Each one of us has a story about how we became a Jewish Educator. For me, I was a counselor at Olin Sang Rubin Union Institute and an educator I was working with that summer noticed that I really loved planning the Jewish educational programming and said I would make a great educator. That lit a spark for me that is still burning more than 25 years later! Becoming involved in ARJE leadership followed much of the same course.
Maybe you love bringing an idea to life? Maybe you are a super connector always looking to ensure everyone has someone to make them feel a sense of belonging? Maybe you love being the organizer behind the scenes, ensuring every detail is followed through with care, or maybe you are looking for a place to practice running meetings, launching creative initiatives, or working with colleagues to feel part of an education community. Just like being a Jewish educator, being an ARJE leader fills me with joy and purpose, with a chance to learn from others and get to know my colleagues in a deeper way. And, as a result, I have been able to grow as a leader in ways I could never have imagined.
As chair of the ARJE Governance Committee, I oversee our leadership pipeline initiatives and our Board and Officer nomination processes. This year, in an effort to ensure that people who want to get involved in ARJE feel connected, informed, and prepared to step into volunteer roles, we have launched the ARJE Leadership Bootcamp, taking place right before the Annual Gathering in St. Louis, it’s a great way to learn more about ARJE, grow your leadership skills, meet new people, and take a next step in your own leadership. Have you met someone you think would be great to get more involved? Maybe you are interested in learning more yourself? We hope you can join us for a meaningful training opportunity.
We are also actively looking for people to join our Board of Directors and want to be sure we have incredible leaders at the table to help serve our organization well into the future. The ARJE Nominating Committee works to ensure our Board represents our membership; we have members of our board that serve as congregational educators, camp professionals, agency leaders and as consultants in the field. We have people who are rabbis, people who are second career educators, people who live from coast to coast, top to bottom, and right in the middle; people who were born in the States and people who moved here, people who have been in leadership a long time and people who are just starting their journey! The Board is a cross-section of ages and stages of careers and represents individuals with different personal identities and individual perspectives to enrich our entire organization.
If you are already involved as a volunteer for ARJE or know someone who is already involved and want to encourage them to take the next step, please consider nominating yourself or someone else to the ARJE Board. Whether it is entry into leadership or entry into board service, your interest in self-nomination or your consideration of a colleague will strengthen our organization for years to come.
Nominate someone to the ARJE Board: ARJE Board of Trustees Nomination
Association of Reform Jewish Educators nominate yourself: Self Nomination