Federation Fellows
Get on board. Literally.
Originally created in 1990 and re-launched in August of 2010, Fed Fellows educates participants in nonprofit decision-making, cultivates relationships, and promotes a sense of belonging for up to 20 individuals to be the next leaders of the Jewish community. We envision a community with a safe and secure Jewish ecosystem, vibrant, diverse leadership, and a sense of shared responsibility for our future. The program aims to build diverse*, equitable, and inclusive Jewish communities throughout the Bay Area.
Gain a lifetime of leadership skills in our signature fellowship
Components Include:
- Get a front-row seat to communal decision-making with the board of a partnering agency, or a committee of the Federation.
- Connect with fellow participants to expand your network and understand your potential as a leader in the Bay Area Jewish community.
- Workshops and site visits give access to leaders and professionals in the field, while simultaneously building leadership skills.
After completing the program, participants will gain:
- new recognition of your personal leadership style
- strategies on how to build consensus
- confidence in your public speaking ability
- insight into nonprofit finances
- understanding of the impact of your personal philanthropy
- best practices in community building
Organizations will benefit from hosting a Fed Fellow by:
- gaining fresh perspectives from emerging leaders
- increasing diversity* on your board and committees
- finding the skills and expertise your board is seeking
- cultivating committed ambassadors
- creating a secured leadership pipeline
- receiving tools and support for on-boarding
*Diversity includes race, ethnicity, denomination, religion, socio-economic status, physical and cognitive ability, gender identity, and sexual orientation, among other identities.
With leadership comes collaboration and learning. Get a glimpse of our partners.
Graduates of the program serve on the committees/boards of:
- Campus for Jewish Living
- Contra Costa Midrasha
- Hebrew Free Loan
- Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund
- Jewish Community High School of the Bay
- Jewish LearningWorks
- Peninsula Jewish Community Center
- San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living
- San Francisco Hillel
- Shalom Bayit
- Sinai Memorial Chapel
- UpStart
- URJ Camp Newman
- And more
Past speakers include:
- Hallie Baron, Associate Director, Jewish Community Relations Council
- Cara Buchalter, School Programs Manager, Contemporary Jewish Museum
- Marc Dollinger, Professor, Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair, San Francisco State University
- Naomi Tucker, Executive Director, Shalom Bayit
- Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund Speakers: Danny Grossman, CEO; Arthur Slepian, Board Chair; Holden Lee, CFIO; Joy Sisisky, Chief Philanthropy Officer; Debbie Berkowitz, Senior Philanthropy Advisor; Loal Isaacs, Deputy Director of Diller Teen Initiatives
Previous workshops:
Path to Philanthropy, Healthy Boundaries, Building Consensus, Your Leadership Styles, Nonprofit Finances 101, History of Californian Jews, Telling Your Story, Money Matters, Community Impact, Your Vision – Your Legacy, Personal Leadership Development, Partnership & Shabbat (with OneTable special guest), Leadership is Action at Urban Adamah
Who is eligible?
The program is open to anyone who displays an interest in the Jewish community and a desire to make an impact. Fed Fellows lead with curiosity, want to build their network, and are ready to share their voice and skills.
Eligible fellowship candidates:
- Are 25 – 40 years old
- Live and/or work in the Bay Area
- Exhibit leadership traits in their personal, professional, or volunteer life
- Are interested in nonprofit leadership processes and roles
- Enjoy a collaborative environment
- Do not need past board experience
Federation Fellows 2021-2022 Cohort
Allison Brenner, she/her
Host Placement: Contra Costa Midrasha
Allison is a Midwestern girl at heart and in temperament, born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. She went to college in Missouri at Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied chemistry with a minor in math. After a couple of years working in Chicago doing construction materials testing at a structural engineering consulting firm, Allison decided to move to the Bay Area to further her engineering education at Stanford University, where she received a master’s in Materials Science and Engineering. Allison has been working in Bay Area tech since then. In her free time, Allison enjoys baking (particularly scones) and reading (having been part of a book club with the same group of people for 3+ years).
Allie Emirch, she/her
Host Placement: Shalom Bayit
Allie was raised in Ohio and moved out to the Bay Area after spending a year in Israel and traveling abroad. She has been working in the tech world for the past few years and has a passion for Tikkun Olam. Allie has spent most of her time volunteering on the ground in the food insecurity realm and is looking forward to learning more about how non-profit boards operate.
Yael Friedkin, she/her
Host Placement: Oakland Hebrew Day School
A Jewish upbringing instilled in Yael the principle of community service and has shaped her professional and personal pursuits. She embarked on a career in national security after receiving her master’s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University. Later, she served as a US Government intelligence analyst in Washington DC, NYC, and abroad. Her tenure with the USG was an incredible opportunity to funnel her passion for politics and international affairs into work that protected lives and communities at large. Currently, Yael serves as a Chief of Staff in Kaiser Permanente’s Office of Community Health where she works to help improve the total health of its communities and members. Three years ago, her family returned to California from the East Coast so her children could engage in a strong Jewish community close to her relatives.
Emily Hirschman, she/her
Host Placement: Studio 70
Emily Hirschman is the Chief Operating Officer at UC Berkeley Hillel and is commonly referred to as “The Glue” on her staff. She is the instrument always on hand to help hold the staff and Hillel together. She works hard to make Berkeley Hillel run like a well-oiled machine and best serve the Jewish student community at Cal. Emily joined Berkeley Hillel in 2014 after spending a year in Ashdod, Israel teaching English and volunteering in a Masa program. She grew up in Oakland and lived around the Pacific Northwest for several years in a previous life working in environmental non-profits. Emily loves exploring the Bay Area and Northern California with her rescue dog, Maple, trying new restaurants, watching True Crime shows, and listening to as many podcasts as she can.
Adam Jakubowitz, he/him
Host Placement: Jewish LearningWorks
Adam grew up in Lafayette in the East Bay as a member of the Temple Isaiah community. He went to Tehiyah Day School for kindergarten through 8th grade. Having gone to middle school in El Cerrito, when he went to Acalanes for high school the only people Adam knew were the friends he had made at Temple Isaiah during Sunday School. Being a part of the community helped him transition to a new school where he knew so few people. Adam was so grateful for the support and became a teaching assistant for Sunday School to help other students have the wonderful experience he had growing up. Some of his best childhood memories are from experiences Adam had, being part of the Bay Area Jewish community. He hopes to have the opportunity to help better people’s lives the way this amazing community has bettered his.
Michael Kahn, he/him
Host Placement: JCC East Bay
Originally from San Diego, Michael fell in love with the Bay when he moved here for college at UC Berkeley. He was very active in the Jewish community at Cal through Hillel and the Jewish fraternity, and converted to Judaism while in college (half-Jewish, but raised Catholic!). Michael went to law school at NYU, and has practiced commercial litigation for the past decade. In his freshman year at Cal, Michael started dating his future wife. They have been married eight years and are raising two young boys in the East Bay. Michael is excited to be a Fed Fellow and to reengage with the Bay Area Jewish community.
Emily Kirsch, she/her
Host Placement: Wornick Day School
Emily is a graduate of UC Hastings, College of the Law in San Francisco, originally from Southern California. In her time at UC Hastings, Emily had the pleasure of serving as President of the Hastings Jewish Law Students Association, among other memberships. Now with her JD, Emily works on the People Team at Benchling. Her hobbies include café hopping, pottering, and sewing. She loves disco music and jazz and has had Shalom Alechem stuck in her head since SF Hillel’s first Shabbat of the year… and she’s not complaining.
Maddy Klein, she/her
Host Placement: Board of Directors, the Federation
Maddy Klein is a Bay Area native and a rising 3L at UC Hastings, College of the Law in San Francisco. After graduating cum laude from Scripps College, Maddy worked in legal operations at four venture-backed start-ups in Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv. She also solo-backpacked around the world for a year. At Hastings, Maddy has concentrated on corporate law, finance, and start-ups. She started four mentorship programs and is passionate about her work with the Tech and Law Society, Jewish Law Students Association, and Association of Youth Advocates. She is currently a Summer Associate at Gunderson Dettmer, a leading Bay Area law firm representing start-ups and venture capital firms. Her interests include photography, exploring new restaurants, standup comedy, and woodworking.
Korri Krajicek, she/her
Host Placement: JCC San Francisco
Korri was born in rural New York, attended college in Western Massachusetts, earned advanced degrees in London, converted to Judaism in Florida, and recently moved to the Bay Area for work. Korri is a nonprofit administrator and a homebody full of wanderlust. She enjoys reading, hiking, and cooking.
Amanda Lurie, she/her
Host Placement: Hebrew Free Loan
Amanda is an East Coast transplant: she grew up in DC, went to college at Columbia in NYC, and then studied at MIT for graduate school. Amanda made the move to California four years ago and doesn't miss winter at all. An engineer by training (Environmental and Systems Engineering), she started her career in customer operations, transitioned to strategy and partnerships at Flex, a $25B design and manufacturing company, and currently manages Strategic Initiatives for Intuit in the Live Platform business. She loves to play sports (basketball is her favorite, but her secret skill is skeeball), enjoys cooking and eating spicy food, and takes her role of Aunt to her seven nieces and nephews very seriously. She loves to travel and even spent a summer building car in Kenya! Amanda lives with her husband, Elias, and their cat, Sasha, in San Jose.
Sarah Miller, she/her
Host Placement: Community Impact Committee, the Federation
Sarah grew up in the East Bay, received degrees in Art History at Tufts (BA, 2009) and Boston University (MA, 2013) and moved back to San Francisco in 2017. She has focused on museums and the nonprofit arts world throughout her career. Sarah currently works at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco as an exhibitions coordinator, project managing permanent collection installations and assisting on major temporary exhibitions at both the Legion of Honor and the de Young Museum. In her free time, she loves reading, visiting (other) museums and art galleries, and trying out all of the amazing food that San Francisco has to offer! Since moving back to San Francisco, Sarah has been searching for a Jewish community that reflects her curiosity and progressive values.
Margalit Rosenblatt , she/her
Host Placement: JCRC
Margalit was originally selected as a Fed Fellow for the 2016-2018 cohort and was placed on the board of Camp Tawonga. She had to leave after the first year to attend graduate school in New York. Margalit had no intention of leaving San Francisco until she was accepted into the country’s best program in her field. She hopes to eventually rejoin and complete the fellowship as designed. Margalit was born and raised in San Francisco. Her parents and family are active participants in the Jewish community here and have been since they moved to the city in the mid-1970s. She attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree, earning bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Linguistics. More recently, she completed a master's degree in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College. Although she has lived in many different cities and countries, she makes a point to connect with the Jewish community wherever she is. In her spare time, Margalit enjoys cooking/baking, hiking, camping, and has a small obsession with crossword puzzles.
Michael Rosoff, he/him
Host Placement: Upstart
Michael is a Los Angeles native that moved up to the Bay Area roughly four years ago. It's been a wild ride of starting companies and working/living up here. He quickly became very fond of San Francisco and would love to meet more Jewish thought leaders and settle down a bit more in the Bay Area.
Alystar Sacks, she/her, they/them
Host Placement: SF Hillel
Alystar Sacks (she/they) currently works as the Program Manager of Young Professionals and Civic Engagement at the JCC East Bay. She has spent most of her professional life in the Jewish non-profit sector, and previously worked for Santa Cruz Hillel as an Ezra Fellow in the Springboard fellowship. Originally from the Bay Area, Alystar adores traveling, and lived in London while achieving her MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Alystar loves to geek out on ethics and is deeply invested in making the world a better place through Tikkun Olam. She spends much of her time either exercising outdoors or staying in to work on creative projects.
Isadora Shapiro, she/her
Host Placement: Sinai Memorial Chapel Chevra Kadisha
It is with great excitement that Dorie applies to be part of the Fed Fellows program. She would not be here in the Bay Area if it was not for her journey. Dorie began her career at the Arizona Friends of Foster Children and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in the Volunteer Management department, which kick-started appetite for the nonprofit sector. While in recent years her career has focused on the customer experience at for-profit companies, Dorie has dedicated her extracurricular time to organizing fundraisers and immersing herself in the Jewish community. As a mission driven individual, Dorie was struck by the leadership experience of this program as it would allow her to combine her professional expertise with her personal passions. She admires Federation Fellows’ innovative commitment to growing its community across the nation as a welcoming and inclusive place for all while providing leadership growth.
Sam Stone, he/him
Host Placement: JCRC
Sam is a fifth generation Bay Area native who’s passionate about doing acts of Tikkun Olam. He is from Oakland, and currently works at St. Anthony's Foundation, managing volunteers that serve hundreds of daily hot meals to some of the Tenderloin's most vulnerable residents. Prior to becoming a Fed Fellow, Sam served on two non-profit boards, including the JCRC's Public Policy committee and as a founding board member for the Interfaith Council of Alameda County, which formed in 2016. Additionally, he is currently participating in the ADL's Glass Leadership Institute where he is learning all aspects of the work that it does. These experiences have strengthened Sam's desire to give back to his community and look for new ways to continue to deepen his understanding of his Judaism. As a Fed Fellow, he wants to become fully immersed in the decision-making and community building aspects of Jewish nonprofits and learn how he can help build a more just and equitable society. Sam believes this program will provide him with many avenues where he can explore these concepts while also building new relationships with peers. In his spare time, Sam enjoys going on long hikes in the East Bay Hills, sipping chai tea, playing guitar, and journaling.
Michelle van Tijen, she/her
Host Placement: JFCS East Bay
By the age of 7, Michelle was in three major natural disasters: 1989 San Francisco Earthquake, 1991 Oakland Fire, and 1992 Hurricane Andrew. From a young age she understood the power our environment had over our built environment and wanted to work to combat climate change. Michelle has focused her career on energy efficiency and currently manages PG&E's Residential Energy Efficiency programs that treat over two million customers per year. Community building, volunteering, and creativity are central to who Michelle is and how she spends her time in and outside of work. She is currently the President of the Temple Sinai Preschool Parent Committee and voting member of the Temple Sinai Board. Pre-pandemic, as an example, Michelle helped organize meal services at homeless shelters and during the pandemic organized lunch and hygiene kit donations to Northgate Tuffshed Community (Transitional Housing) to support the community and build community within the temple and her children's schools. Michelle loves building community through action-oriented activities.
Lauren Wall, she/her
Host Placement: Farkas Center for the Study of the Holocaust in Catholic Schools
Lauren is a recognized convener, facilitator, and moderator in the global health space. Her 10 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating global health programs in Africa, Asia, and the Americas has made her an excellent cross-cultural communicator and leader of diverse teams. Lauren received her MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a US Department of Education, Foreign Language, and Area Studies fellow in Brazilian Portuguese. She is a native speaker of English, fluent in Spanish, proficient in Portuguese, and is a skilled qualitative researcher in all 3 languages. Lauren is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), is currently completing her Registered Children's Yoga Teacher training, and is the Yoga Coach for Running for a Better Oakland. Lauren lives in Oakland with her partner and dog.
Juliana Wise, she/her
Host Placement: Jewish Gateways
Juliana is an executive-level program manager with 11+ years of experience in retail operations, marketing, product development, product launches, and experiential event execution. She has managed projects for a variety of fashion, jewelry, and tech brands and thrives at working cross-functionally to deliver successful projects. Juliana enjoys finding quick strategies to resolve problems and is at her best when finding ways to bring ideas to life. Having supported a variety of projects, she mixes technical project management philosophies with a creative, brand-driven, customer and team-centric approach. Juliana finds joy in caring for the people that count on her and leading the execution of exciting projects.
Etai Wolins, he/him
Host Placement: Urban Adamah
Being a Bay Area native with Jewish and Israeli heritage, Etai's roots in the Jewish community are strong. He began his professional career at a Jewish non-profit as an educator. Taking pride in his leadership and communication skills, he soon transitioned to an assistant director role. After three years, Etai moved into the for-profit world at a tax consultancy and managed a team of business developers. He shares a love for gardening and farming, music production, exploring nature through camping and hiking. His greatest worry lies in the sustainability of our modern way of life, and the resulting climate crisis. Etai yearns to exercise his professional talents in an area that helps our communities arrive at solutions for the socioeconomic crises that confront us. In the end, Etai is looking to make a difference, live sustainably, and grow!
Fed Fellows in their own words
Blog Posts
- The Path Beyond Federation Fellows: The Unintended Benefits
- A Great Foundation For Leadership
- Am I Jewish Enough?
- Creating Purpose: The Foundation to Building Positive Change
- Exploring Art, l’dor vador
- Federation Fellow Gains Hands-On Look Into Jewish Philanthropy
- Federation Fellows Program Helps Participants Find Community
- Mini-Mission to Urban Adamah
- Giving Jewishly
- Reflecting on Pluralism and Two Years of Leadership Development
Videos