M² Aleh Summit

Mollie has over 10 years experience teaching in a variety of Jewish educational settings – from formal classroom teaching to nature education, theatre education to collaborative philanthropy education. She enjoys being in the field, as well as building programs and trainings to support others. Mollie holds a double Masters in Midrash and Jewish Experiential Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, a BA in Religion from Bard College, and is a graduate
of M²’s Senior Educators Cohort. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and children.

Debbi Cooper is the VP of Partnerships at M². Previously Debbi served as the Director of Engagement for PJ Library and Associate Vice President, Community Outreach & Engagement of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago. She is the immediate past Chair of the Board for Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, a pluralistic Jewish Day School in Chicago. She is a graduate of M²’s Senior Educators Cohort and a current 18×18 fellow.

Debbi graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and has a Master’s in Public Administration/Non-profit management from George Mason University. Debbi lives in Chicago with her husband, Aaron, and their three children: Gabe, Judah, and Noah. She schleps her family on hikes and bikes, makes big dinners upon their return and can often be found hiding out with a good book.

Liz Fisher is the Chief Talent Officer at the Jewish Federations of North America.

Serving as JFNA’s inaugural Chief Talent Officer is Liz’s dream job, combining a lifelong love of organizational development, culture, and talent with the ability to impact the system that launched her career in the Jewish communal sector.

Liz’s prior leadership roles include CEO at Amplifier, COO at Repair the World, and Managing Director at Birthright Israel NEXT. She’s proud to have worked at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis and at UJA-Federation of New York.

Liz has an MSW from Washington University in St. Louis.

Julie Maschler is the Design Manager at M². She is excited to bring her experience in design and nonprofit work to further M²’s vision to develop compelling and creative ways to engage in Jewish life. She sees design as an important medium of communication and as a way to blend the visual and narrative world. Prior to joining M², she worked for The Natan Fund and continues to consult on a variety of graphic design and nonprofit projects. She holds a BA from Brandeis University in Massachusetts and completed the Shillington Graphic Design Certificate program in New York.

Abby joined M² in 2022 as Program Director of the Center for Values in Action and spent her career prior to that working in a variety of settings including Jewish camping, academia, and as a clinical therapist. Abby is a graduate of M²’s Camp Educator’s Cohort and the current community coordinator for M²’s Chicago Educator’s Cohort. Abby lives in Evanston with her partner Zach, her 3 adorable kiddos Max, Ayla, and Asa, as well as her mini shih-tzu Badger.

Tania Nemeth is the new Program Coordinator at M², bringing a dynamic mix of educational and software experience to the role. Raised in Michigan and a graduate of San Francisco State University with a B.S. in Computer Science, Tania blends her technical skills with a profound passion for Judaism and education. Enthusiastic about advancing educational initiatives through a Jewish perspective, she is eager to contribute to M²’s mission. Now based in Bushwick, Tania enjoys exploring her neighborhood, experimenting with new recipes, attending Broadway shows, and losing herself in a good book.

Leslie Pomerantz is the Executive Director of Jewish Federations’ Fundraising Institute.

Prior to joining JFNA she worked in many roles in the Baltimore Jewish community, most notably as the Executive Director, Center for Community Engagement and Leadership, where she developed training modules and a leadership placement process for lay leadership across the Jewish community.

In 2012, Leslie began serving as Senior Vice President, Development and eventually as Chief Development Officer at The Associated, overseeing an integrated resource development strategy.

She lives in Maryland, with her husband and is the proud mother of three grown children and one son-in-law.

Jim Rosenberg serves as the Chief of Staff of the Jewish United Fund / Jewish Federation of Chicago.

In this role, he works with the CEO / President, senior staff and volunteer leadership on alignment, vision, strategic direction, and organizational health, helping build a strong culture and experience for all employees. Before coming to JUF in 2000, Jim worked at the Federations in Detroit and Cleveland.

He holds a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Illinois and master’s in social work and a certificate in Jewish communal service from the University of Michigan.

Rebecca Ruberg is the Senior Director, Executive Recruitment, Jewish Federations of North America.

Rebecca develops strategy for the Federation system’s talent recruitment and pipeline and comes to JFNA with a background in consulting, relationship building and networking bridging.

Rebecca most recently served as the Teen Education and Engagement Consultant and New York Teen Initiative Project Director at the Jewish Education Project. She previously served as an Associate Program Officer for Legacy Heritage Fund and the Nachshon Project, and the Area Director for the NY/CT region of Jewish Student Connection.

Rebecca was the inaugural BA/MA candidate for the Hornstein Program for Jewish Professional Leadership at Brandeis University.

Joanna is excited to join M² in the Program Coordinator role. Joanna holds a BS in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University. Prior to joining M², she worked at Evanston Township High School, where she facilitated a course that empowered students to use the design thinking framework to develop innovative solutions for community improvement. Joanna loves using her creativity to design engaging and meaningful program experiences and then produce organized action to bring these ideas to life. Outside of work, you’ll find Joanna picking up a new book from her local public library, exploring farmer’s markets and new neighborhoods around Chicago, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, and spending time outdoors with friends.

As the CEO of M², Shuki helps provide educators and organizations in Israel, North America, and Europe with knowledge, tools, and skills to advance the theory and practice of experiential Jewish education. Previously, Shuki served as director of Service Learning and Experiential Education at Yeshiva University, where he founded the Certificate Program in Experiential Jewish Education and a range of programs mobilizing college students to serve underprivileged communities worldwide. A Schusterman Fellow, Shuki studied Jewish philosophy, education, and scriptwriting.