Senior Development Professionals Retreat 2021

Sarah is the new Chief Community and Jewish Life Officer at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).

Prior to joining JFNA, Sarah spent the last 19 years at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) with her most recent position as Executive Director of JDC Entwine and an Assistant Executive Vice President. In her role, she was responsible for the overall vision, strategy, and resource development of Entwine, growing it from a concept to a network of over 35,000 participants with over $30 million raised to support its growth. Before this, she held the position of Senior Global Program Officer in JDC’s Program, Planning, and Budget Department, where she was involved in JDC’s annual global strategic review and planning process. In her work, Sarah has traveled extensively, including to India, Turkey, Haiti, Morocco, Ethiopia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Sarah has received several honors; in 2011 she was named by the Jerusalem Post as one of ten young Jewish leaders for the future and received the Jewish Communal Service Association’s Young Professional Award. Sarah is also an alumna of Kivun and is a Schusterman Fellow. Sarah has a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from Oxford University, and a BA in History from the University of California, Berkeley.

Sarah is originally from Huntington Beach, CA. She has lived in NYC for almost 20 years where she has called her Harlem neighborhood home for most of that time. She has two daughters (6.5 years old and 3 years old). Sarah is an active parent leader at the Rodeph Sholom School, serving on both Resource Development and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice committees.

Connie leads the organization’s philanthropic activities as well as the Samis Land Company’s real estate operations. Connie is responsible for annual grants supporting Jewish education in Washington State and a variety of causes in Israel.

Connie has served in leadership roles in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Most recently, Connie was the Chief Financial Officer of Seattle University where she led the finance, facilities, information technology and auxiliary operations. Before joining Seattle University, Connie held finance positions with a number of technology companies including Clarisonic, Physio Control and Hewlett Packard.

Joel considers it a privilege to be involved in the Jewish community, one which he does not take for granted. His many important leadership roles with Federation CJA include being a past Campaign Chair for Combined Jewish Appeal, a founding and current stakeholder of Passport for Jewish Life and the current Chair of the FRD Department. As a member of Federation CJA’s Board of Directors and First Vice President he hopes to help move the organization toward even greater impact and sustainability.

Joel is also a Board Member of Prizmah, the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, and the Chair of the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) Foundation’s Investment Committee; and sits on the Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) of Montreal Investment Committee. He has previously served as a Board Member for Akiva School, Dorshei Emet, the Segal Centre, the JGH and the Board Chair for the JCF. When not occupied with community work, Joel manages investments for his extended family. He and his wife have three sons.

Rabbi Uram is the Chief Vision and Education Officer for Pardes North America. Before that, he served as the Executive Director and Campus Rabbi at Penn Hillel for over 16 years. He is the author of the best-selling book entitled, Next Generation Judaism: How College Students and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations, which won a National Jewish Book Award in 2016. He is a sought-after speaker and consultant on the changing nature of the American Jewish community, Jewish innovation, cutting-edge engagement and how legacy organizations can reinvent themselves in the age of millennials.

Mike has worked with dozens of Jewish organizations including the Schusterman Foundation, Jewish Federations of North America, The Wexner Foundation, United Synagogue, The Rabbinical Assembly, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Hillel International and many local federations, synagogues and JCCs. Mike recently won the Edgar Bronfman Award that recognizes outstanding achievement and leadership within the Hillel movement. In 2012, Mike was named to the Forward list of the 50 most influential leaders that year.