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.

Jessica Balboni serves as the Associate Vice President of the Mandel Center for Leadership Excellence for the Jewish Federations of North America. She designs professional development, produces national conferences, and helps to support talent development for a network of 146 Federations across North America. She holds a M.A. in Social Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, a B.A. in Political Science from Smith College, and coaching credentials from Leadership that Works.

Miriam Brosseau is committed to helping leaders of Jewish nonprofits build connected, creative communities. During the day, as CEO of Tiny Windows, she drinks too much coffee as she and her team craft community-centric strategic plans, engaging program designs, and marketing/communications campaigns that help audiences see themselves in their clients’ stories. By night, she plays bass in a Rebbe Nachman punk band. Previously, she was half of the Jewish demonology podcast “Throwing Sheyd” and the biblegum pop duo Stereo Sinai, alongside her husband, producer and teacher Alan Jay Sufrin. She is always the proud momma of two excellent kiddos.

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.

Kal Marcus is the Associate Director at the Mandel Center for Leadership Excellence at Jewish Federations of North America, where he leads executive searches and CEO onboarding across the Federation system. Previously, he served as an executive search consultant and held a leadership role at Hillel at Florida State University. Kal holds a Master’s in Jewish Nonprofit Management from Hebrew Union College and a BA in English Literature from Florida Atlantic University.

Based in Boston and originally from Boca Raton, Kal is passionate about strengthening the Jewish professional talent pipeline through search, onboarding, and early-career development.

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.

David Prystowsky is the Chief Development Officer of JUF, where he oversees a $200 + million annual fundraising operation, including the Annual Campaign. Starting his JUF career in YLD 21 years ago, David has since run several campaign departments, managed corporate partnerships, worked as a major gifts officer and as Executive Director of Public Affairs. David’s extensive experience in fundraising, management, and operations has made him a national leader in the field and a member of JUF’s senior strategic team. He was a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow in 2014 and a graduate of Indiana University. David lives in Lincoln Square with his wife, Malia, and two children.

Elyssa Moss Rabinowitz creates worlds of Jewish meaning and beauty by using all forms of media to create interactive, participatory events and programs of Jewish content. She is a co-founder and the Executive Director of Kol HaOt- Illuminating Jewish Life through Art, a Jerusalem-based organization dedicated to weaving the magic of the arts into Jewish educational experiences.

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.

Hallie Shapiro Devir is Chief of Staff at the Helen Diller Family Foundation Programs, where she works to support the meaningful, enriching Jewish experiences provided through Diller Teen Fellows and Diller Tikkun Olam Awards. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and M² SEC Cohort 1. In addition to the M² board, Hallie serves on the board of Honeycomb: Jewish Youth Philanthropy Reimagined. Hallie lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Becca Sykes offers dynamic coaching and workshops rooted in yoga, theater, and Judaism that build experience in values-based learning. Her love of experiential education comes from decades at summer camps in North America, places where creativity and connection are accompanied by tater tots. Becca creates learning opportunities with the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the iCenter, Brandeis University, University of Chicago, the Jewish Education Project, Shalem College, and the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. Through middot (soul traits), Becca explores how the development of the soul affects the development of each day. Her work is described as engaging, energizing, and welcoming; there is learning at every level.

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.

Stefan Teodosic is the founder of Maverick Soul Consulting. Previous to consulting, he served as the Executive Director of Beber Camp, Perlman Camp and the Perlman Retreat Center. He worked in strategic planning at American Express and has experience in consulting, executive coaching and training/facilitating groups of professional, lay leaders and boards. Stefan has worked with numerous organizations across a variety of sectors in the Jewish community and has served on several boards including Upstart, Moishe House and Tamarack Camps. He is a professor of management and Applied Jewish wisdom for leaders at Spertus and The Zelikow School at HUC.