Janet Marder was the first female president of the Reform Movement’s Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), which means she was the first woman to lead a major rabbinical organization and the first woman to lead any major Jewish co-ed religious organization in the United States; she became president of the CCAR in 2003. She was also the first woman and the first non-congregational rabbi to be elected as the President of the Pacific...

Rabbi Deborah Prinz is CCAR Director of Program and Member Services and Director of the Joint Commission on Mentoring.   She is a writer and educator responsible for developing and presenting continuing education and specialized training for member rabbis, including programs at CCAR’s annual Convention.   She also oversees a program pairing approximately 400 veteran mentors with new rabbis and develops support and pastoral care for CCAR...

Rabbi Heidi Cohen has served as a Rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom since 1998. She possesses a desire to share and adapt traditional Jewish concepts to a modern Reform context and a gift of being able to teach people of all ages to embrace the joy of Judaism. Her energy and enthusiasm have made her an important presence on the pulpit, while her knowledge and empathy have been evident in sermons, classes, retreats, and life events. Rabbi Cohen studies...

Robert D. Putnam is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard, where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. Professor Putnam is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the British Academy, and past president of the American Political Science Association. In 2006, Putnam received the Skytte Prize, one of the world’s highest accolades for a political scientist. Raised in a small town in...

Marshall Ganz, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, entered Harvard College in the fall of 1960. In 1964, a year before graduating, he left to volunteer as a civil rights organizer in Mississippi. In 1965, he joined Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers; over the next 16 years he gained experience in union, community, issue, and political organizing and became Director of Organizing. During the 1980s,...

Rabbi Gluck has served as rabbi of Temple Beth-El of Hillsborough, New Jersey, since 1991. Together with his co-workers, Rabbi Gluck has pioneered programs in Adult Jewish Literacy, Hebrew, Outreach, Family Education, Youth Activities, Social Action, Jewish Healing, Caring Community, and Interfaith Dialogue. Rabbi Gluck was among the founders of the Interfaith Hospitality Network for the Homeless of Union County and Somerset County, served as...

Rabbi Elaine S. Zecher came to Temple Israel in 1990. She was the first female rabbi in Temple Israel’s 153-year history. Rabbi Zecher’s work extends beyond the congregation as she sits on the board of the ADL. She has been instrumental in the development of the Mishkah Tefilah, the Reform Jewish Movement’s new prayerbook for Shabbat, weekdays and festivals. She serves as the Chair of the Worship and Practices Committee of the...

Rabbi Mendelson was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City in May, 2004. While at HUC-JIR, Alysa served as rabbinic intern for three years at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Manhattan, as summer intern at the Jewish Center of theHamptons in East Hampton, NY, and as High Holy Day rabbinic intern at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA. She also taught, and served as youth advisor, at her home...

Deval Patrick was reelected to a second term as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in November 2010, renewing his commitment to expanding opportunity and prosperity in Massachusetts. Governor Patrick’s life has charted a path from the South Side of Chicago to the U.S. Justice Department, Fortune 500 boardrooms, and now the Massachusetts State House. In each of these capacities, Governor Patrick has been guided by the advice of his...

Rabbi Steven A. Fox is the Chief Executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and works with the CCAR’s elected leadership to foster excellence in the Reform Rabbinate through efforts that enhance the personal and professional lives of rabbis. Rabbi Fox is a former attorney and professional mediator, with 18 years of experience advising individual rabbis and cantors, as well as congregations and other non-profits, on a variety of...

Rabbi Dan Medwin was ordained from Hebrew Union College (’10) where he also earned a Masters in Jewish Education. Dan began his undergraduate career at Brandeis University (’01) as a Computer Science major and spent his time working at the computer help desk. Finding himself doing more counseling over deleted papers than technical help and wanting to pursue a life in the rabbinate, Dan switched to a double major in Judaic Studies and...

CCAR Placement Director; Union Rabbi for the West District. Prior to that, he served as Regional Director of the Pacific Southwest Council. From 1990 to 2000 he was the rabbi of Congregation Beth Knesset Bamidbar in Lancaster, California. During the 1980s he was rabbi for Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf in Arleta, CA.  He has taught Modern Jewish Thought, Bible and Rabbinic Literature, “the Rabbi in the Hospital” and Rabbinic...

Russ Sabia is Principal Consultant with The Table Group, a management consultancy dedicated to helping leaders improve the effectiveness and health of their organizations by strengthening leadership capability, improving team cohesiveness, and building organizational clarity. Over the past 25 years, Russ has held senior training and organizational development roles at Monster.com, Fidelity Investments, and UniFirst Corporation. As a consultant,...

Lisa Berman of the Paula Brody & Family Education Center Director has been involved with Mayyim Hayyim since its opening in May 2004. Lisa trained as a Volunteer Mikveh Guide and then served as the liaison to area congregational religious schools and adult study groups. Since 2006, Lisa has directed the Paula Brody & Family Education Center where she develops curricula for and teaches all ages and interest levels for the 115+ programs...

RABBI AMY SCHEINERMAN (NY 84) does Jewish hospice chaplaincy, teaching, writing, and public speaking. She also serves as a visiting scholar. Amy is the president of the Baltimore Board of Rabbis and the Greater Carolinas Association of Rabbis.

Larry Dressler is the founder of Blue Wing Consulting, LLC and author of Consensus Through Conversation: How to Achieve High Commitment Decisions and Standing in the Fire: Leading High-Heat Meetings with Clarity, Calm, and Courage. Larry helps people in organizations and communities mobilize their collective insights, commitment, and energy to make a positive difference in the world. He is a skilled designer and convener of high-stakes...

Walter Jacob is president and professor of halakhah of the Abraham Geiger College in Berlin, Germany and the author or editor of thirty-nine books. His latest book is War and Terrorism in Jewish Law, 2011.

Brian Stoller is associate rabbi at Bnei Jeshurun in Deerfield, IL and is redeloping their educational programs. He is a member of the Responsa Committee and has a special interest in the halakhah and its evolution.

Joshua R. Jacobson, one of the foremost authorities on Jewish choral music, is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Northeastern University and Visiting Professor and Senior Consultant in the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College. He is also founder and artistic director of the Zamir Chorale of Boston. He holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Harvard College, a Masters in Choral Conducting from the New England...

Geoffrey A. Mitelman is the Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, and a contributor to the Winter 2012 issue of the CCAR Journal on Judaism and Science.

Jonathan K. Crane is the Raymond F. Schinazi Junior Scholar in Bioethics and Jewish Thought in the Center for Ethics at Emory University.

Phil Cohen is the rabbi of Agudas Israel Congregation, Hendersonville, NC and, with Hava Tirosh Samuelson, is the co-editor of the Winter, 2012 edition of the CCAR Journal.

Dr. Ringvald is the Director of the Hebrew Language Program at Brandeis University and the director and founder of the Brandeis Summer Institute. She is an expert in the application of the proficiency approach to foreign language instruction and the development of competency-based curriculum for teaching Modern Hebrew in all educational settings, implementing authentic materials and methods for integrating Hebrew culture into the class room at...

Ebn Leader is Director of the Bet-Midrash at the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College. He grew up in Jerusalem and was a Talmid (student-disciple) of Rabbi David Hartman and learned Talmud; was a Talmid of Amos Hetz and studied movement and movement notation. He is currently a Talmid of Arthur Green from whom he has received Semicha. Ebn Leader has a growing international reputation as a Jewish spiritual teacher in the neo-Hasidic tradition and...

Jordyne Wu is the Director of Marketplace for HubSpot. Wu works on product, platform and partnership opportunities at HubSpot, an internet marketing software company in Cambridge, MA. She works with other technology companies, marketing agencies and a wide variety of companies and organizations on partnerships and also leads the development of the HubSpot Marketplace for apps and services. Prior to HubSpot, Jordyne worked at two startups in...

Cantor Lisa Levine received her BA at UC Irvine and her Masters in Sacred Music from Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion. Her original liturgical compositions and healing songs are widely published and sung in congregations around the world. Lisa has released six CD’s and published two songbooks as well as Soulful Shabbat Ruach CD and Band Book for interfaith and intergenerational choirs and bands. She is the co-author, with...

Rabbi Rachel Timoner serves as Assistant Rabbi at Leo Baeck Temple, a 650-household congregation in Los Angeles, where her focus is on social justice, spiritual life, and lifelong learning. She received a B.A. from Yale University and was ordained by HUC-JIR in 2009, where she was a Wexner Graduate Fellow and received numerous honors. From 1991 to 2004 she worked with social justice non-profit organizations, was a Next Generation Leadership...

Arlene Remz, Executive Director of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, began her work in special education as a counselor in the Tikvah Program at Camp Ramah in New England after graduating from college. Transformed by that experience, Arlene has dedicated both her professional career and personal passion to advocating for individuals with special needs. Combining her professional expertise and experience in special education with her love of...

Rabbi Or Rose is the Director of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College and Co-Director of the Center for Interreligious & Communal Leadership Education (CIRCLE), a joint venture of Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School. He is the co-editor of Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice, Jewish Mysticism & the Spiritual Life: Classical Texts, Contemporary Reflections (both from Jewish Lights), and My...

Lisa Colton is the founder and president of Darim Online, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Jewish organizations through digital and leadership strategies for the connected age. A graduate of Stanford University and the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, Lisa currently co-chairs the board of the Congregation Beth Israel Preschool and Kindergarten, is on that synagogue’s communications committee, and is a board member of The Local Food...