Meet Our Team

***Alexandra Corwin (she/her) - Executive Director***
Alexandra is rooted in her Jewish, Ashkenazi, Peruvian, and Quechua heritages. She has a Bachelor's in Women's and Gender Studies and African Black Diaspora Studies from DePaul University. She has a Master's in Education from Harvard University, where she received the selective Urban Scholars Award. Alexandra has a certificate in Restorative Justice at the Intersections of Indigeneity, Spirituality, and Race from the Harvard Divinity School. Alexandra has served in roles as a teacher, community organizer, leadership coach, Jewish education director, diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, adjunct instructor at rabbinical school, board member of Jewish nonprofits, curriculum designer, and adult education specialist. She is the proud Executive Director of Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy.

***Sassoon Brown (they/them) - Rabbinic Intern***
Sassoon Brown is a senior rabbinical student at JTS and Wexner Graduate Fellow. Sass is passionate about learning and teaching Torah gems and Jewish texts central to their Mizrahi heritage. They have a Bachelor’s of Communication Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MFA in Creative Writing from North Carolina State University. Sass was head of programming for many summers at Camp JCC Raleigh. They have held several rabbinic student fellowships and internships. Sass was a Slifka-Nadich Fellow teaching text-based curriculum to Trans Jewish students, interned at United Synagogue Youth as a rabbinic resource, and student rabbi at Emanuel Synagogue of West Hartford and student rabbi Ft. Tryon Jewish Center. Sass has worked with teens, college students, and synagogues of multiple denominations. Sass is passionate about words, tunes, rituals, and leading with creativity. They are a published writer with a book of poems out, The Shortest Skirt in Shul, published by Ben Yehuda Press.

Rabbi Heather Miller (she/her) - NYC Ambassador

Rabbi Heather Miller is a school leader and synagogue president who is passionate about creating embracing and supportive spaces for all of the intersected identities in both the religious and secular parts of her life. Rabbi Heather merges her skill sets to work on committees and projects as a USCJ Board member, a member of UJAFedNY’s Community Resource Cabinet and the Jews of Color Initiative’s Grant Advisory Committee. She is honored to be counted as one of NY Jewish Week’s 36 to Watch 2023 and to have her work featured in the Challah and Chutzpah episode of the PBS show Table for All with Buki Elegbede. Her favorite role of all, however, is as the mother of three amazing boys who are proudly descended from both freed slaves and Holocaust survivors.

Gil Brandt (he/him) - Education Advisor

Gil Brandt is a proficient Curriculum and Learning Experience Designer. His mission is to embed the impact of professional learning and development through the use of evidence-based strategies. Driven by a deep understanding of learning mechanisms, Gil facilitates effective and inspiring learning experiences across various contexts. His years of experience in leading and designing significant professional learning programmes testify to his expertise. His foundation as a secondary school maths teacher continues to inform his professional trajectory.

***Sumner Lewis (she/her)*** - *Community & Programs Manager*
Sumner is a Manhattan-based Jewish professional, writer, advocate, and performer. She has a Bachelors in Political Science with minors in History, Communications, and Ethnic and Gender Studies from Westfield State University. She is a published author, launched and sustained JOC community, created events for young Jewish professionals around New York City, designed national inclusion policy, been a community organizer, hosted public events, is a former camp counselor and Sunday school teacher, and was the president of her Hillel’s social justice board.

***Rabbi Bobbie Rosenberg (he/him) - Denver and Boulder Ambassador***
Rabbi Baruch Rosenberg, a Yeshivat Hamivtar alumnus and Storahtelling Maven, is the founder and Spiritual Leader of Ohr HaOlam. Prior to Ohr HaOlam, Rabbi Rosenberg worked in Jewish Education serving the Temple Emanuel Denver Religious School community for over a decade. Inspired by his interactions with various disabled students over the years, Rabbi Rosenberg established Ohr HaOlam as a new, virtual Jewish community dedicated to ensuring full inclusion of all disabled Jewish individuals in all aspects of Jewish life. Born and raised in the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Rosenberg pulls from his own spiritual practice with Chasidic traditions to bring the underlying message that everyone can learn Chasidus and Kabbalah and use these tools to create achdut (unity) within our communities.

***Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum (she/her) - Boston Ambassador***
Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum is the Rabbi of Congregational Learning and Programming at TBZ Brookline in Brookline, MA. She received rabbinic ordination as well as a Master’s of Jewish Education from Hebrew College in Newton, MA, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Rabbi Tiferet formerly served as senior rabbi and education director at congregations in Milwaukee, WI, and in Mt. Holly, NJ. She is a 2021 Covenant Foundation Pomegranate Prize recipient in recognition of her leadership in Jewish education.

Meet Our Board Members

Rabbi Heather Miller (she/her) - Board Chair

***Tema Smith (she/her) - Board Member***
Tema Smith is a diversity advocate, writer and Jewish community builder. She is currently the Director of Jewish Outreach & Partnerships for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and a contributing columnist at the Forward. Tema was previously the Director of Professional Development at 18Doors, before which, she spent seven years as a synagogue professional, most recently as Director of Community Engagement at Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto’s oldest synagogue.
A recipient of the 2022 JPro Young Professionals Award, Tema speaks and trains frequently on racial equity, diversity and antisemitism for synagogues, Jewish organizations, and community groups across North America. She holds certificates in Instructing Adults from George Brown College, and Leadership and Inclusion through the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion and Centennial College.
*Tema lives in her hometown of Toronto with her two extraordinarily stubborn shih tzu sidekicks, her pour over coffee gear, and way too many books.*

Jordan Berg Powers (he/him) - Board Member

Jordan Berg Powers is the former Executive Director at Mass Alliance. In his 13 years there, he has helped elect new leaders across the state, recruited candidates 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 policy, Jordan started leading organizations to save public education, increasing economic opportunity and a more progressive tax system for the Commonwealth. He is currently consulting on organizing, diversity equity and inclusion, and non-profit management.

In his free time, Jordan serves as a Zoning Board Commissioner for the City of Worcester. He is also on the Board of JOIN for Justice, MassBudget, Partners in Democracy, Jewish Liberation Fund, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) - Boston Area, Teen Just-Us, The Commission on Social Action (CSA) of Reform Judaism and the RAC Massachusetts. In 2018 Jordan was part of the JewV’Nation Fellowship, the fellowship is a leadership development program for visionary Jewish leaders across North America.