Advanced Leadership Development Program (ALDP) Class of 2020 | 5780

ALDP CLASS OF 2020 | 5780

STEPHANIE AARONSON Stephanie recently relocated to from , Pennsylvania. She spent the last two years as Director of Teen Engagement and Leadership at the JCC, including leading a 12-month-long Jewish teen leadership organization called Diller Teen Fellows. Prior to that, she worked in fundraising and alumni relations at the University of Pittsburgh while earning her Master of Public Administration degree. She enjoys getting to know a new city through running and finding lively restaurants. Through ALDP, Stephanie hopes to broaden her understanding of Judaism and Jewish leadership, while learning more about the great organizations and leaders in this area. MENTOR: Alayne Sulkin

JOANNE (ZHANNA) ANSOLIS

Joanne "Zhanna" Ansolis is a professional project manager currently working at Providence/St. Joseph's Healthcare System. She started her career as a Russian Interpreter at Hopelink, was one of the young adult volunteers for the JDC trip to Khabarovsk back in 2010, and is married to Michael, a Soviet Jew from . She has been engaged in various Jewish organizations in the Seattle area, such as JFS and Jconnect, and is hoping to create creative and successful programs related to social justice. MENTOR: David Isenberg

RONIT DROKER The opportunity to become a part of ALDP is an honor for Ronit. ALDP embodies strong cultural values and programs that will bridge her past leadership experiences with her goals of broadening her exposure to Seattle’s Jewish community. As young as high school, Ronit was active in the B’nai Brith Youth Organization, serving as chapter president and on the regional board. She further developed her values of leadership, teamwork, and attention to detail through her work as a graphic designer and her experience volunteering as a room parent at her son’s Jewish-Israeli preschool. Though a -area native, Ronit has enjoyed raising her two boys with her husband here in the Northwest. She has a large extended family in Seattle and looks forward to deepening her roots here for many years to come. MENTOR: Lisa Brashem

ADAM ENGEL

Adam Even Engel is Bostonian by birth, Mizrahi by heritage, and Seattleite by choice. By day, he teaches freshman biology at Evergreen High School in White Center. By night, he serves as a lay leader in the Seattle Jewish community, hosting multiple events each month through Moishe House Without Walls. Previous events have included a discussion of the Jewish afterlife, a Tu B’Av celebration of male friendship, and an annual Passover seder using a custom-written haggadah. In his spare time, Adam enjoys karaoke and competitive punning, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2019 O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships this past May. Through ALDP, Adam hopes to learn the ins and outs of organizational leadership in the interest of giving back to the Jewish community at large. MENTOR: Michele Rosen

ALLIE ERICKSON Allie Hauser-Erickson, MA, ET, is the Elementary School Dean at the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Duke University, a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching from City University of Seattle, and a post-master’s certification in Educational Therapy from the University of California. Allie is the proud recipient of the 2018 Maria Erlitz Excellence in Education Award. Her passion is creating classrooms in which every learner receives an education where he or she can experience school success, be challenged, and develop his or her own personal Jewish identity. Allie is beyond excited to join ALDP this year to collaborate with other passionate young leaders and mentors, working together to grow ideas, create new connections to our Jewish values, and enact real change for members of the Seattle Jewish community. MENTOR: Iantha Sidell

MATT FELDMAN

Matt is a husband and father of three young children. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing hockey and golf, and time outdoors. Matt works for Microsoft as a Senior Program Manager in Azure Cloud. Raising a young family in the Seattle-area Jewish community, Matt hopes to become more involved in the building of a sustainable future for the community. The program will provide a steppingstone to start building a network of Jewish leaders and preparation to become a future community leader. Matt would also like to help organize and promote more young family programming throughout the community. MENTOR: Rob Spitzer

EMMA GRUNBERG Emma is an attorney who grew up in Tacoma and has recently returned to the Seattle area after time spent in the South and Alaska and on the East Coast. Through ALDP, she hopes to deepen her involvement with and leadership in the Jewish community here and she is excited to meet her fellow participants. MENTOR: Al Maimon

HANNAH HERMAN Hannah is an art curator, stager, interior designer, and artist with a passion for environmental and social justice. She views rooms as the ultimate art installation. Just like soup, art feeds her soul. Hannah is looking forward to learning more about leadership, entrepreneurship, and social justice advocacy within the Jewish community. She hopes to make meaningful connections with others who have similar mindsets and learn leadership skills necessary to grow as a professional and active member of the Seattle Jewish community. Hannah is excited to be a recent addition to the Federation team as an Events & Social Media Associate. MENTOR: Cara Abrams-Simonton

ANDREW KRANSELER

Andrew is excited to be a part of the Federation's 2019-2020 ALDP cohort and is looking forward to adding to his local network and becoming more active in the Seattle Jewish community. Andrew currently works as a Strategic Account Manager at Amazon and has lived in the Seattle area for nearly his whole life. Andrew now lives in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle and enjoys biking whenever it's not raining and attending new events in Seattle. MENTOR: Steve Hemmat

LYDIA LIPPOLD-GELB

Lydia is a community organizer working to foster strong political participation and civic engagement among community members. She is passionate about youth activism and works to lift up and support the next generation of leaders. Lydia works with GALvanize USA, an organization that empowers women to be active and informed voters and support solutions that advance progress for all. Outside of work, Lydia enjoys spending time with friends, discovering new recipes, and volunteering on campaigns. As a native Seattleite, Lydia grew up within a strong Jewish community, and after being away for college and work, she is now looking to find her place within this community once again. She is excited about the opportunity to connect with fellow leaders, to learn and grow together, and to help ensure that young people are shaping the Jewish community moving forward. MENTOR: Karen Treiger

BRAD LOWENSTEIN

Brad recently moved to Seattle from and is eager to get involved with the Jewish community here in the Pacific Northwest. He is a software engineer at Stackline, a startup helping brands position themselves on third party retailers through the use of advanced analytics. Brad is looking forward to learning about how Jewish leaders with secular and non-secular roles in Seattle relate to their Jewish identities. He is looking forward to meeting and learning from similarly community-focused throughout the ALDP. MENTOR: Steve Loeb

JAMES O’CONNELL James is a 27-year old environmental engineer who has been living in Seattle for about a year. He was born and raised outside of New York City and lived in South Florida for eight years before attending the University of Florida. James moved to Northern Virginia in 2014 to work for a federal consulting firm, developing industrial wastewater regulations and natural resource management plans. He was appointed to a technical advisory commission for Arlington County and volunteered at the National Museum of American History. James’ Jewish journey really began as an adult, and 2019 has been a banner year with his acceptance to Birthright Israel Fellows Cohort 10, becoming a Bar Mitzvah, receiving the Nachshon Jconnect Award for Leadership from Hillel UW, and now his acceptance to Federation’s ALDP. He hopes to blend his passions for service and community through this program as well as gain tangible skills for leadership. MENTOR: Connie Kanter

ALEXANDRA (ALEX) SCHWARTZ Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, Alex Schwartz moved to Seattle, Washington 7+ years ago for graduate school at the University of Washington to pursue her Master’s Degree in Social Work. Alex has had a varied professional career from public health program implementation and growth, non-profit and grant management, healthcare consulting, business development, and client relations. Alex is looking to grow not only in her career as a leader, but also as an individual. She has a dream of combining her social work background with her love for the outdoors. Alex hopes to use her previous professional experience, education, and passion to explore her own ability of creating and leading outdoor retreats to empower young Jewish women. MENTOR: Elizabeth Siegel

ERYK WALIGORA

Eryk is currently a graduate student at the University of

Washington pursuing an M.S. in Information Management and an M.A. in International Studies, and studying Mandarin

Chinese. Originally from , Illinois, Eryk grew up in southern California and attended the University of California,

Los Angeles (UCLA). He has a strong professional background, having interned for L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s small business council, worked for several international tech startups in market research, became a contract Associate

Producer at NBCUniversal, and supported East Asia new business development for an international export company. His goals are to deepen his foreign affairs interest and to hone his data management skills in order to pivot into a career in global business strategy and consulting. Previously, Eryk was a student executive board member at the UCLA Hillel and an Onward Israel Fellow. His motivation in applying to the ALDP is to contribute his leadership, experience, and character to the city, its residents, and particularly the Seattle Jewish community. A foundational belief for Eryk is to constantly give back through service. In doing so, he hopes to enrich the cultural and social Jewish experience in this city with his personal brand of compassion and hard work. Eryk looks forward to working with others to support causes in social justice, empowerment, mental health, environmental awareness, and homelessness. MENTOR: Jacquie Wiviott

WILL WRIGHT

Will is a Seattle-area transplant, hailing from Georgia. He served 7 years in the U.S. Army and currently works as a consultant in the tech industry. While in college, Will was a brother of Zeta Beta Tau, Hillel, and Chabad. Since moving to Washington, he has been active in Jconnect, Moishe House, and Sephardic Young Professionals. Will is currently on the Social Action committee of Temple Beth Or and a Moishe House Without Walls host. MENTOR: Lorna Isenberg

PROGRAM LEADERS

JENNA HANAUER | Program Leader

Jenna is the Leadership & Young Adult Engagement Program Manager for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Jenna feels most satisfied helping people find their connection to Jewish life in Seattle! She is a California native who has lived in a handful of cities in the U.S. and Europe. Jenna has a BA in International Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a MSW from Columbia University. She and her husband, Zach, are really into food and wine and love spending time outside with their puppy Molly!

RABBI SAMUEL KLEIN | Program Leader

Samuel directs the Jewish engagement portfolio for the Federation, ensuring that our programs align with the organization’s mission and values. In the everyday, Samuel is involved in generating, developing, and implementing ideas to engage people in Jewish life through formative and immersive experiences. A rabbi, educator, and artist, Samuel holds graduate degrees in Theology from Cambridge University and History of Art from University College , and was trained as a teaching artist at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. When not thinking about how to foster meaningful Jewish connections, you can find him at the Seattle Art Museum, hiking, or running the loop at Seward Park! Samuel is joined in Seattle by his wife, Gilah, an academic.