Leading Edge Announces Participants in CEO Onboarding Program – Cohort Three

June 11, 2019

Leading Edge, an organization focused on building a robust leadership pipeline for Jewish nonprofits, announced the new cohort of its groundbreaking CEO Onboarding Program – the first of its type designed for new high-level organizational leaders in the American Jewish community. Now in its third cycle, this program provides CEOs with a supportive peer network and the opportunity to work directly with experts in the American Jewish community and beyond, to take their leadership and their organizations to the next level.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that the future of the Jewish community hinges on ensuring that the emerging leaders of our institutions are set up for success,” says Sandy Cardin, Board Chair of Leading Edge. “The CEOnboarding Program provides deep, meaningful systems of support to help our leaders enact bold change at their organizations and shepherd the Jewish community into the future.”

“We often ask our CEOs to be unicorns and prove from day one that they were the right hire,” says Gali Cooks, President and CEO of Leading Edge. “This program flips the frame and asks: how might we surround our leaders with systems of support so that they and their organizations can grow together and thrive?”

Leading Edge has assembled a diverse cohort of new CEOs representing major national and local organizations from around the country. They include federations, JCCs, social service agencies, advocacy organizations, and denominational leaders.

The 14 members of the new cohort are:

  • Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal – The Rabbinical Assembly
  • David Bryfman – The Jewish Education Project
  • Lisa Budlow – CHAI
  • Mariam Feist – Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas
  • Elizabeth Fisher – Amplifier
  • Addie Goodman – JCC Chicago
  • Tyler Gregory – A Wider Bridge
  • Sheila Katz – National Council of Jewish Women
  • Joel Marcovitch – JewishColumbus
  • SooJi Min-Maranda – ALEPH
  • Miryam Rosenzweig – Milwaukee Jewish Federation
  • Halie Soifer – Jewish Democratic Council of America
  • Neil Spears – Silverlake Independent JCC
  • Rabbi Jay Strear – JEWISHcolorado

The bios of the participants are available here.

More information about the CEO Onboarding Program, including previous participants of the program, can be found by visiting: leadingedge.org/ceoonboarding/.