Stephanie Wyatt, VP of Engagement and Leadership Development, JFGA

The role of a leader is to inspire and motivate others to accomplish a goal or set of goals. How does one become a leader and how do leaders hone their skills? There are many different ways. At Federation we have an entire road system mapped out to help you on your leadership journey.

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s goal for leadership development is to ensure that our future leaders are educated about Federation: the role “we” play in the community as a convener and facilitator to ensuring a Jewish future. To that end, the Emerging Leaders Program’s (ELP) focus is to ensure our lay leaders have a greater understanding of Federation’s work. Participants range in age from 30-45. The goal of the program is to develop leaders for the Federation who are educated, engaged and knowledgeable about the organization. The purpose is to build a pipeline of qualified leaders to ensure smooth succession planning for the future of our Federation. This year our group is led by Jason Sheffield and Ula Zusman. In addition to Federation education, the chairs are focused on imparting leadership skills that can be transitioned into everyday lives both personally and professionally. The Program meets monthly.

For our greater Atlanta community we offer the Jacobson Leadership Institute or “JLI”. JLI, named in honor of Betty Ann Jacobson, a former Federation president and true Jewish leader in our Community, provides educational opportunities for lay leadership of synagogues, day schools, agencies and organizations. These organizations are invited to nominate one board member to attend the course each year. The program is free of charge to the participants. The goal of the program is to build a coalition of informed and educated community leaders to help strengthen their own organizations and the Atlanta Jewish community at large. This year we have 35 participants learning about Good Governance and Adaptive Leadership. We often provide other opportunities for our participants and alumni to learn together. The current committee consists of Chair Alli Medof and Vice-Chair Joel Feldman, and Elissa Fladell, Lauren Harris, Marcy Kalnitz, Rabbi Brad Levenberg, Carol Ratner, Rick Swerdlin, and Jordan Tritt. This course also meets monthly.

Women’s Philanthropy has a leadership program as well that is geared specifically to their cohort. In its second year, it is headed by Marcy Bass, Rita LeVine, Peggy Roth and Kim Swartz. The goals of this program are for women to gain a better understanding about Federation and the role it plays in the Jewish community, both domestically and overseas; develop an appreciation for the challenges facing our Atlanta Jewish community and how Federation seeks to tackle the big issues; recognize the importance of building community; and create connections with not only each other, but other Federation leaders. For more information on this program, please contact Karen Paz at kpaz@jewishatlanta.org.

For Young Adults wanting to take a first peek at Federation we have LEADS – Leadership Education and Development Series. LEADS is a unique series for young adults (ages 22-40) with innovative programming that brings participants together in a relaxed social setting. Individuals are engaged in conversations from Jewish values to philanthropy, with the opportunity to take part in Shabbat dinners and social events. The small groups are matched based on age and geographic location. Four to six groups meet simultaneously throughout the city and the then gather at a local establishment to build further connections. The Chairs for this program are Adam Kazinec and Vicki Abelson. The next LEADS session begins in February. For more information please contact Shira Rothman at srothman@jewishatlanta.org.

Next year Federation is launching the Tritt Family Foundation Leadership Development Institute; a succession leadership initiative program, for the future growth of Federation leadership. Stay tuned for more details.

Whether you are already a long standing dedicated volunteer or just beginning to dip your toe in the volunteer pool, we have a place for you at Federation. For more information on any of these programs or to just get involved contact Stephanie Wyatt at swyatt@jewishatlanta.org or call (404) 870-1625.

Shabbat Shalom

Stephanie Wyatt

VP, Engagement & Leadership Development