The first-ever national CEO Onboarding Program designed for executive level organizational leaders in the American Jewish community today announced its first cohort of participants, representing a wide range of geographic, background experience, and organizational mission diversity within the community.

The 12 month program, beginning April 5, 2016, is tailored to the needs and interests of its participants and will assist them to lead their organizations in effective, strategic, high-performance ways.

Cohort members represent federations, service agencies, and other innovative organizations that connect Jewish individuals and families to Jewish life experiences. They include:

• Tami Baldinger, Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Greater Palm Beaches
• Robert Bank, American Jewish World Service
• Dov Ben-Shimon, Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ
• Jodi Bromberg, InterfaithFamily
• Marci Glazer, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
• Danny Grossman, Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco
• Michael Hoffman, The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County
• Abigail Porth, Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco
• Stefanie Rhodes, Slingshot Fund
• Todd Schenk, Jewish Social Service Agency of Greater Washington
• Elana Silber, Sharsheret

“The CEO Onboarding Program received more than 40 high caliber applicants,” Gali Cooks, executive director of Leading Edge, told eJP. “Clearly there is a need in the Jewish professional world for executive-level development programs that support new CEOs at the beginning of their tenures by bringing together peers, experienced CEOs, thought leaders, and expert consultants in the American Jewish community and beyond.”

Rachel Garbow Monroe, President & CEO of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, added, “A new CEO’s tenure comes with tremendous challenges and opportunities. We hope that by investing in these talented individuals it will yield ongoing positive returns not only for the new leaders’ success and sustainability, but also for the health and impact of the organizations they lead.”

Along with executive coaching, cohort members will engage in a convening hosted by the Center for Creative Leadership and will participate in an on-the-ground Israel experience to provide a better understanding of the range of opinions about Israel and how to facilitate important related conversations back home. Program applicants are required to be the most senior professional leader of a Jewish communal organization who is between contract signing and 18 months of employment. (You can stay informed here about the application process for cohort 2.)

CEO Onboarding is funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation and other funders and is being operated in partnership with Leading Edge*.

*Leading Edge is a partnership between Jewish foundations and federations developed to assist Jewish institutions recruit and retain the talent they need to be most effective. Leading Edge was formed in 2014 following release of the report, “Cultivating the Next Generation of Professional Leaders for Jewish Nonprofits – Findings from Interviews and Research.” For more information, visit leadingedge.org