This summer, we're shining a light on alumni of Leading Executives. Designed for the senior-most leaders of their organizations, Leading Executives offers a transformative experience rooted in dynamic learning, personalized feedback, and peer support. Participants gain tools to lead more effectively, build self-awareness, and navigate the complexities of leadership with greater clarity, confidence, and resilience.


Through these spotlights, we’re celebrating the leaders who have completed the program and continue to shape the Jewish nonprofit sector in powerful ways. Their stories reflect the deep impact of the program — not just on individual leaders, but on the organizations and communities they serve.


Meet SooJi Min-Maranda, Executive Director at ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She is an alum of the CEO Onboarding program, the predecessor to Leading Executives. Sooji brings a deep commitment to justice, inclusion, and community to her leadership in the Jewish nonprofit sector. In this spotlight, she shares how leading in this space allows her to fully live her values and how her experience with Leading Edge helped her strengthen the relationships and support systems essential to bold, values-driven leadership.


Alumni Spotlight conversations may be edited and condensed.


What inspired you to step into a leadership role in the Jewish nonprofit sector?

I had been running secular nonprofits for about eight years when I decided to make the move to the Jewish nonprofit sector. This is because as an adult convert to Judaism with a non-Jewish partner, I soon realized that it is extremely difficult to be Jewish alone. When I discovered that there is a parallel nonprofit universe in the Jewish sector, I realized that I could live my faith and values proudly and boldly and still do what I enjoy most, which is helping individuals and communities thrive through servant leadership.

How do you see the future of Jewish nonprofit leadership evolving? How has your Leading Edge program experience influenced your perspective on this?

Jewish organizations need to focus on creating an environment where all who identify as Jews can thrive, feel secure, and safe. This is particularly crucial given the current climate of polarization, rising antisemitism, and growing threats to pluralism in the United States. However, our response shouldn't be to isolate ourselves. Instead, we need to embody and actively promote core Jewish values, especially those that emphasize the sanctity of all life and the imperative to heal the world. It's vital that we share the beauty and joy of Judaism with the broader world, fostering understanding and connection. Moreover, we must build partnerships with other marginalized communities, recognizing that our struggles and futures are interconnected. This involves working on overcoming our fears to engage more openly with the world around us. The future of Jewish organizations lies not just in preservation, but in active engagement and alliance-building towards a more just world.

How have your Leading Edge cohort connections helped you build stronger professional relationships and collaborations within the sector?

The Leading Edge community is invaluable to me on two levels. First, it's a network of peers navigating similar adaptive and technical challenges in our turbulent sector. This shared experience creates a powerful support system. Second, Leading Edge itself serves as a trusted, independent resource that nurtures and guides our sector. It's not just an organization or a program; it's a community of people committed to strengthening Jewish nonprofit leadership. For me, Leading Edge embodies both peer support and professional guidance, making it an essential part of my leadership journey.

What’s one piece of advice you would offer to someone who is considering joining a Leading Edge leadership program?

Say what you need! And say it again and again. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you truly need to thrive.

Meet SooJi Min-Maranda, Executive Director at ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. She is an alum of the CEO Onboarding program, the predecessor to Leading Executives.

Leading Edge Alumni Spotlight, SooJi Min-Maranda

Podcast: When Crisis is the Job – with Barry Finestone

What happens to Jewish leadership when crisis becomes the norm rather than the exception? In this episode of the Identity/Crisis podcast, Barry Finestone, President & CEO of Jim Joseph Foundation and Leading Edge Board Member (non-voting), joins Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, to explore the emotional and organizational toll of leading through upheaval and discuss what it will take to build institutions that can thrive during times of uncertainty without losing sight of their long-term goals. 

Forbes: Ending Unlimited PTO Doesn’t Solve Underlying Workforce Issues

eJP: What personalized Jewish learning contributes to the service movement

SRE: Torah of Safety, Respect, and Equity

The Chronicle: Inside the Leadership Success of a Millennial and Boomer Who Share the CEO Seat

Egon Zehnder: The CHRO Voice: Inside Human Resources Leadership

HBR: What’s the Future of Middle Management?

The Chronicle: 8 Ways Your Board Can Drive Momentum in a Capital Campaign

BoardSource: How Board Chairs Foster Board Engagement

NonProfitPRO: Create a Nonprofit Memory Book to Establish Institutional Memory

Here's what the Leading Edge team is learning about culture, executives, and boards this month.

What We're Learning | July 2025

Mattering at work enhances self-esteem, strengthens self-efficacy, and leads to better performance and satisfaction. But 30% of people report feeling invisible, and 65% feel underappreciated. Research shows that mattering happens most reliably through everyday interactions — especially when leaders take time to notice others, listen for total meaning, respond with compassion, and follow up meaningfully. This article shows leaders how to apply this concept in the workplace, and includes three activities leaders can use to get started.

eJP: Reimagining Israel education: 6 recommendations for catalyzing a new era

MIT SMR: How Neuroinclusion Builds Organizational Capabilities

Allwork.Space: What Happens When Free Speech At Work Becomes Risky?

Culture Amp (Report): The Leadership Advantage: How great leaders elevate organizational performance

NYT: Opinion | I’m a LinkedIn Executive. I See the Bottom Rung of the Career Ladder Breaking.

HBR: Employee Stress Is a Business Risk—Not an HR Problem

Chronicle of Philanthropy: 6 Steps to Turbocharge Your Board Recruitment

NonProfitPRO: Boardroom Archetypes: Is Your Board a Wolf Pack?

Allwork.Space: The Bard And The Boardroom: Why Today’s Best Leaders Read More Than Metrics

What We're Learning | June 2025

‘The Surge’ continues: JFNA survey finds a third of Jews more engaged now than pre-Oct. 7

A year and a half after October 7, Jewish engagement is still elevated — but the initial spike is easing. In Jewish Federations of North America’s new survey, 31% of Jews say they’re more involved in communal life than before the attacks. Mimi Kravetz (Chief Impact and Growth Officer for JFNA, and Leading Edge Board Member) stated, “The Surge has shown staying power... but the data carries an important reminder that the Surge is not going to last forever,” noting that the community must act now to meet people’s needs.

Gallup: Global Engagement Falls for the Second Time Since 2009

HBR: When You’re Asked to Meet Impossible Goals

WorkLife: For companies to fully integrate AI, their HR leaders are going to require more training

The Chronicle of Philanthropy (podcast): Two CEOs on How to Get Boards to Help With Fundraising and More

BoardSource: 5 Phases of Strategic Planning

NPQ: Nonprofit Boards Remain Overwhelmingly White

What We're Learning | May 2025

Why You Should Collaborate Across Boundaries

Today’s organizations are complex and deeply interconnected, making it essential for leaders to look beyond their own teams and functions. Those who span boundaries — across departments, levels, stakeholder groups, geographies, and identities — are better positioned to drive innovation, agility, and results. Still, while 86% of senior executives say this kind of collaboration is “extremely important,” only 7% feel very effective at it. Closing the gap starts with building the skills to manage difference, create alignment, and work toward shared purpose across divides.

Pew Research Center: Gender pay gap in U.S. has narrowed slightly over 2 decades

J.: OPINION | It’s getting harder for young professionals at Jewish nonprofits

WorkLife: Ex-government workers make for rich talent pool for private-sector employers

MIT SMR: Why Great Ideas Die on Managers’ Desks — and How to Save Them

HBR: The Pandemic Proved That Remote Leadership Works

Blue Avocado: From Crisis to Clarity: Five Steps to Demystify Succession Planning

eJP: Reaching our true potential: 7 ideas for investing in all of our talent 

NonProfit PRO: Why Your Nonprofit Should Hire an Interim Leader After an Executive Director Departs

SSIR: Mergers and Acquisitions as a Strategic Tool for Nonprofit Growth

What We're Learning | April 2025

Leading, impact and moving forward: Reflections from four pioneering Jewish community executives

Stepping away from leadership is just as important as stepping into it. In eJewishPhilanthropy, Idit Klein (Keshet), Jodi Bromberg (18Doors), Aliza Kline (OneTable), and Dori Frumin Kirshner (Matan) — who have each led their organizations through significant growth — discuss their decisions to leave at the height of their impact. On the podcast It’s Who You Know!, they reflect on leadership transitions, the need for sustainability in Jewish communal work, and why knowing when to go is a crucial part of knowing how to lead.

HR Digest: 4 Rules of Work-Life Balance, And Why You've Been Getting It Wrong

WorkLife: Forget the stereotypes: Gen Z is the secret weapon for reshaping corporate culture

Allwork.Space: Forget Work-Life Balance, The Future Of Less Work Is Here

CCL: Navigating the Impact of AI in Leadership: A Social Process Continues

MIT SMR: What Leaders Get Wrong About Employee Motivation

Blue Avocado: Nonprofit Leadership Isn’t Perfect, and That’s the Point

NPQ: A New Framework for Governance Duties: Loving Accountability and Abundant Resourcing

NonProfit PRO: 3 Strategies to Bridge Generational Gaps for a Better Connected Nonprofit Board

HBR: When Activist Investors Ask for Board Seats

What We're Learning | March 2025

As of January 1, 2025, Leading Edge and JPro have joined forces to support, engage, and develop Jewish nonprofit leaders and professionals, creating a central hub that empowers them to deepen their impact at a critical time for the Jewish community. As part of this, we welcome eight new team members from JPro. Learn more about each of them below. 

As of January 1, 2025, Leading Edge and JPro have joined forces to support, engage, and develop Jewish nonprofit leaders and professionals, creating a central hub that empowers them to deepen their impact at a critical time for the Jewish community. As part of this, we welcome eight new team members from JPro.

Meet our New Team Members

During my undergraduate years, I was accredited to be a high school English and history teacher in Ontario. I taught supplementary school at my synagogue from 10th grade through university and I loved teaching. But as I was moving towards graduation, I felt curious about what else I might explore before going into the classroom. My roommate encouraged me to apply for a service learning alternative spring break trip to El Salvador during my last semester of undergrad, which sounded cool, and it ended up being with American Jewish World Service. Long story short, that turned into an offer to move to New York for one year to be the AJWS Alternative Breaks Fellow, which I did in September 2002. I thought I'd go for one year, and it turned into my career. 

I think a large segment of people who identify as Jewish communal professionals see themselves as accidental Jewish communal professionals. Like, it wasn't necessarily the plan, or they sort of fell into it sideways. And that was my story — it wasn't what I planned, but the path makes sense in retrospect. 

Let's talk about JPro's story. I'm especially interested in the decision, shortly before your time, to rebrand the Jewish Communal Service Association of North America as JPro. Beyond going from a long name to a short one, what motivated the rebrand?

JPro traces its history to 1899. And one of the remarkable things about that history is the number of times that it reinvented itself. It's a lot like Jewish history: There's continuity and change, and that ability to be elastic enough to move with the times but also connected enough to the past to maintain the through-line is part of what's extraordinary about this organization. JPro’s history dovetails with, has been informed by, and has also informed the development of the North American Jewish community.  The rebrand, I believe, was about a desire to catch up with the times, infuse a different kind of energy, and speak to younger generations as we worked to serve the Jewish communal workforce more and better.

What mandate were you given when you were brought on as the leader two years later?

The board was looking for an executive who would lead from the front with a vision — who would really look hard at what should continue and what shouldn't continue. And it was fascinating: As I got to know all of the stakeholders, everybody had a different perspective on what was essential to maintain! If I had listened to everybody, we wouldn't have changed anything. 

So we set a single-minded, big, hairy, audacious goal of tripling our number of JPro Affiliates over three years. We needed to re-establish the value proposition for becoming a JPro Affiliate. What I said internally is: If we cannot grow from 95 to 300 affiliates over three years, then there is something fundamentally broken about the value proposition for the organization. So by focusing on that goal, we were able to park a number of things off to the side without adjudicating them because we had that one shared goal that we were all driving towards. And people even believed in that so much that we secured 70 new affiliates before launching our first new programs: WellAdvised and JPro Master Classes. 

How would you tell the story of the arc from setting that goal through the uniting of JPro and Leading Edge?

I look back at three chapters. The first was from the beginning of 2017 through our conference in Detroit in August of 2019. And that chapter was an entrepreneurial, almost startup-like mentality. Everyone’s sleeves were rolled up, and we had rapid cycles of experimentation, learning, and refinement.

Chapter two: Coming out a conference that exceeded our hopes, we developed our first business plan. That was about solidifying our base of services to the end users in the field and growing the resources we needed to enable that. During those years we doubled from a team of three to a team of six. And, less than one year later, we adapted our work to respond to urgent needs of our audience during the early months of the COVID pandemic.

Our 2022 conference in Cleveland, in partnership with JFNA, was the transition to our third chapter. Once again, the conference sold out with a waiting list and exceeded expectations. Immediately thereafter we developed our next business plan with the headline of “Scaled Impact.” That plan asked: What would it look like to make change at the field-wide level? How can we shift attitudes and behaviors? We were interested in developing methodologies for how to do that, and also really moving the needle on management training and early-career interventions. 

And then, about a year and a half into that plan, we changed course and entered serious conversations with Leading Edge which, if successful, would turbocharge our drive to scaled impact. 

Since our 2019 and 2022 conferences were inflection points, it’s fitting that we are planning the next conference as a newly combined team, since it will mark this major milestone for our work and for the future of talent in the Jewish nonprofit sector.

Why were you so quickly positive toward the idea of joining with Leading Edge?

Leading Edge and JPro had been in conversation about their relationship from the first beginnings of Leading Edge. Gali was generous with advice when I reached out during the summer of 2016 when I became a candidate to be JPro’s exec. Everybody agreed that, if we were starting from scratch, nobody would build a Jewish nonprofit sector with a separate JPro and Leading Edge. We also understood that the missions, visions, cultures, programs, and business models had meaningful differences and tensions that needed to be considered. So when Gali and I first met with a consultant to really start discerning whether or not to come together, the big question was: What is in the best interest of the field? 

And our conversation moved into a posture of possibility and bold vision. The conversation was never about “How can we be more efficient, how can we do the same amount of output with fewer resources?” It was about, “What does it look like to scale and amplify impact?” We talked about things like a comprehensive approach to talent across the field through the entire talent cycle. Whether we're talking about recruitment, development, engagement, retention, and career pathing, or about the talent lifecycle from the perspective of organizations, what could it look like for the field to have a workforce and a pipeline that is healthy and vibrant, and to be able to do that in a comprehensive way? More and more we were seeing the limitations of not being in it together. JPro was developing and distributing products and services to the field; Leading Edge is a massive engine of knowing, based on data, what the field needs and was also driving impactful interventions. So to marry those things and have them be mutually reinforcing felt obvious. 

Let me be a provocative proxy for a certain skeptical kind of reader. Let’s say I'm a committed Jew, but I'm not emotionally bought into the idea of the Jewish nonprofit sector as a sector. Several times you've talked about the interest of the field. Why should “the field” have an interest, and why should I care about it? Why can't Jewish communal leaders just learn leadership from the Center for Creative Leadership and managers just learn management from the Management Center and organizations just use Culture Amp for employee surveys? What's the added value of doing all this together through a Jewish-specific lens?

The perseveration that is possible about this question, the sort of philosophizing — “Are we a field? What are the boundaries of the field?” — at the beginning, I found that to be a distraction, so I studiously avoided spending time on it because it seemed to me like work avoidance that was inhibiting bold action. That is a place of spinning wheels. And there is enough of a history and a broad-based and highly networked committed core of our field, doing the work of building the field and being a field. Defining our boundaries and justifying the reality that we are a field just wasn’t the place to begin. I think if we describe what is, we will see all the ways that we are a field in the relationships, in the ways that we collaborate, in the ways that we argue, even if we disagree… To the extent that we are in the conversation about whether we’re a community, and there’s a committed core that believes we are…well, then we are. (And, I would argue that those who are highly engaged in critiques about whether and how we are a field are also in an important relationship with this professional community.) We have shared third-rail issues, shared conversations. We come back to shared models, shared funding institutions, and the shared institutional identity of being a Jewish organization. Now, not everyone sees it that way. There have been organizations that said, “We're not going to be JPro Affiliates. We don't see ourselves as part of the field.” Okay, fine; there are thousands of organizations and people who do, so let's start there.

What are you most personally proud of from your role as CEO of JPro? And don't be humble and talk about pride in the organization. I want to know: What are you most proud to have personally done?

I think that my superpower is being able to move quickly from discomfort to growth. There are some things that have come less naturally to me than to some other people in positions like mine, but I’ve been able to look at the gaps and seek support to accomplish big things. I was terrified when I started this job, and I was open with some real gedolim [“great ones”] in our field about that. One shared with me that when he started in his job, he felt the same way and told me that it would take two years to get my sea legs. His normalizing that was incredibly helpful. I think it’s unfortunate that we don't speak publicly about those realities in the field and maintain the mythology of the hero-leader. Somehow the persona that executive leaders typically portray is of being confident and charismatic and successful... I think we do ourselves a disservice by being less honest. But every big accomplishment at JPro was the work of a team. I’m proud of how I’ve facilitated the circumstances in which groups, together have made the impossible possible. And it never ends. I've joked after our conferences that the reward of reaching the summit of a mountain is always another, bigger mountain. 

What has it been like going from a CEO role to a non-CEO C-suite role?

This has been a rollercoaster for everybody with lots of highs, some lows, some exhilaration, and some stomachaches. I’ve never heard of an M+A process that isn’t complex, so the “big why” has to be clear and worthwhile. If I wanted to, I could spend all day talking about what's hard. Or I could spend all day looking at the incredible opportunities and blessings for me personally and for JPro. And that's where I'm excited to put my energy. I'm working with one of the best executive teams, boards, and staffs in the business. I really mean it, the concentration of talent here is unbelievable. It’s incredible to be at this point in my career and to be at the beginning of a new journey with a steep learning curve. It’s the next mountain. I think about my own sense of mission and purpose as a Jewish communal professional, as a mother, as a granddaughter… In the days after October 7th, I really felt like everything that I grew up to think was true about being a Jew in the world at this moment in history was just lying shattered at my feet. And I just think it is an incredible blessing to be in a professional community and to have work that is, in part, about how we move through that moment as individuals, as organizations, as a field, as a broader Jewish community, in making meaning of our post-October-7th reality. I feel incredibly fortunate to be doing this work, in this field, with this organization, at this time.

Ilana Aisen is the Chief Community Impact Officer at Leading Edge. (Read her complete bio here.) From 2016 through 2024, she was CEO of JPro, which joined with Leading Edge at the beginning of this year. We sat down with Ilana for a conversation about her individual professional journey, JPro’s journey as an organization, and the future of the nonprofit field now that JPro and Leading Edge have come together.

Scaling for Impact: Ilana Aisen Reflects on Growing a Career, an Organization, and a Field

Mission, Vision, and Jewish Philanthropic Leadership: A Conversation with Rachel Garbow Monroe and Paula B. Pretlow

In a candid conversation, Rachel Garbow Monroe (President & CEO of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and past Leading Edge Board Chair) and Paula B. Pretlow (Chair of the Board of The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation) reveal how they lead one of America's largest foundations, balancing its Jewish roots with broader community service. They describe their complementary leadership styles and how they've expanded the foundation's impact through diversity initiatives, gender-lens grantmaking, and a commitment to hearing directly from communities they serve.

Jewish Insider: Jewish groups are reassessing their embrace of DEI

Chronicle of Philanthropy: For Nonprofits, Remote Work Offers a Competitive Edge

Moneyball Judaism: Quantification Fixations

Deloitte: More roles, more responsibilities: Navigating the new frontiers of the modern C-suite

McKinsey & Company: Developing a resilient, adaptable workforce for an uncertain future

HBR: Leaders Shouldn’t Try to Do It All

Forbes: Own Your Seat: Six Keys To Success As A Nonprofit Board Member

NonProfit PRO: Why Common Sense Can Prevent Board Governance Failure

HBR: Research: How Boards Can Increase CEO Accountability

What We're Learning | February 2025

Combined organization to drive a bold, comprehensive vision for talent, leadership, and culture in the Jewish community 

JPro25 in partnership with Jewish Federations – conference on May 5-7, 2025 in Baltimore – to showcase the power of the combined organization 

As of January 1, 2025, Leading Edge and JPro are coming together to support, engage, and develop leaders and professionals throughout the Jewish nonprofit sector. Together, the combined organization will create a central address for the people who lead, work and serve the North American Jewish community, empowering them to deepen their impact at a critical time for the Jewish community. 

JPro has educated and connected Jewish communal professionals for generations, while Leading Edge, founded in 2015, has been a premier voice on leadership and culture, grounded in innovative data from the field. Leading Edge has focused on developing top executives, HR leaders, and Board members. United, they will transform the quality and impact of leaders and professionals across the Jewish world – holistically. 

“This combination will bring unprecedented vision, unity, clarity, and capacity to serving professionals and leaders throughout the North American Jewish nonprofit sector,” says Gali Cooks, President & CEO of Leading Edge. “As we face new challenges in the post-October-7th world, our Jewish ecosystem must invest in our most valuable resource — our people. In this exciting next step, we will create a ‘whole-system’ approach to making Jewish organizations more effective so that our community and the world thrive. With less redundancy and more strategic alignment, we can grow and drive change together in ways we couldn’t do apart.” 

“JPro has been part of North American Jewish history for over 120 years,” says Ilana Aisen, CEO of JPro since 2016 and now Chief Community Impact Officer at Leading Edge. “The development of Jewish life in North America is unique in Jewish history and intertwined with the development of the modern state of Israel and global Jewry, with Jewish communal institutions and their professional and lay leaders at its core. We must prioritize excellence in the recruitment, development, and retention of the people who lead, run, and operate our communal organizations. At this moment of history in particular, I couldn’t be prouder for JPro to join Leading Edge.”

“Leading Edge and JPro coming together holds great promise for the Jewish communal world,” says Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America. “At Jewish Federations of North America, we believe that communities only flourish when all organizations, schools, and synagogues have best-in-class professionals and lay leaders. We’ve been proud of our partnerships with JPro and Leading Edge to achieve this and look forward to the future.”

“This new partnership between JPro and Leading Edge will usher in a new era of professional excellence within the Jewish nonprofit world,” says Erika B. Rudin-Luria, JPro’s former Board Chair and now Board Vice Chair at Leading Edge. “The combination of JPro and Leading Edge will enable us to exponentially grow our reach and impact on the professionals and volunteers whom we serve.”

“It all comes down to people,” says Daryl Messinger, Board Chair of Leading Edge. “As a lay leader who has served on over 10 Boards, I’ve seen how vital it is for organizations to invest in talent and leadership. With Leading Edge and JPro coming together, we have a broader and stronger mandate to make this a norm in the field.”

Jewish communal professionals, leaders, Board members, funders, and other stakeholders can learn more about the future of Leading Edge + JPro, and the future of the Jewish nonprofit sector, at the conference JPro25 in partnership with Jewish Federations, taking place in Baltimore May 5-7, 2025. Learn more at jpro25.org. 

JPro began in 1899 as The National Conference of Jewish Charities and cycled through many names and iterations over the century and more that followed. JPro’s mission is to inspire, educate, connect, and empower Jewish communal professionals. The “JPro” name dates to 2014, and since then, JPro has grown impressively in both its reach and its programming, with 13,000 members at 289 affiliate organizations. 

Leading Edge was founded in 2015 with a primary focus on top leaders and the leadership pipeline. Over the last decade, Leading Edge surveys have reached over 53,000 employees at Jewish nonprofits, and its leadership development programs have trained nearly 600 executive and Board leaders at Jewish organizations. In 2022, Leading Edge acquired Boardified (best known for its Board Member Institute), incorporating Board leadership development into its mission in recognition of the importance of the Board-professional partnership. 

Leading Edge, with Boardified and now JPro integrated, will become the only field-wide organization working on recruiting, engaging, and developing the Jewish nonprofit sector’s employees, executive leaders, and Board members. All previously planned JPro and Leading Edge programming for 2025 is expected to continue as planned.

Combined organization to drive a bold, comprehensive vision for talent, leadership, and culture in the Jewish community

Leading Edge and JPro Unite

As we step into 2025, the end of the year offers a moment to reflect on the journeys and milestones of 2024. This year has been one of profound challenges, but also incredible resilience and collaboration across the Jewish nonprofit sector. Through it all, your engagement, partnership, and dedication have been the driving force behind everything Leading Edge has achieved.

We invite you to explore our 2024 Year in Review, where we highlight the progress and impact we’ve made together over the past year. From resources for Board members and a new program for talent professionals to hosting an in-person gathering for program alums, we’re proud to share what we accomplished this year. Thank you for being part of this extraordinary field and its impact on the world.

Read about what we've done together in 2024.

Leading Edge Year in Review 2024

Research: Performance Reviews That Actually Motivate Employees

As organizations move away from traditional number-based performance reviews, many are experimenting with narrative feedback or a mix of the two. But how do employees actually perceive these formats? New research sheds light on what makes feedback feel fair, motivating, and actionable, offering valuable insights for organizations looking to refine their performance evaluation practices.

10% Happier Podcast: If You’re Stressed, Anxious, Or Depressed, This Is Your Counterintuitive Medicine

Ragan: Internal Communications Trends for Success in 2025

HBR: Your Employees Are Also Caregivers. Here’s How to Support Them.

Gallup: Employee Upskilling Is Vital in Rapidly Evolving Job Market

NonprofitPRO: Your Strategic Plan Is Likely Not as Strategic as You Think

HBR: When Expressing Gratitude to Employees, Timing Matters

NonprofitPRO: Study: Board Directors Balance Innovation, Risk Management Amid Financial Pressures

BoardSource: Reimagining Boards for High Impact 

MIT SMR: C-Suite Hiring: Seven Mistakes Companies Still Make

What We're Learning | Leading Edge

The need for leadership development, especially for new executives, has never been clearer. Organizations face significant new challenges, persistent old issues, and sometimes divided constituencies. Yet we know that great leadership in Jewish nonprofits can unlock new potential for organizations to achieve their missions.  

Against that backdrop, Leading Edge is excited to announce the fifth cohort of Leading Executives. These leaders represent a diverse range of backgrounds and organizations. From December through June, they will learn dynamic leadership practices to help them navigate this time, receive constructive personalized feedback to speed and deepen their growth, and connect with a cohort of peer leaders for mutual support long after the formal program is complete.  

The following leaders will participate in the fifth cohort of Leading Executives:

Leading Edge’s research into the experience of Jewish nonprofit executives  shows that connections with other leaders in the Jewish nonprofit sector is the single most agreed-upon form of support that leaders find valuable to them in their roles. For today’s executives, the value of a supportive peer group is higher than ever before. Recent participants have shared that the program contributed to their understanding of their roles as leaders and their responsibility for their teams, helped them learn and continuously improve, and increased their conflict resolution and communication skills. 

Are you interested in future cohorts of Leading Executives, or do you know someone who should be? Don’t miss information about future cohorts when it becomes available; sign up for the interest list for Leading Executives here and for Leading Edge’s newsletter at leadingedge.org/contact-us/.

Meet the next Jewish nonprofit leaders in the next cohort of Leading Edge’s acclaimed executive leadership development program.

Leading Edge announces fifth “Leading Executives” cohort

The partnership between Board members and professional staff is a keystone of organizational impact. Yet few targeted development opportunities exist for staff members who want to level up their work with their Boards. Leading Edge is launching a pilot program to support executives and other senior leaders in leveling up the professional-Board collaboration.

Built on the best insights from our executive programs, Leadership Lab: Collaborating With Your Board is a cohort-based development program. Participants are senior executives and other senior leaders in their organizations. From November 2024 through April 2025, cohort members will master leadership practices toward effectively partnering with their Boards, analyze successful governance practices, reflect in individual and small group coaching, and develop an implementation plan to improve the efficacy and engagement of their Boards. 

The following leaders will participate in the inaugural cohort of Leadership Lab:

Leading Edge’s research into CEO perceptions of Board performance highlights the importance of successful staff-Board partnerships, and also the urgency to give our professionals more robust tools to deepen the engagement of their Board members. And we know from previous executive programs that the value of peer learning is crucial for high-performing professionals.

Meet the Jewish nonprofit professionals in Leading Edge’s pilot program for professionals who work with ​Boards.

Announcing the first cohort of Leadership Lab: Collaborating With Your Board

Writing for eJP, Laura Herman and Deirdre Munley of JPro share how they introduced chavruta-based supervision within their organization, creating a model focused on curiosity, trust, and mutual respect. Bringing the centuries-old Jewish tradition of paired learning into their supervisor-supervisee relationship opened up new ways to deepen professional conversations and build meaningful partnerships. The chavruta model, adaptable to both Jewish and secular texts, can provide workplace pairs a structured way to enhance relationships while exploring professional growth together.

MIT SMR: Manage Boundaries Better With Your Team

Gallup: Managers Feel More Connected to Their Organization's Culture

Greater Good: Why Play at Work Can Inspire Employees to Take Risks

MIT SMR: Building Mastery: What Leaders Do That Helps — or Impedes

HBR: What the Best Leadership Teams Do Right

First Round Review: Radical Candor — The Surprising Secret to Being a Good Boss

HBR: Boards Need a New Approach to Technology

NonProfitPRO: Managing the Relational Aspect of Nonprofit Governance

Candid: Strong boards make strong nonprofits: What you need to know

Looking back and looking ahead: Lessons from a year of crises

Writing for eJewishPhilanthropy, Rachel Garbow Monroe (President & CEO of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and past Leading Edge Board Chair) reflects on a tumultuous year for Jewish and global communities and highlights key strategies for effective philanthropy during times of crisis. Looking to the future with hope, she invites funders and leaders to actively listen to both grantees and staff, embrace learning and growing, and to lead with kindness as all those in the sector continue the important work of striving to make the world a better place.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: Show How Your Nonprofit Is Making a Difference: 10 Dos and Don’ts

Journal of Management Studies: Not the Time to be Humble! When and Why Leader Humility Enhances and Deteriorates Evaluations on Leader Effectiveness and Satisfaction with Leader

Culture First (podcast): Seth Godin on building a culture of impact

SSIR: Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast. So Make Culture Your Focus.

SHRM: How to Model Civility for a Better Workplace Culture

AIHR: 9 Box Grid: A Practitioner’s Guide [FREE Template for Talent Management]

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Can Elections Ever Be Normal Again? These 22 Nonprofit Leaders Have a Plan.

Joan Garry Consulting: A Seat at the Table: Why (Some) Staff Should Be Present At Board Meetings

SSIR: The Three-Legged Stool of Readiness-Centered Founder Transitions

Meet Shana Erenberg, co-founder and CEO of Libenu. Shana is an alum of the Board Member Institute, which was the reimagined signature program of Boardified (powered by Leading Edge) and the premier volunteer leadership development program for board members of Jewish communal organizations. Shana shares her perspective on navigating current challenges with empathy, passion, and determination, and reflects on how her Leading Edge experience has shaped her views on the future of Jewish nonprofit leadership.

Alumni Spotlight conversations may be edited and condensed.

What do you think are the most critical leadership qualities needed to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities within Jewish nonprofit organizations right now?

In the dynamic landscape of Jewish nonprofit organizations, the most critical leadership qualities necessary to navigate current challenges and opportunities include empathy, passion, and determination. Empathy is essential for leaders to genuinely connect with and understand the diverse needs of their community members, enabling them to tailor initiatives that resonate deeply. Passion fuels the commitment to the organization's mission, inspiring both staff and volunteers to strive towards shared goals. Determination helps leaders persist through obstacles and drive impactful changes. Additionally, a philosophy of inclusion ensures that all voices are heard and valued, fostering a culture of respect that strengthens community bonds. Vision is also crucial, as it allows leaders to anticipate future trends and opportunities, guiding their organizations toward sustainable growth and innovation. Together, these qualities form a robust foundation for effective leadership in the unique and evolving context of Jewish nonprofit organizations.

The future of Jewish nonprofit leadership is poised for a transformative evolution, emphasizing the cultivation of the next generation of leaders who are deeply committed to the Jewish community. My experience with Libenu has reinforced the critical importance of mentorship in this evolution. By providing robust mentorship opportunities, we can equip emerging leaders with the necessary skills and insights to navigate and innovate within the sector. These programs have shown me that mentorship not only bridges generational gaps but also infuses fresh perspectives and vitality into the community. This hands-on guidance ensures that new leaders are not only well-prepared to tackle current challenges but are also inspired to uphold and evolve the community's values. As such, mentorship will be a cornerstone in nurturing a resilient and visionary leadership pipeline that is crucial for the thriving future of Jewish nonprofit organizations.

Which initiatives or projects have you undertaken in your current role that have been inspired or influenced by participating in your Leading Edge leadership program?

Participating in the Leading Edge Employee Engagement Survey with subsequent feedback and workshops has notably enhanced Libenu’s team dynamics and improved communication. Inspired by the program's focus on strong team cohesion, we introduced regular team-building activities that have boosted morale and improved our collective ability to tackle complex projects. Additionally, we transformed our weekly meetings from mere informational gatherings to interactive sessions that encourage open idea sharing and collective problem-solving. These adaptations have not only fostered a more collaborative and engaged team environment but also led to more innovative and effective project outcomes, truly reflecting the valuable insights and strategies gained from Leading Edge.

Joining a Leading Edge program can be a transformative experience for both you and your organization, and my advice to anyone considering it is to fully embrace the opportunity with openness and readiness to implement change. These programs offer access to insightful consultants who are experts in their fields, covering highly relevant topics that can profoundly impact your organization's effectiveness. You will receive thoughtful feedback that is both constructive and tailored to advance your mission. Engaging actively and applying the insights gained will allow you to enhance not just your leadership skills but also your organization's strategic direction and operational efficiency. The experience can be a significant catalyst for growth and innovation, so approach it with enthusiasm and a commitment to translate learning into action.

Meet Shana Erenberg, CEO of Libenu. Shana is an alum of the Board Member Institute, which was the reimagined signature program of Boardified (powered by Leading Edge) and the premier volunteer leadership development program for board members of Jewish communal organizations.

Alumni Spotlight: Shana Erenberg

Welcome to the state of VUCA, aka our new normal

In our new "VUCA" normal — a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity — the pace of change has accelerated dramatically with the advent of new technologies, requiring philanthropic organizations to adapt quickly. To navigate this landscape effectively, Barry Finestone (LE board member, non-voting), President & CEO of Jim Joseph Foundation, proposes three key mindsets for crisis response: embracing "good enough" over perfection, implementing rapid decision-making systems, and fostering trust within the philanthropic community. Recognizing that VUCA is now the norm, it's crucial for the philanthropic field to collaborate, share experiences, and apply best practices from past crises to better prepare for future challenges.

JFN (podcast): Joshua Foer - Innovating Jewish Education and Storytelling

McKinsey & Company: It’s cool to be kind: The value of empathy at work

Allwork.Space: Productivity Without Burnout: How Less Work Time Can Equal More Output

HR Dive: 6 ways employers are investing in compensation and benefits

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Empty C-Suite: Nonprofit Executives Are Leaving to Become Consultants

HBR: How to Equitably Assign High-Profile Work

CEP: Navigating the Equity Journey at Lean Foundations

SSIR: Where Strategic Philanthropy Went Wrong

NPQ: What Would Fiduciary Duty to the Community Look Like?

Meet Alexandra Corwin, Executive Director of Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy. She is an alum of the CEO Onboarding program, the predecessor to Leading Executives, a training program by Leading Edge for senior-most organizational leaders. Alexandra discusses how the connections she made through the CEO Onboarding program have helped build stronger professional relationships and collaborations within the Jewish nonprofit sector. She also shares valuable advice for prospective participants, emphasizing the thoughtful design and warmth of the Leading Edge programs.

One of the reasons I joined CEO Onboarding was to establish deep connections in the Jewish nonprofit ecosystem. Jewish nonprofit leaders work so hard, and it can often be difficult to carve out the time to connect with one another on challenges, joys, and new ideas that will move our work forward. CEO Onboarding offered dedicated time to not only learn together but also connect with one another. The curation of how we spent our time together during the program was the perfect recipe for creating long-term relationships in the sector. 

My first piece of advice would be to definitely apply! There is deep thought and quality weaved into all aspects of Leading Edge programs. Not only that, staff and facilitators have a warmth and kindness to them that elevate the programming. After you’ve done the program, I’d encourage you to maintain the relationships you started in the program. In addition, set time aside time quarterly to review the leadership curriculum you were first introduced to. Although the weekly Parsha does not change, we as readers change, hence new Jewish wisdom is birthed every time we read it. Similarly, your leadership is always changing and growing based on new experiences, so reviewing the Leading Edge material again at future points will bring new insights to your leadership journey. 

Meet Alexandra Corwin, Executive Director of Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy. She is an alum of the CEO Onboarding program, the predecessor to Leading Executives, a training program by Leading Edge for senior-most organizational leaders.