Ariana Abadian-Heifetz

Engagement Manager, KONU

Ariana Abadian-Heifetz is a passionate experiential educator with expertise in social-emotional learning (SEL) and gender-based violence. Over the past decade, Ariana Abadian-Heifetz has deployed a variety of approaches to support the growth and agency of educators, parents, and mission-driven executives in India and the US. She created a novel approach to SEL called The Human Framework and co-authored a curriculum that explored the themes of religious diversity and interfaith dialogue, gender and discrimination, and caste and human rights. Her work has been featured in Teacher Plus Magazine and The New Indian Express, and she has published pieces in India Today, Deccan Chronicle, and Daily Pioneer. Based on her prior work leading trainings for young women on adaptive leadership, menstrual health, and discriminatory social myths across Uttar Pradesh, she authored an acclaimed graphic novel, Spreading Your Wings, to inspire body-positive mindset shifts around menstruation and gender norms. She continues to be a visiting faculty for I am a Teacher and a Senior Advisor on SEL for the Delhi Public School Gurugram.

Ariana holds a Master’s Degree from NYU in Identity Development. She draws insight from navigating her own liminal identities as an Iranian-Zoroastrian and American-Ashkenazi-Jew.

Joshua Albert

Associate Partner, KONU

Before his role as Associate Partner at KONU, Josh Albert worked for eight years with a health justice non-profit, Last Mile Health. He joined the organization in Liberia and served there for four years, including during the 2014 Ebola Outbreak. As the Country Director and Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for strategy and management. 

From that journey, Josh learned how heartbreaking it can be to scale values of love and equity in the face of crisis, systemic injustice, and complexity. He learned that it is possible to achieve profound change at scale, but that leadership work is often overwhelming for individuals and organizations; it demands new ways of making sense of the world, connecting to deeply held purpose, and partnering with one another across differences. 

Today Josh helps clients think systemically about the challenges they face and exercise creative leadership to discover new possibilities and latent capabilities. He has a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Ami Aronson

Philanthropist

Ami currently serves as the long-term Executive Director for the family-funded Bernstein Family Foundation, preserving the legacy of giving that was established by her philanthropic grandfather, Leo M. Bernstein. The organization provides capital to grantees with projects in three primary areas: American Democracy, Arts & Culture, and Jewish Causes. Leading the organization with her Feminine Design Strategy, Ami has honored her grandfather’s tradition of giving while creating a new approach to grant-making. This new direction encourages organizations to reexamine how they identify grantees and challenges them to work beyond mere financial donations, cultivating collaborations and nurturing synergies that will produce more impactful results.

Ami’s work has allowed her to connect with some of the most influential and intriguing people in the world, including artists, social activists, and those in civic life.

Anna Aurilio

Federal Campaign Director, Economic Security Project

Anna Aurilio has fought for the public interest for more than three decades. In her role as Economic Security Project’s Federal Campaign Director, she runs advocacy campaigns that turn big ideas into federal action. As the DC director for Environment America and, prior to that, as the Legislative Director for U.S. PIRG, Anna led a team of advocates and mobilized grassroots members and state networks to enact policies to cut pollution, protect public lands, and boost renewable energy and auto fuel economy. She helped create the Climate Action Campaign, a coalition of national environmental groups working to advance national climate action, and the Green Scissors campaign which recruited bi-partisan support to cut billions of dollars in government spending for wasteful, harmful programs. 

Anna has testified in Congress numerous times, been quoted in major news outlets, and was annually named a top grassroots lobbyist by The Hill for nearly a decade. Anna is on the board of directors of Voices for Progress and the National Environmental Law Center.

Rep. Rebecca (Becca) Balint

(D-VT)

Rep. Rebecca (Becca) Balint is a mom, teacher, progressive leader, and the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to represent her home state of Vermont in the US House of Representatives. As the daughter of a working-class mother and immigrant father, Rep. Balint is deeply committed to defending American democracy and protecting vulnerable communities.

Becca taught middle school for fourteen years and was then an activist, State Senator, and ultimately the President Pro Tempore in 2021. While Majority Leader of the Vermont State Senate, Rep. Balint led the passage of the first gun safety laws in the state’s history. She also worked tirelessly in the state senate to secure housing investment to rebuild housing stock and expand middle income housing.

Rep. Balint serves as Congressional Progressive Caucus Vice Chair for New Members and as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. She is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, and the Budget Committee.

Ellen Buchman

Chief Field Engagement Officer, NCJW

Ellen Buchman is NCJW’s Chief Field Engagement Officer. She has extensive experience in building and growing nonprofit organizations; creating and executing strategic plans and programmatic models; executing values-based communications campaigns; and coordinating, managing and/or contributing to institutional development, staff development, and partnership development with a range of stakeholders. After serving for 15 years at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where she was Executive Vice President for Field and Communications, Ellen was President of The Opportunity Agenda, where she doubled the budget and staff size and oversaw the organization’s application and acquisition of its 501(c)(3) status. Ellen has been a consultant for organizational innovation and strategic planning, and she prides herself in being a professional collaborator who leads with equity, inclusion, and an optimistic worldview.

Rep. Jim Clyburn

(D-SC)

James E. Clyburn is the United States Congressman representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and Chairman of the Democratic Faith Working Group. He previously served as Assistant Democratic Leader from 2011 to 2018 and 2023 to March 2024, and House Majority Whip from 2007 to 2010 and 2019 to 2022, making him the first African American to serve multiple terms as Majority Whip. A native son of South Carolina, Clyburn has represented the state’s Sixth Congressional District since 1993.

Representative Clyburn began his professional career as a public-school teacher in Charleston, SC. He later served as an employment counselor and director of two youth and community development programs. In 1971, he joined the staff of Governor John C. West, becoming the first African American advisor to a South Carolina governor. In 1974, Governor West appointed him South Carolina Human Affairs Commissioner, a title he held until 1992, when he retired from state government to run for Congress. In 1993, Congressman Clyburn was elected co-president of his freshman class in the US Congress. He was subsequently elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and Vice Chair and Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.

Shaylyn Cochran

Deputy Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

During the Biden-Harris Administration, Shaylyn served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the US Attorney General, where she advised on civil rights and criminal justice issues. She also served as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. In that role, she coordinated stakeholder engagement strategies and served as a thought partner with senior DOJ leadership. 

Previously, Shaylyn was a Partner in the Civil Rights & Employment Practice Group of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC where she litigated civil rights class actions and other complex cases. She has been named to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers” (2020 – 2023) and has been repeatedly recognized by the legal industry for her exceptional work. Shaylyn graduated as valedictorian from Ohio University, then attended Harvard Law School, where she received the Dean’s Award for Community Leadership.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker

Rabbi of Temple Emanuel, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Rabbi Charlie has long worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion, and learning into the lives of the community he serves. Before his current role at Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem, NC, he served at Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) in Colleyville, TX, where he was the first full-time rabbi. There he developed positive relationships with local school districts and helped organize interfaith gatherings. 

On January 15, 2022, Rabbi Charlie and three CBI congregants were held hostage by a gunman in the CBI sanctuary. After an 11-hour standoff, Rabbi Charlie threw a chair at the gunman, distracting him long enough for the hostages to escape. Since then, he has spoken out on the importance of security training for religious communities and the need to build stronger bridges between faith communities, especially on a local level. He has spoken at the White House, testified before U.S. Senate and House Committees, has been published in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and has been interviewed and/or profiled on other news outlets including CNN and CBS.

Rabbi Charlie attended Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion at its Jerusalem and Cincinnati campuses, receiving his rabbinical ordination in 2006 and M.A. in Hebrew Letters in 2005.

Rep. Diana DeGette

(D-CO)

Rep. Diana DeGette is a fourth-generation Coloradoan who has dedicated her life to serving the people of Colorado’s First Congressional District.

DeGette is recognized as a leading voice in the nation’s health care debate. As the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, DeGette has played a leading role in overseeing the nation’s health care agencies and the nation’s overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s also led numerous efforts to ensure the nation’s environmental laws are being properly enforced, lower the cost of insulin for millions of Americans, and take on the climate crisis.

DeGette is committed to empowering our nation’s clean energy policies. She has led numerous efforts to hold the nation’s oil and gas producers accountable, reduce America’s overall emissions, and expedite our transition to cleaner forms of renewable energy. In fact, one of the first bills President Biden signed into law after taking office was legislation DeGette authored to drastically reduce methane emissions from drilling sites – a move climate scientists praised as critical to combatting the climate crisis.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth

(D-IL)

Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after representing Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms.

Senator Duckworth is helping lead the charge to protect reproductive freedoms — including the IVF treatments that millions of American families, like her own, rely on to start and grow their families — and fully restore the protections of Roe v. Wade. She also continues her lifelong mission of supporting, protecting, and keeping the promises we’ve made to our veterans and ensuring that we stand fully behind the troops our nation sends into danger overseas.

In 2018, after Duckworth became the first Senator to give birth while serving in office, she sent a message to working families across the country about the value of family-friendly policies by securing an historic rules change that allows Senators to bring their infant children onto the Senate floor.

Stacey Hader Epstein

NCJW Atlanta Section Co-President

Stacey Hader Epstein worked in media and public relations for many years in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Cleveland. She has been an active member of the nonprofit world for decades, serving on the boards of her synagogue, historical societies, and leadership organizations in her community of Sandy Springs, Georgia. A lifetime member of National Council of Jewish Women, Stacey served on the board of NCJW | Cleveland for several years and is currently serving her fourth year as co-president of NCJW | Atlanta. She is a native Atlantan and a graduate of Auburn University.

Rabbi Nora Feinstein

Rabbi, Sixth & I

Rabbi Nora Feinstein is a Jewish educator, facilitator, and writer. A Baltimore native, she has spent time living up and down the East Coast, with an extended stint in Los Angeles.

Angela Ferrell-Zabala

Executive Director, Moms Demand Action

Angela Ferrell-Zabala serves as the first ever Executive Director of Moms Demand Action, where she is responsible for leading and growing the largest grassroots network in the gun violence prevention space. Angela has been with the organization since 2019, leading its movement-building work and overseeing grassroots organizing; external, cultural and corporate engagement; and national partnerships and programming. 

As a lifelong organizer, Angela is passionate about movement-building, uplifting and centering marginalized voices, and empowering the next generation of leaders. 

Rep. Laura Friedman

(D-CA)

Rep. Laura Friedman proudly represents California’s 30th District, which includes Burbank, Glendale, West Hollywood, and parts of Los Angeles and Pasadena. She is committed to making meaningful progress on the issues that matter most to her district: making housing more affordable, safeguarding access to clean water, protecting communities from wildfires and other disasters, and creating an economy that works for everyone. Friedman serves on two key committees: the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Before joining Congress, Friedman represented the 44th district in the California State Assembly, where she built a reputation as a tireless advocate for the environment, housing, and transportation.

Laura got her start in the private sector working as a film and television producer. She then served on the Glendale City Council and as the Mayor of Glendale. As a member of the California state legislature, Laura served in several pivotal roles and led a historic bicameral and bipartisan reform of the legislature’s response to sexual harassment that’s become a model for other states and local governments.

Paula Garret

Board Director, NCJW

Paula Garret has a broad background in leadership positions in not-for-profit organizations. She is in her third term on the Board of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) and currently serves as the Chair of the Strategic Plan Implementation Task Force and the Investment Committee. Paula has deep leadership roots in the NCJW Pittsburgh Section as well, including as a past President, Executive Vice President, Treasurer, and Finance Chair. 

Paula currently serves on the Board and as Assistant Treasurer of the FISA Foundation, which is devoted to partnering with nonprofits across southwestern Pennsylvania who are working to advance equity and justice for women, girls, and people with disabilities. Paula is the prior Co-Chair of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Pittsburgh and continues to be deeply involved through the Future Planning Committee. She also served as President of the Tree of Life Congregation and remains involved as a member of the Founders Committee, bridging the gap between the Congregation and Tree of Life Inc, a newly formed organization committed to uprooting Antisemitism and identity-based hate through education and national coalition partnerships.

Prior to her recent retirement, Paula was CEO of a privately held manufacturing company in Pittsburgh which provides commercial lighting throughout the United States.

Laura Monn Ginsburg

President, NCJW

Laura Monn Ginsburg runs a public affairs business, Apparatus, that she co-founded in 2016 after spending a decade in corporate marketing at software companies ranging from $0 start-ups to $3B multi-national outfits.

Apparatus is a General Benefit Corporation that works to advance social justice and equity and environmental sustainability. Projects range from political campaigns to grassroots and grass-tops lobbying to running multi-channel media and marketing campaigns to creating and leading a statewide campaign to legalize recreational cannabis and end policies of prohibition that have disproportionately affected underserved communities. Laura’s most proud that her women-owned, women-run business has been able to stand out as a good company doing good things for Minnesota.

When not running her company, Laura’s running and sitting on various nonprofit boards. She is currently the board chair of National Council of Jewish Women, and a member of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the School Committee of The Blake School. Past nonprofit roles include National Council of Jewish Women MN (2018-2020 chair), the Citizens League (2021 board chair and 2020 interim executive director), and the Junior League of Minneapolis (2014-2015 chair). She is an advisory board member of Love Takes Root (education in Haiti) and Move Minneapolis (transportation equity).

Fatima Goss Graves

President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center

Fatima Goss Graves is a nationally recognized leader in the fight for gender justice and an expert in law, policy, and culture change. She is President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, President of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, and a co-founder of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund.

 Fatima has a distinguished track record working across a broad set of issues central to the lives of women and girls – including income security, child care, equal pay, ending sexual harassment and violence, health and reproductive rights, education access, and workplace justice – with a particular focus on outcomes for women and girls of color. She is widely sought after for her effectiveness in the complex public policy arena at both the state and federal levels and regularly testifies before Congress and federal agencies.

 Fatima has appeared as a legal and social commentator on several news programs. She is a graduate of UCLA and Yale Law School.

Brittany Hacker

Bolder Advocacy Counsel, Alliance for Justice

Brittany Hacker is a lawyer activist who serves as Bolder Advocacy Counsel at Alliance for Justice. In this role, she empowers nonprofit organizations to expand their advocacy and lobbying efforts by educating on applicable state and federal rules and providing technical assistance. 

Margaret Huang

President and CEO, Southern Poverty Law Center

An advocate for human rights and racial justice for nearly three decades, Margaret Huang is the President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which serves as a catalyst for racial justice in the U.S. South and beyond. Throughout her career, Margaret has championed social justice and human dignity, advocating an end to discrimination and oppression in all of its forms. Prior to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Margaret served as the Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, where she was responsible for leading campaigns to protect the human rights of migrants and refugees, torture survivors, gun violence victims, and activists and protestors across the globe. Ms. Huang received a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University.

Joanie Hunn

Co-SPA Virginia, NCJW

Joanie is currently Co-SPA (State Policy Advocate) for Virginia and Chair of the Northern Virginia Action Team for National Council of Jewish Women. She’s a passionate individual working in coalitions, especially around women’s rights. Joanie is a wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Public Health Nurse who is still active in the Medical Reserve Corp. She became a member of the NCJW Northern Virginia Section in the early 1980s, became a life member in the Centennial Year of NCJW, and has been involved in various leadership roles in NCJW over several decades.

Rep. Sara Jacobs

(D-CA)

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs is in her third term in Congress and proudly serves California’s 51st Congressional District, which includes much of the City of San Diego and the surrounding area. She is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa. She is also the Founding Co-Chair of the Protection of Civilians in Conflict (POCC) Caucus, Vice Chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Working Group, and Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, where she is Co-Chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force.

Prior to serving in elected office, Congresswoman Jacobs spent years working to address, minimize, and prevent conflict, instability, and inequality around the world. She worked in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations, in the Innovation Unit at UNICEF, in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the U.S. Department of State, and as a foreign policy advisor to Secretary Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Congresswoman Jacobs also served as the Founding CEO of Project Connect, a nonprofit dedicated to mapping schools and their Internet connectivity around the world, which has since become one of UNICEF’s flagship programs. She served as a Scholar in Residence at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego, and in 2018, she founded San Diego for Every Child, a coalition dedicated to ending child poverty in San Diego County.

Sheila Katz

CEO, NCJW

Sheila Katz is the CEO of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), a 130-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization with over 250,000 advocates working for the full equity and safety of women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through partnerships and coalitions, Sheila works to empower Jewish women and allies to engage in work that impacts those at the margins of society while centering the most impacted.

Under Sheila’s leadership, NCJW has responded to threats to abortion access, voting rights, childcare access, equal pay, and other issues of equity through protest, advocacy and campaigns that make it clear where Jewish women and allies stand on the most important issues of the day. Sheila spearheaded the creation of Jews for Abortion Access, engaging more than 2.5 million people. She also launched Rabbis for Repro, a network of more than 2,500 rabbis teaching about reproductive freedom and Judaism.

Prior to NCJW, Sheila was the vice president of student engagement and leadership at Hillel International, the largest Jewish on-campus community in the world. Sheila was recently named as one of the top 10 faith influencers by Religion News Service and as one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by the Jerusalem Post.

Andrea Salwen Kopel

Executive Director, NCJW | NY

Andrea Salwen Kopel began her career at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and has spent the last 25-plus years working to improve the lives of women, children, and families in New York City’s nonprofit sector. She was the Director of Program Services for Citymeals-on-Wheels, serving homebound elderly New Yorkers; Vice President of Community Programs at Big Apple Circus, bringing the joy and laughter of the circus to disadvantaged populations nationwide; and Executive Director of Room to Grow, providing comprehensive services to families raising babies in poverty. She currently serves as Executive Director of National Council of Jewish Women New York (NCJW | NY). Andrea holds a B.A. from Barnard College and a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Emily Kuvin

NCJW Board Director and Washington Institute Co-Chair

Emily Mathes Kuvin is a jewelry designer and entrepreneur helming Emily Kuvin Jewelry. She arrived at professional jewelry design after years working in television journalism, law, and hospital fundraising. Her commitment to do good infuses all her work, and she strives to give back to her local and global communities through board and volunteer work, financial donations, and raising awareness of causes and issues that affect all of us.

Emily began designing jewelry in high school and continued to refine and develop her aesthetic and skills over the years. She has a BA and a JD from Cornell University, an MSJ from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and has completed coursework at the Gemological Institute of America. Today, Emily designs from her studio in New York City

Emily is honored to serve as a co-chair of Washington Institute 2025 and is completing her second triennium as a director on the NCJW national board.

Claire Lipschultz

California State Policy Advocacy Co-Chair

Claire Lipschultz served on the Board of Directors for National Council of Jewish Women for nine years during which she was a National Vice President for three years. She currently organizes statewide advocacy on policy and legislation in California as an NCJW State Policy Advocate, a national appointment. She has been on the Board of NCJW | Sacramento for many years. Claire was instrumental in the passage and implementation of a key California anti-trafficking law for which she received NCJW’s 2013 Outstanding Advocate Award and the California Women Lawyers Women of Achievement Award in 2013. She is a graduate of New York University School of Law which she attended as a Root-Tilden Scholar. Throughout her professional and volunteer career, Claire has focused on health care accessibility for all, including abortion services.

Rep. Kathy Manning

Former Member of Congress

Kathy E. Manning served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2021 to 2024, representing North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District. In Congress, she focused on foreign affairs, education and workforce development, healthcare including women’s reproductive rights, and antisemitism.  She brought to these areas many years of experience working with national and international organizations as well as local nonprofits and educational institutions.

In Congress, Manning was Vice Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. Among her many committees and subcommittee roles, Manning served on the Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations; the House Committee on Education and the Workforce; and the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education. 

Manning was the lead co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, and she authored the Countering Antisemitism Act. A champion of women’s reproductive rights, Manning authored the Right to Contraception Act. As the Policy Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, she worked on policies to support and enhance women’s health, education, and workforce issues. A former immigration attorney, she was also one of the original co-sponsors of the Dignity Act, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration bill to bring our immigration system in line with today’s economic and security needs. 

Before her time in Congress, Manning was the first woman to chair the national board of the Jewish Federations of North America and served in leadership roles at the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Manning graduated from Harvard University.

Rep. Jennifer McClellan

(D-VA)

A principled and progressive legislator, Representative Jennifer McClellan has always worked to ensure Virginians’ voices are heard in government. In the 119th Congress, Jennifer McClellan sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In the 118th Congress, she sat on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Throughout her eighteen sessions in the Virginia General Assembly, McClellan passed more than 370 pieces of legislation, including landmark bills to protect and expand voting rights, combat climate change, preserve reproductive health care, and enhance workers’ protections and labor rights. McClellan holds a JD from University of Virginia School of Law.

Dani Menkin

Producer, Colleyville

A two times Israeli Academy Award winner, Dani Menkin’s award-winning narrative and documentary films include Picture of His Life, On the Map, Aulcie, Dolphin Boy, 39 Pounds of Love, Is That You?, and Colleyville. His movies have been sold world-wide including to Disney and HBO. Menkin is an internationally renowned speaker and film juror at International Festivals around the world, and he is a film professor in universities and colleges in Israel and the US. He co-founded Hey Jude Productions, which is dedicated to telling positive, entertaining, and inspiring stories to better the world. Menkin is known for exploring the courage of the human life through personal stories. He connects the extraordinary heroes of his films to a larger context and to their impact on the world.

Tim Mooney

Senior Counsel, Alliance for Justice

Tim Mooney, Senior Counsel at Alliance for Justice, has guided nonprofits through the maze of political and tax-exempt law for over two decades. His ability to present legal concepts in an interesting and accessible way is heightened by his passion for making a positive difference for every community. At the heart of his work, Tim empowers organizations to elevate their impact, challenge the status quo, and drive meaningful progress.

Dr. Deitra Reiser

Founder, Transform for Equity

Dr. Deitra Reiser (she/her) is the founder of Transform for Equity, which supports corporations, organizations, and their leaders to advance equitable belonging and psychological safety in the workplace. Dr. Reiser’s approach to organizational change centers on individual transformation as a catalyst for systemic progress. By fostering a comprehensive understanding of the impact of policies, practices, and culture, she supports leaders’ purposeful actions and initiatives.

Deploying a combination of her custom curricula, executive coaching expertise, learning sessions, and organizational assessments, Dr. Reiser empowers professionals to drive positive change at every level. Her collaborations include prominent organizations like the Union for Reform Judaism, Reconstructing Judaism, National Council for Jewish Women, and the National Park Service.

Laura Rodriguez

Florida State Policy Advocacy Co-Chair

Laura Lee Rodriguez is the President of Your Write Hand and works as an Independent Contractor offering services to nonprofits. She currently serves as the Florida State Policy Advocate for the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Chair of Pro-Truth Florida (an NCJW campaign to expose Fake Clinics), Chair of the Courts Matter Florida Coalition, and is a Past President and current board member for NCJW | Greater Miami.   

A graduate of Boston University, Laura has worked her entire adult life in the nonprofit world as both a professional and a volunteer. For nearly 20 years, she served in various roles with Lehrman Community Day School, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, and Jewish Professionals Organization. Laura completed the Jewish Learning and Torah 2-Year Study Program at the Hebrew University Florence Melton School of Jewish Learning. 

Laura has led advocacy groups to Tallahassee and Washington, DC for more than a decade. Most recently, she played a pivotal role in the Amendment 4 campaign, a citizen-led ballot initiative to end Florida’s abortion ban. She is also leading an effort to build an interfaith coalition in Florida to promote progressive values.

Laura is a past recipient of the NCJW Hannah G. Solomon Award, NCJW Myra Farr Volunteer Service Award, and NCJW Emerging Leader Award.

Sen. Jacky Rosen

(D-NV)

Senator Jacky Rosen works across the aisle to solve problems and achieve results for Nevada. Elected to the U.S. House in 2016 and then the U.S. Senate in 2018, Jacky is the second woman ever to serve Nevada in the U.S. Senate, alongside fellow Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. Before being elected to public office, Jacky served as President of Congregation Ner Tamid, Nevada’s largest synagogue. She holds the distinction of being the third female Jewish Senator in U.S. history, as well as the first former synagogue president to serve in the Senate. An outspoken supporter of Israel and combating antisemitism, she is now the co-founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism and the bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus in the Senate.

Beth Salamon

NCJW Board Director and Washington Institute Co-Chair

Beth Salamon is a longtime volunteer in the Jewish community and an attorney. In addition to serving on the NCJW board, she is currently the Kentucky co-State Policy Advocate, the Chair of the Jewish Community of Louisville board, and a trustee at the Louisville Collegiate School. When she is not volunteering, Beth is an avid tennis player, chef, and loves to travel. She lives in Louisville.

Liz Schrayer

President, Schrayer & Associates

Liz Schrayer, a respected political strategist, founded Schrayer & Associates, Inc. in 1995 with an eye toward enhancing the political effectiveness of non-profits and businesses to impact policy in our nation’s capital and around the country. Through hands-on strategic planning, crafting of advocacy campaigns, and premier meeting facilitation in Washington, Liz has helped engage and mobilize tens of thousands of citizen advocates on a range of domestic & foreign policy issues. 

Liz also serves as the President & CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, an influential broad-based coalition of over 500 businesses and NGOs. She serves on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s Development Advisory Council and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a member of the Weber Shandwick Geopolitical Risk Advisory Board. 

Prior to starting her own firm, Liz was the national Political Director of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) for more than a decade. Called one of the “architects” of the pro-Israel grassroots program, Liz was instrumental in developing AIPAC’s nationwide effort. She has worked in state government and on Capitol Hill, where she founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. 

Liz has been published in TIME, Newsweek, USA Today, and The Hill.

Rep. Kim Schrier

(D-WA)

Congresswoman Kim Schrier represents Washington’s 8th Congressional District. Prior to being elected to Congress in 2018, Kim spent her career as a pediatrician in Issaquah, working with children across the Puget Sound region and helping families navigate the health care system. In Congress, Kim uses this expertise to inform her work on issues that improve the lives, health, and wellbeing of children.

As the first pediatrician in Congress, Kim brings a critical voice to issues related to health care. Through her own experience as a patient living with Type 1 diabetes, Kim understands the very real fear of health care costs and access for people living with pre-existing conditions. And as a physician who has worked in the US health care system, Kim understands what changes need to be made to make it work better for both patients and providers. 

After graduating from U.C. Berkeley Phi Beta Kappa, Kim spent a year working at the EPA before attending U.C. Davis School of Medicine. In 2013, Kim was named Best Pediatrician in the Greater Seattle Area by Parents Map Magazine.

Sen. Chuck Schumer

(D-NY)

Senator Charles Schumer was elected to the US Senate in 1998 and, in 2021, became the first New Yorker to serve as Senate Majority Leader. Senator Schumer attended college and law school at Harvard University. In 1974, he was elected to the New York State Assembly. In 1980, at age 29, he was elected as a congressman from the 9th Congressional District, representing the 9th district in Brooklyn and Queens, a role he held for eighteen years. He was the leading sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act to combat domestic violence and sexual assault, and the Brady Bill, instituting mandatory background checks for handgun purchases. Senator Schumer also championed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which organized data on crimes of bigotry and allowed federal authorities to prosecute these crimes. As Majority Leader, Senator Schumer led the Senate through one of the most productive periods in its history, passing landmark legislation including the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the American Rescue Plan, and much more.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

(D-FL)

As Florida’s first Jewish Congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has earned the respect of her colleagues for working tirelessly on behalf of seniors, children, and families for nearly three decades. First sworn in to the U. House of Representatives in 2005, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate. 

Known for vigorously defending her progressive values, the Congresswoman has demonstrated her ability to pass meaningful legislation in a bipartisan fashion. After announcing her own battle with breast cancer in 2009, Wasserman Schultz led the EARLY Act, legislation designed to increase breast cancer education and awareness. A leading advocate for women and girls, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz introduced the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act to encourage more states to allow women to terminate the parental rights of a rapist based on clear and convincing evidence. The bill was signed into law by President Obama in 2015.

Currently Wasserman Schultz serves as a Ranking Member on the Appropriations Committee. In the 117th Congress, she made history as the first-ever woman to Chair the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee. In the 119th Congress, Wasserman Schultz maintains her leadership role as a Co-Chair of the Steering and Policy Committee.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin

(D-MI)

A former CIA analyst who served three tours in Iraq alongside the U.S. military, Elissa then worked in national security roles at the Pentagon and White House under Presidents Bush and Obama. In the Obama Administration, she briefed the President on some of the most sensitive national security matters of the day and was eventually nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs at the Pentagon.

Elissa ran for Congress in 2018, flipping a long-time Republican-held seat and helping Democrats retake the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Elissa was re-elected to the House in 2020 and again in 2022 by delivering on the things that mattered the most to her constituents – expanding access to affordable healthcare, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and bringing critical supply chains and manufacturing back to Michigan.

In November 2024, Elissa was elected to serve Michigan in the U.S. Senate. In the Senate, Elissa is fighting to expand Michigan’s middle class, create jobs with dignity, and keep our communities and children safe.

Francoise Stovall

Senior Strategist, Greater Good Strategies

For nearly 20 years, Francoise Stovall has used digital strategy to strengthen democracy and win progressive victories. Francoise has worked with civic groups in emerging democracies on strategic communications planning and digital strategy implementation, and she has overseen digital strategy for campaigns that won important victories to change the way money flows through politics in the US. Francoise has implemented email fundraising campaigns for a number of nonprofits and political campaigns, and in the 2020 election cycle, she built the digital infrastructure and managed the campaign that registered more than 600,000 young voters and voters of color to vote. 

Francoise is also a mom and an abortion doula. She graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs.

Mini Timmaraju

President, Reproductive Freedom for All

Mini Timmaraju is the president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) and is the first woman of color and immigrant to helm the organization. A seasoned political strategist and changemaker, Mini has more than 25 years of experience leading efforts to advance reproductive rights, gender justice, and racial justice in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Under Mini’s leadership, Reproductive Freedom for All has been at the forefront of the political response in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade — galvanizing the reproductive freedom movement and ushering in crucial wins in the 2022 midterms and 2023 election cycle. The organization’s more than 4 million members helped secure key victories for reproductive freedom champions up and down the ticket.

Mini was a key campaign surrogate throughout the 2024 presidential election, providing remarks at the Democratic National Convention and serving as a leading voice on the campaign trail. She held prior key positions at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Planned Parenthood of Houston, Parenthood Federation of America, and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans. Mini frequently appears on major news networks and podcasts as an expert on abortion’s role in the political landscape. She is frequently quoted in the press, including in the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, and the Associated Press.

Stephanie Viegas

Deputy National Security Advisor, Secure Community Network

Stephanie Viegas joined the Secure Community Network (SCN) as Deputy National Security Advisor in March 2022. In this role, she provides consultations, building and organizational assessments, training, exercises, and threat mitigation guidance to Jewish organizations nationwide, including schools, daycare centers, synagogues, camps, campus organizations, assisted living facilities, and other Jewish life centers. 

In her prior role as the Director of Community Security for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Stephanie developed a collaborative security program that provided consultations, site assessments, and training to over 150 Jewish institutions. 

Stephanie spent more than two decades as a Special Agent with the FBI, where she served as a subject matter expert in weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Her 22-year career involved extensive operational experience investigating, managing, and advising on complex law enforcement and sensitive national security matters. She led efforts to prevent and neutralize WMD threats against the U.S. homeland and interests abroad. Stephanie also worked as an instructor for Interpol within their Bioterrorism Program and served in a temporary duty assignment at Interpol headquarters in Leon, France.

Rabbi Kelly Whitehead

Assistant Director of Engagement and Learning, Union for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Kelly Whitehead (she/they) is the Assistant Director of Engagement and Learning at the Union for Reform Judaism. She was ordained from HUC-JIR in New York (’24), where she received her MA in Hebrew Literature and her MA in Jewish Nonprofit Management. Kelly is the creator and lead organizer of NFTY’s Teen Jews of Color Fellowship. Kelly serves on the board of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and was selected as one of The NY Jewish Week’s 36 under 36 for 2021.

Maya Wiley

President and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund

Maya Wiley is President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund. She is a nationally respected civil rights attorney and activist who has dedicated her life to the fights for justice, equality, and fairness.

While serving as the first Black woman counsel to the mayor of New York City, Maya helped deliver on civil and immigrant rights. During her tenure, the city also saw an expansion of minority/women-owned business enterprises contracts. Following her time at City Hall, Maya moved to academia as a faculty member and senior vice president for social justice at the New School University. As chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), she led the release of the “hold” on proceedings against Daniel Pantaleo whose illegal chokehold killed Eric Garner. That move led to the CCRB’s successful administrative prosecution of Pantaleo that resulted in his firing. 

Maya previously worked at the ACLU, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Following the September 11 attacks, she co-founded the nonprofit Center for Social Inclusion, which focused on transforming structural racism into fair opportunity. Maya earned her B.A. from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from Columbia Law School. She has served as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.

Carole Zawatsky

CEO, The Tree of Life, Inc.

Carole Zawatsky joined Tree of Life in November 2023 as the inaugural CEO. Carole oversees the public launch of the new institution and is responsible for laying the groundwork needed for long-term success. With over 30 years of experience in the Jewish communal world, Carole specializes in creating and implementing dynamic partnerships between the philanthropic community and the institutions she serves in order to cultivate strong, impactful organizations. Over her career, she has raised nearly $100 million. Carole was born and raised in suburban Washington and received her BA from the University of Maryland and MA from George Washington University.