. Wendy has designed and led hundreds of trainings for thousands of people, and facilitated numerous teams working to improve organizational alignment, engagement and performance. Wendy was a Wexner Heritage Fellow, an M2 Relational Engagement Cohort participant, and served on the boards of UpStart and the Peninsula JCC. She and her husband live in Northern California, where they’ve found meaning raising their three children, dancing and cycling with friends, and participating in Burning Man.