MARCH
CLICK ON THE PROGRAM OFFERINGS BELOW, AND JOIN US FOR SOME OR ALL!
Am I eligible?
To be considered for this workshop, you:
- Must be a member of WGF/DS Classes 1-33 or WFF Classes 1-6
- Must be working full-time for a North American Jewish organization based in North America
- Must be living in North America
- Must arrive at Pearlstone Retreat Center by the program start time (1:00pm on June 16) and stay through the end of the program (4:00pm on June 17). We advise that you arrive at BWI airport or train station no later than 12:45pm.
- Must commit to full participation in the program, including all sessions and meals
- Must commit to spending up to 2 hours on pre-work before the program
- Must submit a complete application by the March 25 deadline
- Preference will be given to those who have not yet had the opportunity to learn with Monica Giannone in person (as much of the content will be similar to negotiation seminars offered at Institutes)
Why is there an application process and how will the group be selected?
We will offer this workshop to a small group of alumni to maximize our – and your – learning as we pilot a new type of professional development offering. We will review all complete applications and build a group representative of the diversity of our network, including the diversity of Wexner programs and classes, types of professional work, professional roles, geography, etc. We will consider offering additional workshops in the future based on alumni interest and our learning from this initial pilot.
What is the program schedule?
- The program will begin at 1:00pm Eastern on Monday, June 16 and end at 4:00pm Eastern on Tuesday, June 17. It’ll be a full schedule, so plan to dedicate the entire time to the program!
- Participants will have single hotel-style rooms as overnight accommodations at Pearlstone Retreat Center
- All food will be Kosher
- Given the short duration of the program, we will not be able to accommodate infants or caregivers
Are there fees to participate?
There are no registration fees for this workshop. As part of our commitment to your continued growth and professional development, the Wexner Foundation will cover all costs tied to the program, meals, and retreat center. Alumni participants and the Wexner Foundation will share travel expenses.
How will I get to and from the workshop, and what expenses would I be responsible for, if selected to participate?
- The Wexner Foundation will reimburse AMTRAK and domestic flights to BWI Airport (closest airport to Pearlstone) booked and purchased according to travel guidelines that will be shared with all accepted participants and submitted with complete reimbursement form by deadline.
- For alumni within driving distance of Pearlstone, the Wexner Foundation will reimburse mileage only at rate of $.62/mile upon receipt of completed reimbursement form by deadline.
- For alumni traveling from the West Coast, the Wexner Foundation will reimburse up to $200 for a pre-approved hotel stay on June 15 if needed.
- The Wexner Foundation will arrange and pay for a shuttle bus from Pearlstone to BWI Airport and BWI Train (AMTRAK) Station at the end of the program.
- Alumni participants will be responsible for arranging and paying for the following:
- Travel from home to closest airport/train station, and any related parking/fees
- Travel from BWI airport/train station to Pearlstone Retreat Center (we will share arrival information among participants should you wish to share car services)
- Hotel expenses if you arrive the night before the program and/or stay overnight following the program
- Any food purchased along the way (the Wexner Foundation will not be providing per diems)
What does the application process entail?
Applications are due by 5:00pm Eastern on March 25. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
The application is brief and straightforward; in addition to a few questions about your interest and motivation for applying to be part of this workshop, the form will prompt you to share some logistical information (emergency contact numbers, dietary restrictions, etc.) to save time should you be accepted.
When will I find out if I’ve been accepted?
All alumni who applied to participate in this workshop will hear from us re: participation status no later than April 2. Alumni who are selected for this program will then be prompted to book travel (according to guidelines that will be shared at that time).
What if I have questions?
Email Stefanie Zelkind, Director of the Wexner Professional Network, with any questions.
The WGF/DS and WFF Mentoring Program will leverage the deep and diverse talent that has been nurtured by 30+ years of the Fellowship Programs. The program will provide a framework for continuing support and guidance of Wexner alumni, bolstered by content-rich, personalized learning.
Through participation in this program, mentor volunteers will build coaching and supervisory skills that will help them lead more effectively in their professional and communal lives. Mentees will drive the relationship by working with their mentor to create mutually agreed-upon goals and expectations and will hold one another accountable to the highest level of informed committed participation.
Please send all questions to Or Mars, omars@wexner.net
Learn about our current Summit Seeds program: Intro to Summit Seeds: Atid – The Wexner Foundation
Wexner Summits and Summit Seeds: The Network In Action is a platform for Alumni of all Wexner leadership initiatives to connect, learn and collaborate across our network. Through Summits, Wexner Alumni are exercising leadership by strategizing and stacking hands to take action that moves the needle on the key challenges facing the North American Jewish Community and the State of Israel. As with all Wexner Summits, regardless of topic, an additional purpose is to connect Wexner Alumni to other extraordinary leaders across the Jewish world and Israel, drawing wisdom, insight and new collaborative possibilities from our network.
To date there have been six Wexner Summits fostering substantive action:
- (Re)Imagining the Israel-North American Jewish Community Relationship (launched 2016)
- Social Justice (launched 2016)
- Civil Discourse (launched 2017)
- Accelerator – for those robust projects from the first 3 Summits electing to continue after their obligatory year of work (launched 2019)
- Gender Safety and Equity (launched 2019)
- Leadership Skills (launched 2020)
- Climate of Change (launched 2021)
April
The WGF/DS and WFF Mentoring Program will leverage the deep and diverse talent that has been nurtured by 30+ years of the Fellowship Programs. The program will provide a framework for continuing support and guidance of Wexner alumni, bolstered by content-rich, personalized learning.
Through participation in this program, mentor volunteers will build coaching and supervisory skills that will help them lead more effectively in their professional and communal lives. Mentees will drive the relationship by working with their mentor to create mutually agreed-upon goals and expectations and will hold one another accountable to the highest level of informed committed participation.
Please send all questions to Or Mars, omars@wexner.net
April 23: 12:00 – 2:00pm Eastern
April 29: 12:00 – 2:30pm Eastern
*To participate, alumni must commit to full participation in both sessions.
Limited spaces available – will be given on a first come, first served basis.
Resetting the Table’s two-part virtual workshop provides Jewish professionals and community leaders with tools and skills to build a culture of productive dialogue on charged issues even in the face of strong differences. Participants will exchange views and experiences, practice two communication skills for addressing disagreement, and learn how to apply these practices in their leadership and institutions to strengthen relationships and collaboration across lines of difference. The methodology is practice-based and experiential, walking participants through road-tested exercises they can replicate in their own communities. This workshop will have limited spots available on a first-come, first-served basis (and requires full participation in both parts).
Resetting the Table (RTT) equips leaders and communities with practical tools to counter toxic polarization, transforming political disagreement into an engine of strengthened relationship, trust, and problem-solving. Drawing from facilitation and mediation expertise, RTT’s proven approach supports communities to engage in skillful communication across divides on Israel, red/blue divides, and other charged, important issues. RTT’s programs have directly reached more than 80,000 participants, including TV writers and journalists, higher education administrators, faith leaders, and other societal multipliers positioned to make far-reaching culture change. RTT has partnered with hundreds of Jewish organizations, including 150+ HIllels and 45+ Jewish Federations, and a rare range of constituencies in Jewish life.
Leah Reiser is the Chief Training Officer of Resetting the Table. A trauma therapist, facilitator, and educator, Leah’s diverse professional background and expertise have shaped Resetting the Table’s unique methodology for effective communication and facilitation across divides. In her work at RTT, Leah has trained thousands of leaders: from rabbis, Hillel professionals, and Federation executives; to pastors of Evangelical and Historic Black Churches; to award-winning TV writers and leaders in philanthropy. Prior to Resetting the Table, Leah served as a clinical social worker specializing in treatment for trauma and PTSD at Westchester Jewish Community Services. Leah also formerly worked as program director for LitWorld, a global literacy non-profit, where she built social-emotional literacy-based programming. In this role, Leah created and implemented arts- and mindfulness-based programming at the Hand in Hand School: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Jerusalem. Leah holds an MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, where she graduated with honors. She also has a professional background in theater: she toured with the national Broadway production of Mamma Mia! and holds a BFA from The Boston Conservatory, where she graduated as salutatorian. Leah lives in Westchester, NY, with her husband, Daniel, and their two children.
May
All Wexner fellows, members, and alumni welcome! Details and RSVP here.
12:00 –1:00 pm Eastern
An experiential look at essential questions, this program offers the opportunity to consider how to live well in the face of mortality. Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition includes an exploration of accessible Jewish texts to prompt questions and discussions about quality of life, decision-making, and communicating wishes with loved ones. Get a taste of this program designed to help you and your family/students/clients think more deeply about how we/they choose to live, recognizing that life is finite, and walk away with the tools needed to bring this program to your own community.
Rabbi Melanie Levav, BCC, LMSW is the Executive Director of the Shomer Collective. She is a second career rabbi who pivoted her career to focus on end-of-life care and conversations, bringing more than two decades of non-profit management, social work, Jewish education, and fundraising experience to her work. Prior to founding Shomer Collective, Melanie served as the Director of PJ Library in New York, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and before that, she spent eight years as the Assistant Executive Director at the Marks Jewish Community 1House of Bensonhurst, a JCC, where she led a team in creating a Center for End of Life Care focused on the needs of Russian-speaking Holocaust survivors and their families. Melanie has also held positions at the Mandel Center for Jewish Education at JCC Association, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and UJA-Federation of New York. An alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and the FEREP Fellowship, Melanie was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is board certified as a chaplain by Neshama: Association for Jewish Chaplains, received her graduate degree in social work from Columbia University, is an end-of-life doula through the University of Vermont, and is a certified Respecting Choices Instructor.
12:00 –1:00 pm Eastern
As leaders, we are constantly reaching, climbing, and embracing new opportunities. But what happens when we take a moment to pause? When we step back to reflect on what truly matters—both in our work and personal lives?
Every few years, it’s essential to hit “pause” and assess whether our professional paths need recalibrating. In this session, we’ll use a self-assessment tool to take stock of where we are right now. Through breakout conversations, we’ll explore what challenges us, what has changed—whether it’s our environment or ourselves—and consider the next steps, if any, to realign our work with our values and goals. Join us for this opportunity to reflect, reset, and move forward with greater clarity.
As the inaugural Chief Talent Officer (CTO) of JCC Association of North America, Carrie Darsky is shaping the future of talent across the JCC Movement. Since stepping into this role in 2023, she has been dedicated to designing and implementing strategies that engage, attract, develop, and elevate professionals, ensuring a thriving and dynamic workforce with a deep bench. Before joining JCC Association, Carrie served as Vice President of Talent & Leadership Development at Hillel International, where she played a pivotal role in cultivating leadership and professional growth across the field. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master’s in social work from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. A licensed social worker, Carrie’s commitment to leadership development extends beyond her professional role. She has served as Vice Chair of JPro (now part of Leading Edge), on the Board of Advisors for Assembly, and as a lead standards visitor for the American Camp Association. She also lends her expertise to the boards of the JCC of Central New Jersey and the Jewish Community Housing Corporation of MetroWest NJ. Balancing a demanding professional career with meaningful lay leadership commitments, Carrie is always in recalibration mode. But above all, her greatest joy is being mama to Gaby (almost 10), Jacob (almost 9), and Zachary (2 ½).
JUNE
WexCoComm, a committee of alumni from both the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program and the Wexner Field Fellowship, was founded in 2013. WexCoComm members serve in an advisory capacity to staff, as well as working in partnership to develop and launch initiatives to support and strengthen the Professional Leadership Programs Alumni Network.
WexCoComm members (as of October 2023):
- Andy Koren (WGF/DS 1), co-chair
- Melissa Werbow (WGF/DS 12), co-chair
- Naomi Adland (WGF/DS 25)
- Nina Butler (WGF/DS 8)
- Nikki Greninger (WFF 3)
- Graham Hoffman (WFF 1)
- Rebecca Rosenthal (WGF/DS 16)
- Josh Satok (WGF/DS 28)
- Jon Spira-Savett (WGF/DS 3)
- David Wolkenfeld (WGF/DS 17)
- Aki Yonekawa (WGF/DS 26)
- Mark Young (WFF 1)
If you are interested in serving on WexCoComm and/or have questions/ideas to share, please contact the co-chairs above.
Kicking off a series of pilot programs for Wexner Professional Alumni, this two-day workshop is an opportunity for high-level professional development. A group of up to 22 eligible alumni will be selected to participate; applications due at 5pm Eastern on March 25).
This interactive workshop will provide an overview of the fundamental theories and concepts of negotiation and put you in the driver’s seat through interactive role-play simulations. You’ll learn the fundamentals of how to create and claim value in increasingly challenging exercises that prepare you for the complexity of the real world. You will leave this workshop more knowledgeable, confident, and ready to take on your most pressing and challenging negotiations. The workshop will be taught by repeat Wexner faculty member Monica Giannone, Director of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Collaboratory at Harvard Kennedy School.
- Organize a get-together of alumni in your area. Funds are available for WexMeetUps!
- Share a Yom Shishi Thought via Wexnet: pick a week that works for you to share some Torah and a bit about yourself.
- Add your books, films, podcasts, and albums to our growing list of published works by Wexner alumni – and scroll through the virtual bookshelf to see the amazing work produced by your colleagues.
- Host a conversation in your community using WEXFactor as a tool (discussion guide available too!)
- Have you moved recently? Transitioned to a new role? Please update your profile in our WexChange directory so that we’re up to date.
- Be in touch as you’re navigating professional challenges, exploring new opportunities, looking to expand your network, or to share life updates!
