“I used to be a sidelines kind of person in my synagogue,” Harlan Grasier explains. “Then I got the tap on the shoulder to form a committee to review our dues structure. It was a surprisingly good experience that led to some unexpected innovations in the congregation. After that, I guess you could say I was on a leadership path.”

Fast forward six years and Harlan Grasier is now the incoming board president of Temple Beth Tikvah, and his synagogue’s representative in the 2016 cohort of Federation’s Jewish Leadership Institute (JLI). JLI was created to honor Betty Ann Jacobson, a past Federation president and beloved community leader, who believed deeply in investing in people. JLI is one of several leadership programs Federation sponsors with the goal of building a pipeline of qualified leaders to ensure smooth succession across the Jewish community. The program meets monthly, and modules are taught by professionals from our local Jewish community and the wider Jewish world.

For Grasier, the group camaraderie was appealing. “It was exciting to sit with board leaders from all our synagogues, all our day schools, and organizations I didn’t even know existed. I’d never heard of Limmud before, had no idea about Jewish Interest Free Loan Society of Atlanta, and frankly, I was surprised that our orthodox synagogues participated in the program. We are a very diverse and creative Jewish community.”

With his first board meeting as president coming up at the end of June, Harlan Grasier is already putting JLI ideas into practice. “Synagogues are struggling to hold on to members,” Grasier says. “The old Jewish conveyer belt that moved kids and families into our doors is no longer working.” He plans to bring Susan Moray, Federation’s VP of Philanthropic Advancement, to train his board in relationship-based engagement and fundraising.

Another big takeaway was the JLI module on public speaking and presentation techniques. “I’m an ex-engineer, logical, fact-driven. This session taught me about the value of storytelling and letting emotions drive the narrative. I’ll be doing that with my board.” For information about JLI, or to nominate a community leader for JLI, contact Stephanie Wyatt, VP of Engagement and Leadership Development.