The Wexner Foundation is pleased to announce the inaugural cohort (listed here) of the newly-expanded Wexner Field Fellowship. Built on the success of the pilot Wexner Field Fellowship, incubated within the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, the program was developed in partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation.
Fifteen outstanding professionals were selected through a highly-competitive process for this three-year intensive program. Utilizing the cohort-based learning that is the hallmark of Wexner Foundation programs, Field Fellows will be exposed to different approaches to leadership and tools for addressing pressing issues in the Jewish community, while being integrated into The Wexner Foundation’s vast network of professional and volunteer leaders in North America and Israel, including the ten outstanding professionals in the pilot Field Fellowship Program.
The Wexner Foundation’s President, Rabbi Elka Abrahamson says, “I am energized by this expanded initiative. Our inaugural cohort of the Wexner Field Fellowship is a group of excellent mid-career professionals seeking to grow their already proven leadership abilities. Our 15 Field Fellows were chosen from an impressive application pool. Reviewing the achievements of the many, many qualified candidates should give our entire sector cause for great optimism. Jewish organizations are blessed with talented and committed individuals.”
Field Fellows will attend two institutes each year to deepen their leadership skills and develop a rich community of colleagues. Fellows will receive intensive individualized professional coaching and Jewish education based on each Fellow’s specific needs. They will also benefit from access to funds to pursue additional personally customized professional development opportunities.
The Wexner Foundation is grateful to the Jim Joseph Foundation for its continued partnership and guidance in piloting and developing this leadership initiative, which is designed to meet the unique needs of full-time Jewish communal professionals who are at a pivotal point in their career.
“Investing in talented, dedicated professionals whose organizations create effective Jewish education experiences is an investment in a vibrant Jewish future,” says Barry Finestone, President and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation. “We are very excited to partner with The Wexner Foundation, with its long record of supporting Jewish leaders, to launch the new Wexner Field Fellowship for committed individuals looking to advance their careers. The highly-skilled professionals of the first cohort will gain new educational tools and leadership approaches to engage even more Jewish youth and young adults.”
The Wexner Foundation is proud to join with other organizations including Leading Edge, The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and UJA-Federation of New York, which have also made it a priority to invest in emerging professionals.
The application for the second class of Wexner Field Fellows will open this summer. For more information, please visit www.wexnerfoundation.org/wff or contact Ruthie Warshenbrot, Program Director at The Wexner Foundation. To see all the members of this inaugural class, click here.
