Resume

EDUCATION

Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. Los Angeles, CA.

·       Rabbinic Ordination. 2013.

·       Masters in Jewish Education. 2011.

·       Masters in Hebrew Letters. 2011.

Hebrew College. Boston, MA.

·       Graduate Coursework in Jewish Education. 2004-2006.

Texas A&M University. College Station, TX. 

·       Bachelor of Science in Psychology.  1991.

RABBINIC EXPERIENCE

Director of Lifelong Learning, Congregation Beth Or. Maple Glen, PA. July, 2013 – Present.

·       Contribute regularly to the liturgical life of the congregation, including co-leading monthly Family Shabbat Services, and High Holy Day Youth and Family Services.

·       Officiate as needed at lifecycle events for congregational members. Provide as needed pastoral care and counseling for congregational members.

·       Co-lead alternative Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services designed to encourage congregant participation.

·       Create and lead weekly educational T'fillah experience for mid-week Hebrew students.

Community Organizing Rabbinic Intern, Temple Judea. Tarzana, CA. August, 2011 – 2013.

·       Coordinated the congregation’s community organizing initiatives, including guiding and training lay leaders, reshaping the congregational justice agenda, speaking and teaching about organizing, as well as engaging with the larger Los Angeles organizing community on broader initiatives.

·       Contributed to the liturgical life of the congregation, including co-leading Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat Morning minyan services.

·       Taught classes in a variety of settings, including adult study and the high school education program.

·       Collaborated with the Youth Educator to re-envision the high school supplementary program.

Summer Rabbinic Intern, Temple Israel. Boston, MA. Summer 2012.

·       Co-led Kabbalat Shabbat services, including delivering sermons.

·       Led the Shabbat early morning service, including Torah reading and study sessions.

·       Co-officiated at lifecycle events for congregational members.

·       Engaged in outreach to the 20s and 30s community.

Rabbinic Intern, HUC DeLeT Summer Institute. Los Angeles, CA. Summers 2009, 2011.

·       Led daily worship services for the program fellows of Day School Leadership Through Teaching.

·       Mentored program fellows in the area of prayer and service leading.

·       Provided support and created community for the fellows.

Student Rabbi, Jewish Home of San Francisco. San Francisco, CA. August, 2010 – May, 2011.

·       Provided ongoing pastoral care for residents and their families.

·       Led services for residents, including Torah reading and study.

·       Taught adult classes such as Torah Yoga, The Art of Biblical Interpretation, Israeli Poetry, and The History of Jewish Food and Culture.

Summer Rabbinic Intern, Temple Akiba. Culver City, CA. Summer 2010.

·       Guided the congregational lay membership committee through a series of visioning exercises to re-imagine outreach and in-reach strategies for members and potential members.

·       Provided support and guidance for the summer day camp and nursery school teachers and staff.

·       Co-led Kabbalat Shabbat services, including delivering sermons.

·       Co-officiated lifecycle events for congregational members.

Student Rabbi, Congregation B’nai David. Visalia, CA. August 2008 – May, 2009.           

·       Created and led monthly Shabbat services, including High Holy Day worship, for 80+ family congregation.

·       Officiated at life-cycle events, provided counseling and pastoral care.

·       Guided learning for conversion candidates and b’nai mitzvah students.

·       Designed and taught adult learning classes, such as Introduction to Trope and Coffee and Commentary.

·       Taught classes, led children’s services, and created family education programs in the religious school.

EDUCATION EXPERIENCE

Director of Lifelong Learning, Congregation Beth Or. Maple Glen, PA. July, 2013 – Present.

·       Manage all of the congregation's educational programs on a day-to-day basis. Evaluate existing programs and lead long range planning. Monitor budgets, coordinate communications, plan calendar, and collaborate with lay leadership committees.

·       Oversee administration of K-12 religious school with 550+ students. Hire, supervise, and provide professional development for faculty and staff.

·       Redesign curriculum for grades K-7. Provide new entry points for post-B'nai Mitzvah students, including expanded student-teacher program and Teen Tzedek program.

·       Supervise professional staff and programs in the Center for Early Childhood Education and Youth and Camp Engagement divisions.

·       Design and teach adult learning courses including The Art of Midrash: Paintings and Poetry of our Most Famous Bible Stories, The Bad Girls of the Bible: A Rereading of Biblical Women, and A Taste of Judaism.

Teaching Assistant, USC School of Judaic Studies. Los Angeles, CA. January, 2011 – May, 2013.

·       Guided and assessed undergraduate students in discussion sections of two courses: Introduction to Jewish History and The Holocaust.

·       Prepared and led discussion sections, graded all course assignments and exams, attended lectures, and served as a liaison between the instructor and students.

Education Intern, LeoBaeck Temple. Los Angeles, CA. August, 2009 – May, 2010.

·       Collaborated with and provided extensive support to the lay leader team in the creation of the synagogue’s first Yom Limmud (a congregation-wide day of learning).

·       Led the religious school teaching team to re-design the annual religious school retreat.

·       Supervised and evaluated religious school faculty as requested by the Director of Education. Taught sixth grade Judaica classes and third grade Hebrew classes.

·       Created curriculum, How to Speak Jewish: A Guide to Becoming a Culturally Literate Jew, for sixth grade religious school class.

Youth Educator, Temple Israel. Boston, MA. July, 2003 – June, 2007.

·       Directed diverse youth program of approximately 200 students in grades 8-12, doubling the number of participants in three years.

·       Hired, supervised, and mentored staff of 10 teachers and youth group advisors.  

·       Created and supported extensive social justice initiatives for teen participants. 

·       Developed and taught multiple courses in middle school and high school, including Hebrew, Jewish History, Jewish Lifecycle, Contemporary Israel, Jewish Food, and Comparative Religion. 

·       Worked in partnership with the lay leaders of the Teen Education Committee to set strategic direction and performance benchmarks for the program. 

·       Created and monitored the youth department budget. Documented and reported on compliance with external grants and explored opportunities for additional grant support.

Program Director, Boston Renaissance Charter School. Boston, MA. September, 1995 – June, 1996.

·       Developed and managed start-up recreational after-school program for 200+ students. 

·       Trained and supervised all after-school staff. 

·       Initiated contacts and partnerships with community and city organizations.

Summer Camp / Youth Group Director, Young Judaea. Houston, TX. October, 1991 – October, 1993.

·       Designed and directed 10-week overnight summer camp program with extensive recreational and educational programming for 300+ children and 70 staff members. 

·       Developed and implemented successful multi-media promotion and fund raising campaigns that increased both enrollments and budgets. 

           

BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Consultant / Owner, LJA Consulting. Boston, MA. March, 2002 – June, 2003.

·       Imagined, launched and maintained successful independent consulting business.

·       Worked with multiple clients, including Jewish institutions, on projects involving creation and maintenance of complex relational databases.  Provided testing and maintenance of website content.

Software QA Engineer, edocs, Inc. Natick, MA. September, 1999 – May, 2002.

·       Designed and implemented computer programs using industry recognized software quality assurance (QA) tools to test and verify functionality of software designed to facilitate e-commerce.

·       Mentored entry level and junior level QA engineers in the software quality assurance process.

Software QA Engineer, Segue Software, Inc. Lexington, MA. October, 1997 – August, 1999.

·       Manually tested several key features of industry leading software QA automation tool.

·       Ran, analyzed, debugged and maintained automated scripts for additional software features.

ACCOLADES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

·       The Professor Stanley Gevirtz Award, Excellence in Bible. 2013.

·       Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn Prize for Most Effective Congregational Project in Social Action or Education. 2010.

·       Mandel Fellowship. Hebrew Union College. 2009-2010.

·       Mandel Fellowship Seminars in Los Angeles, Boston, Israel, New York and Baltimore. 2009-2012.

·       Germany Close Up: American Jews Meet Modern Germany. Summer 2009.

·       HUC-JIR Reform Jewish Day School Externship Fellow. 2009.

·       Samuel Nemzoff Award for Teacher Excellence.  Temple Israel. 2004.

SELECT VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

·       Student Representative, HUC Los Angeles.  Campus Faculty Search Committee, 2011; and Campus Curriculum Committee, 2009-Present.

·       Board Member, Keshet: Working for Full Inclusion of LGBT Jews in Jewish Life. Boston, MA. 2005-2008; and Member, Curriculum Advisory Committee, 2006.

·       Leadership Committee and Neighborhood Coordinator for Jamaica Plain, The Riverway Project: Connecting 20s and 30s to Judaism Through Temple Israel. Boston, MA. 2002-2006.

·       Kibbutz Work and Study Student, Kibbutz Beit Hashita. Israel. 1990.

PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES

·       “Building the Jewish Community: LA Jews Who Made a Difference.” Resource and Learning Guide for HUC-Los Angeles Board of Overseers. 2012.

·       “Making a Mensch: A Jewish Parent’s Guide to Parenting Teens.” Curriculum Guide available via the Tartak Learning Center. HUC-Los Angeles. 2011.

·       “Hating Hebrew: Isn’t It Time for a New Legacy?” Torah at the Center. URJ Press, Spring 2010.

·       “When No Answer Will Do: The Importance of Silence in Pastoral Care.” Published on the Kalsman Institute on Judaism & Health website. 2010.

REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST