THE WEXNER FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES CLASS 9 OF FIELD FELLOWS
Fifteen Jewish professionals, ages 37-50, will receive leadership training, professional development, and Jewish learning over the course of three years.
The Wexner Foundation, in partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation, is excited to announce Class 9 of the Wexner Field Fellowship. This class is the inaugural cohort under revised eligibility criteria, focusing on established professionals ages 37-50. The Wexner Davidson Fellowship, which recently held its first institute, is for emerging professionals ages 26-36. With the new Wexner Field Fellowship age range extending the age eligibility up to 50 years, there were more finalists who have had non-traditional career paths toward professional excellence including those with leadership positions in early childhood education and supplementary Jewish education. These candidates reflect the diverse Jewish practice, background, and experience in the Jewish professional field.
The newest Field Fellows will participate in a 3-year cohort-based learning initiative including semiannual institutes. The Wexner Foundation prepares talented professionals within the Jewish community for the challenges of these uncertain and volatile times. These professionals will participate in leadership seminars with world-class faculty and also benefit from one-on-one coaching, Jewish learning, and individualized professional development opportunities.
These fifteen professionals were selected from a large, competitive pool of applicants. All Wexner Field Fellows are integrated into The Wexner Foundation’s vast network of more than 3,000 professional and volunteer leaders in North America and Israel, including the 30 other outstanding professionals who are now active Field Fellows, and our 100 Field Fellow Alumni.
Wexner Field Fellows, Class 9
- Lisa David: Executive Director, URJ Camp Harlam, URJ Camps, Jenkintown, PA
- Aliza Craimer Elias: Interim CEO, Institute for Curriculum Services, Berkeley, CA
- Shaun Goldstone: Senior Director, Global Resource Development, JDC, Huntington Beach, CA
- Mandy Kaiser-Blueth: Associate Vice President, National Women’s Philanthropy, Jewish Federations of North America, Atlanta, GA
- Manashe Khaimov: Founder and CEO, SAMi Sephardic American Mizrahi Initative, Hollywood, FL
- Jason Leivenberg: Associate Vice President, Innovation, Hillel International, Los Angeles, CA
- Judith Moses Dworkin: Senior Vice President, Campus Life & Advocacy, Hillel Ontario, Hamilton, ON
- Leah Palestrant: Executive Director, Springboard Fellowship, Hillel International, Jacksonville, FL
- Dini Peterson: Chief Program Officer, Mental Health & Safety Net Services, Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit, Oak Park, MI
- Lily Rabinoff-Goldman: President/CEO, JCC Greater Boston, Newton, MA
- Stacy Rigler: Executive Director, Association of Reform Jewish Educators, Bryn Mawr, PA
- Yonatan Rosner: Judaic Studies and Hebrew Principal, Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, CA
- Orna Siegel: Executive Director, ElevatEd, Silver Spring, MD
- Hannah Spinrad: Executive Director, North Carolina Hillel, Chapel Hill, NC
- Daniel Weiss: Head of School, Bornblum Jewish Community School, Memphis, TN
The Wexner Foundation has more than 30 years of experience developing excellence in Jewish professionals and volunteer leaders in North America. The Wexner Field Fellowship was created in 2013 in partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation to focus on developing promising Jewish professionals’ leadership skills while enveloping them in a rich network of Jewish colleagues. Fellows are selected based on their past accomplishments, career trajectory, and the role they will play as one of the 15 fellows in the diverse cohort of Jewish professionals, a microcosm of the Jewish community. To learn more about each Fellow, please click here.
Rabbi Elka Abrahamson, Wexner Foundation President, shared, “It is gratifying to welcome a new class of Field Fellows who enter the Fellowship with deep experience both in life and in work. Having observed the changing landscape within Jewish Professional Leadership we have, with the support of our partners at the Jim Joseph and William Davidson Foundations, expanded our professional development initiatives. The capacity to develop and support an emerging set of Jewish professionals is one The Wexner Foundation cherishes more than ever, and we are proud, at this historic time, to develop more professional leaders (30 new fellows annually) than ever before. We aspire to support their developments and actualize their visions for a strong and vibrant Jewish future.”
As part of this three-year intensive professional development program, Wexner Field Fellows:
- Become part of a selective cohort of lifelong professional learners.
- Learn with amazing leadership teachers and Jewish educators.
- Receive one-on-one professional coaching, Jewish learning, and funds toward customized professional development opportunities.
- Develop a nuanced appreciation for the diversity of the North American Jewish community.
- Focus on developing strengths in adaptive leadership, negotiation, difficult conversations, mindful communication, and other crucial leadership skills.
“Talented leaders are vital to creating Jewish experiences and communities that add meaning throughout people’s lives and provide support at particularly challenging moments,” said Dawne Bear Novicoff, Acting President and CEO of the Jim Joseph Foundation. “This newest cohort of Wexner Field Fellows, whose members have vast experience in our field, work in a wide range of settings and reflect a diversity of personal backgrounds. Now as a cohort, they’ll learn together and build a lasting network for years to come. We’re grateful to The Wexner Foundation for its continued commitment to strengthening leaders who positively influence people and Jewish communities around the country.”
About The Wexner Foundation
The Wexner Foundation develops and inspires leaders in the North American Jewish community and public service leaders for the State of Israel. Through diverse, cohort-based educational programs, the Foundation invests in promising professionals and volunteers, giving them tools to exercise transformative leadership. Working in partnership with other foundations, philanthropists, and local communities, the Foundation develops visionary, purpose-driven, and collaborative leaders. For more information about the Wexner Field Fellowship, please click here.