The Search for JOIN’s Next Executive Director

In an effort to increase transparency, the Strategic Transition Committee (STC), which is overseeing this process, is sharing information regarding the search and transition here. This webpage will be updated as new information is available.

December 2021 Update

We are excited to share an update on the ED search. At this point in the selection process the application is closed. The Strategic Transition Committee, comprising an array of JOIN stakeholders and leaders, has met with several incredible candidates for first round interviews. We are currently in second round interviews, which include JOIN staff, and expect to hold third round interviews in the near future. Our hope is to finalize the selection process early in the new year.

We look forward to finding the right fit to bring JOIN into our next phase of life as an organization.

Laura Loeb & Molly Schulman

Strategic Transition Committee Co-Chairs

Thanks to contributions from JOIN’s board, staff, STC members, and our DRG consultants, JOIN’s board approved an ED job description which has already begun to be widely distributed. We encourage our community to circulate the job description to your networks and consider applying yourself. If you have any questions or particular candidates you’d like to highlight, please reach out to Sarah Raful Whinston at swhinston@drgsearch.com and Yasmine Coccoli at ycoccoli@drgsearch.com.

Job Posting

Executive Director

Boston, MA/Willing to consider remote

About JOIN for Justice

JOIN for Justice, Inc., the Jewish Organizing Institute and Network (JOIN for Justice or JOIN), is a national organization with staff located across the country dedicated to training, supporting, and connecting Jewish organizers, clergy, and lay leaders with their communities. A catalyst for change and a trusted leader in community organizing, JOIN is building a powerful field of Jewish leaders effectively organizing for justice, both inside and outside Jewish communities in the United States. JOIN responds to the escalating demand for skillful leaders who use organizing principles and practices to achieve positive social change. JOIN provides a powerful grounding, reinforcing social justice commitments within Jewish value systems while supporting participants to foster a more meaningful sense of Jewish identity.

We believe that Jewish leaders and Jewish communities are called to play an instrumental role in fighting for social justice, and that we have distinct ways that we can contribute if we organize and work in partnership with other communities. Since our launch in 1998 as a local organizing fellowship in Boston, JOIN has grown into an influential national organization not only training thousands of young adult Jews, but also Jewish leaders in communities across the country organizing for justice. Led by an incredibly talented staff who are well-known and well-respected in the social justice community, JOIN’s goal is to make a difference, not a statement.

In 2019 we launched a growth plan to train 10,000 organizers and to guide our long-term strategy including: 1) Developing a pipeline of Jews of Color and organizers with disabilities, able to lead in Jewish and non-Jewish settings, 2) Developing the power of organized Jewish communities to fight for racial, economic and disability justice in coalition with other groups and, 3) Supporting the Jewish Social Justice/Justice sectors to make a powerful impact through strategic campaigns.

JOIN’s Programs

The Jewish Organizing Fellowship is a year-long leadership program that trains young adults within and beyond the Jewish community. In recent years, JOIN has expanded its original Fellowship program to include The Empower Fellowship that trains Jewish leaders with disabilities in community organizing. In 2022, JOIN is launching the groundbreaking Jews of Color Organizing Fellowship that will train Jews of Color across the country in community organizing.

JOIN’s Clergy Action as Lived Leadership program invests in promising rabbinical students, rabbis, and cantors by training them to use community organizing tools such as relationship building, leadership development, and collective action with their congregations and organizations.

JOIN’s Online Institute provides a virtual space where Jews across the country can learn how to move from feeling overwhelmed and powerless to understanding how to strategically join with others to act effectively on their values—and do something that will really make a difference.

JOIN offers a range of Consulting and Training Services to strengthen the organizing practice of individuals, organizations, and coalitions in the Jewish community to accomplish systemic change for social justice in the United States.

More information about JOIN can be found on the web at: https://www.joinforjustice.org/.

Position

JOIN for Justice is at an exciting juncture in JOIN’s and our country’s history. As we continue to implement our strategic plan and expand the reach of our programs, JOIN seeks a dynamic Executive Director to guide the organization by holding our strategic vision, building relationships with key stakeholders, fostering a vibrant, thriving staff culture, and strengthening the organization’s infrastructure.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will have oversight of a $1.5M budget and 11 staff responsible for programs, development, operations, and administration. This is a unique opportunity to be a part of a fast-growing organization that has trained over 7000 leaders and 100 partners in community organizing for social justice.

Priorities

Partner with the Board and Staff to ensure implementation of the existing strategic plan and develop a clear, compelling vision for the future of JOIN.
Continue to champion JOIN’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, particularly with respect to racial justice and disability justice.
Develop a communications strategy that will position JOIN for national impact, recognition, and reach.
Expand the communities that partner with and learn from JOIN including building and maintaining donor relationships in order to fund the organization’s programs and growth.
Ensure the development of curricula that is effective and takes into account the best of organizing traditions and emerging models and includes the wide array of communities JOIN trains.
Strengthen and grow organizational and administrative infrastructure and ensure clarity and consistency in staffing structure, policies, and processes.

Detailed Responsibilities

Strategic Vision & Leadership

Ensure that JOIN’s vision and values are expressed in every aspect of the organization, including its culture, personnel, and programs.
Cultivate and nurture a high-functioning team, rooted in respectful relationships and a shared appreciation for JOIN’s vision.
Work with the Board to identify, cultivate, recruit and retain diverse and exceptional board members and lay leadership.

Communications & External Relations

Manage the design, implementation, content, messaging and engagement strategies that will position JOIN for broader impact and success.
Work with staff to establish a clear, resonant brand that reflects JOIN’s mission.
Oversee the development of nuanced messaging that can cater to different audiences (funders, staff, partner organizations, fellows) and communicate complex ideas to a variety of stakeholders.
Ensure that communications and marketing strategies are consistently articulated both internally and externally.

Fundraising, Community Engagement & Partnerships

Effectively communicate JOIN’s mission externally and build partnerships and coalitions with stakeholders, funders, community leaders, and adjacent organizations within the Jewish and social justice worlds.
Serve as JOIN’s chief spokesperson, acting as a key driver in donor and partner cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
Collaborate with development staff to implement an expansive fundraising strategy to increase funding from major donors & foundation support.
Pursue innovative streams of income and partnerships to diversify sources of revenue, ensuring that there are resources to support the expansion and innovation of programs.

Infrastructure, Operations & Finance

Assess the current financial status of the organization and work in close coordination with the Board to continue a plan for financial sustainability and growth.
Develop long and short-range financial plans, monitor the budget and ensure that sound financial controls are in place; set financial priorities accurately to ensure that JOIN is operating in a manner that supports the needs and values of the program and staff.
Oversee the organizational infrastructure and establish clarity and consistency in policies, processes and internal operations to support staff and delivery of programs.

Qualifications

A strong understanding of community organizing philosophies is a must; demonstrated activism and/or professional experience in community organizing is preferred.
Excellent interpersonal skills; able to build and maintain relationships across the diverse slate of JOIN constituencies and partners.
Strong storytelling and communication skills; able to convey complex ideas to a wide variety of stakeholders and ensure a shared understanding of JOIN’s mission and impact.
Can incorporate an intersectional analysis of power and social identities into community organizing.
Familiarity with and commitment to Jewish values.
Possesses humility, high emotional IQ, and superior active listening skills.
Excellent mediating and facilitating skills; can create and hold space for the diversity of political perspectives and beliefs within the JOIN community, while continuing to foster a sense of belonging for all constituents.
Ability to collaborate on developing fundraising strategies, cultivate, solicit and steward major donors and to inspire high-net worth individuals and major foundations to financial leadership.
Transparent and creative with proven success in building, developing, and empowering individuals and teams thereby allowing innovation to grow.
Experience working with a collective bargaining unit within a nonprofit context is preferred.

Compensation

130K-150K, subject to flexibility depending on feedback from the market.

Benefits

Health, dental & medical coverage
Flexible Spending Account options
403b matching after one year of employment
12 days vacation PTO (paid time off) per year that increases with continued employment; 12 days sick leave PTO per year
Office closures for 10 federally recognized holidays, 13 Jewish holidays, and 2 floating holidays

At JOIN for Justice, we believe social justice fights require the voices of those most directly impacted by injustice. JOIN is dedicated to building a culturally diverse and pluralistic staff team — via internal training, structured reflection exercises and an ongoing investment in the leadership development of staff. JOIN strongly encourages people of color, indigenous people, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, and immigrants to apply

This position description is based upon material provided by JOIN for Justice. JOIN is an equal opportunity employer.

Rachel Carter, Associate, rcarter@drgsearch.com

Yasmine Coccoli, Talent Consultant, ycoccoli@drgsearch.com

Sarah Raful Whinston, Senior Search Consultant, swhinston@drgsearch.com

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Strategic Transition Committee Co-Chairs

Laura Loeb has been very involved with several of JOIN’s programs, including ROAR! A Jewish Leadership Training for Resistance, Organizing, Action, & Resistance, which provided one-day trainings in 19 cities in 2017, a 2018 voter registration drive in Atlanta with Jewish groups working in coalition with African American organizations, and the successful campaign in Florida to pass Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to rehabilitated felons. Laura is an active member of the Community Issues/Social Action Committee at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C. She volunteers with organizations sponsoring brain tumor research and is also supportive of the work of Tahirih Justice Center, which provides legal services to immigrant women and children fleeing violence. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School and sits on the Dean’s Advisory Council and received a BS degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois. She was a healthcare regulatory lawyer for 22 years, becoming a partner first at Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) and then at King & Spalding. After the unexpected death of her brother, Laura became co-owner and manager of Herman L. Loeb LLC, a family-owned, privately held oil and gas exploration production company. She lives in Potomac, MD with her husband and has two daughters age 26 and 24.

Molly Schulman (she/her) received her B.A. in American Studies from Tufts University with a focus on institutions and power. Since graduating, Molly has sought opportunities to combine her passions for community organizing, resource mobilization, and Judaism. She is an alumna of JOIN for Justice’s Jewish Organizing fellowship (2019), the Chordata Capital fellowship, and the Urban Adamah fellowship. She has worked as an educator in both Jewish and secular settings, founding and facilitating a Rosh Chodesh circle, curating and facilitating a Jewish praxis group with Resource Generation, teaching at Central Synagogue, and training at multiple orientations with IfNotNow. She has served on the board of JOIN for Justice since 2019, is a rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and is an ALEPH Kesher Fellow. Molly lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Strategic Transition Committee Members

Jeannie Appleman co-founded the Seminary Leadership Project in 2005 with Meir Lakein and Rabbis Stephanie Kolin and Noah Farkas and has trained more than 750 seminary students in organizing, congregational development, and leadership. In addition to the Seminary Leadership Project, she also runs JOIN’s Clergy Fellowship and has trained and coached hundreds of Rabbis and Cantors, lay leaders, and staff from the Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative movements, Federations, and other communal organizations. Jeanine is currently working to create new ways to integrate traditional organizing with anti-oppression and anti-racist frameworks alongside JOIN staff and organizational partners & trainers of color, Megan Madison and Megan Black.

Before coming to JOIN to teach organizing to others, Jeannie, herself, was an organizer for 25 years. Through the Industrial Areas Foundation, she served as the lead organizer for a primarily African- and Caribbean-American-led affiliate in Queens, New York, as well as their Long Island affiliates. Jeanie led electoral campaigns in Chicago and Baton Rouge, and directed a successful statewide campaign in Illinois to stop contra aid in congress. Additionally, Jeanie has written several articles, created and directed a national foundation to faith-based organizing, and conducted two research studies on faith-based organizing.

Jordan Berg Powers is the Executive Director at Mass Alliance, where he previously served as Deputy Director of Mass Alliance. In his nine years there, he has helped elect new progressive leaders across the state, recruited progressive champions to run, and trained hundreds of grassroots organizers. In 2015 Jordan was recognized for his exceptional work in politics as an inaugural inductee into the 40 under 40 Poly Award. Using his expertise in talking to ordinary voters about progressive policy, Jordan is active in campaigns for saving public education, gender equality and more progressive tax system for the Commonwealth. He conducts trainings across the state on campaign strategy and management, candidate recruitment, progressive messaging and women in politics. Jordan has a Masters in International Politics from the London School of Oriental & African Studies as well as a B.A. in International Development and a B.A. in Economics from American University.

Rabbi Judith Kempler serves at Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, Flordia specializing in outreach and engagement with unaffiliateds in their 20s and 30s, young families and empty nesters. A graduate of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, Rabbi Kempler holds a Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature. She was ordained in May 2009. A native of Columbia, Maryland, she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies and a concentration in Modern Dance.

Upon ordination, Rabbi Kempler joined the staff at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue as the Youth Director. She also taught adult Hebrew, led Torah study and facilitated the URJ’s Introduction to Judaism course. She has also officiated at several life-cycle events, in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to working in the American Jewish community, she travelled to the Former Soviet Union to lead Passover seders and participated in an American Jewish World Service rabbinic delegation to Senegal. When not working or studying, Rabbi Kempler is an avid runner, yogi and modern dancer. She loves to cook and regularly makes a “mean” chocolate-chip challah.

ldit Klein is a national leader for social justice with more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Since 2001, she has served as the leader of Keshet, the national organization for LGBTQ equality in Jewish life. ldit built Keshet from a local organization with an annual budget of $42,000 to a national organization with an annual budget of nearly $4 million. Under her leadership, Keshet has supported tens of thousands of rabbis, educators, and other Jewish leaders to make LGBTQ equality a communal value and imperative.

Prior to leading Keshet, ldit worked in Jerusalem for Israeli-Palestinian peace and helped envision the Jerusalem Open House as a leader in the Israeli LGBTQ rights movement. A magna cum laude graduate of Yale University, ldit earned her Master’s in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a focus on social justice and anti-oppression education. She serves on the advisory board of the Safety Respect Equity Coalition and the leadership team of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable to strengthen the national Jewish social justice movement. ldit was honored by the Jewish Women’s Archive with a Women Who Dared award as well as by Jewish Women International with a Women to Watch award, and selected for the Forward 50, a list of American Jews who have made enduring contributions to public life. She lives in Boston with her wife, Jordan, son, Lior, and pup, Langston.

Dan Rosan is an experienced health care strategist with over ten years of experience in the nonprofit and private sector. Currently he supports Biogen’s Development Sciences organization as the head of Business Analytics, where he drives resource planning, performance measurement, and special projects. Prior to joining Biogen, Dan was a management consultant for a boutique firm serving the biotechnology industry, where he worked with the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies and top tier venture capital funds. He also led the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility’s health care practice for four years. Dan has a BA in History from Vassar College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.

Phil Rosenblatt is a partner at the Boston law firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish. Inspired by the Jewish Organizing Initiative’s founding Executive Director, Michael Brown, Phil joined the JOI Board many years ago and has worked with their leadership to guide the organization through a number of exciting transitions, culminating in JOIN for Justice’s collaboration with PJA & JFSJ to bring the organization to a whole new level. Phil also serves or has served on the Board of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, as Vice President and Board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, as President of the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, as an Executive Committee and a Board member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, as President of the Lincoln Station Phase I Homeowners Association in Lincoln, New Hampshire, and as a Board member of the Loon Mountain Alpine Ski Race Team, also in Lincoln, New Hampshire. Phil received a BA from Union College in Schenectady, New York, and a JD from the University of Chicago Law School. He lives in Needham, Massachusetts with his wife Nancy and dogs Hannah and Bode. Their two sons live in Washington, DC and Houston, Texas.

Evan Traylor, originally from Oklahoma City, serves as the associate director for college engagement at the Union for Reform Judaism, after spending two years as the inaugural URJ presidential fellow for millennial engagement. Evan graduated from the University of Kansas studying political science, Jewish studies, and leadership studies. He is a past NFTY president, Kansas Hillel intern, student member of the Hillel International Board of Directors, and co-founder of the Hillel International Student Cabinet.

Rabbi Lauren Tuchman received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2018 and is, as far as she is aware, the first blind woman in the world to enter the rabbinate. A sought after speaker, spiritual leader and educator, Rabbi Tuchman has taught at numerous synagogues and other Jewish venues throughout North America and was named to the Jewish Week’s 36 under 36 for her innovative leadership concerning inclusion of Jews with disabilities in all aspects of Jewish life. In 2017, she delivered an ELI Talk entitled We All Stood At Sinai: The Transformative Power of Inclusive Torah.