Labs

AI 101 for JCC Professionals

This interactive hands-on session will demystify artificial intelligence and equip you with the tools you need to begin using AI confidently in your daily work and share informally with your teams. You will explore key platforms, including ChatGPT; learn time-saving applications; and gain a basic understanding of how AI works. We’ll also discuss core principles around ethical use, privacy, and confidentiality. You will leave the session energized, equipped, and connected.

FACILITATOR: Michael Bresler, founder, Broadheights

Creating Communities of Belonging: Engaging Interfaith Families With Young Children

Interfaith families seeking to live Jewishly often face barriers that prevent them from full inclusion in Jewish life. Using demographic data and the latest research on belonging, we will explore the diversity of Jewish families, historical obstacles to belonging for interfaith families, and how to assess and deepen belonging for interfaith families, particularly those with young children, in your JCC or JCC Camp. You’ll leave this interactive session with concrete steps to build communities of belonging for interfaith families in your JCC or JCC Camp.

FACILITATOR: Miriam Wajnberg, director of professional development, 18Doors

Crisis Communications Planning 101

Most institutions face some sort of challenging situation, or even a crisis, at some point. It is essential to be prepared to best manage, address, communicate to key audiences, and ultimately, move forward from the situation. Emerging successfully with the ongoing trust of constituents requires careful planning, clear division of labor and approval processes, and clarity and consistency in messaging.

West End Strategy Team is experienced in working alongside organizations, including many in the Jewish community, to develop a foundation for response to potential situations that increase the ability to manage such situations and emerge in the best possible position for the future. This session will support you and your teams in considering potential scenarios and preparing communications materials in advance.

FACILITATOR: Samantha Kupferman, West End Strategy Team

Designing Experiences with End Users in Mind

Discover how being intentional can turn community members’ touchpoints into encounters that help them connect, belong, and yearn for more in your JCC or JCC Camp. In this Lab, we’ll consider members’ experiences as they interact and engage—in both big and small ways—in your community. You’ll learn how thoughtfully planning, structuring and implementing experiences can have positive effects, including creating strong social connections among participants.

FACILITATORS:
Erica Frankel, executive director, Assembly
Graham Hoffman, chief strategy officer, Assembly

Empowering Communities: Creating Effective Jewish Volunteer Service-Learning Projects 

Join Repair the World to learn pedagogy and methodology to design ethical and effective Jewish service-learning projects that integrate direct service and education and create meaningful connections for and with your community members. You will gain accessible, practical, tools and strategies to take home to your community, drawing on best practices from JCCs that have professionals who have successfully implemented Jewish service-learning projects as members of Tzedek: Jewish Service-Learning cohort, a JCC Talent offering in partnership with Repair the World. No prior service or Jewish learning experience is required to attend.

FACILITATOR: Hannah Grossman, director, field activation, education, and learning, Repair the World

Engaging in Challenging Conversations About Israel

The ongoing war in Israel affects our communities in significant ways, especially when the opinions, perspectives, and emotions are so diverse, layered, and complex. Join us to explore the challenges of these conversations and consider successful approaches to talk about this ever-evolving conflict. This session is geared to C-Suite professionals attending ProCon and welcome to all.

FACILITATOR: Keren Fraiman, Ph.D., vice president and chief academic officer, Spertus Institute

No More Guessing: Culture by Design, Not by Default

Let’s explore what truly drives a healthy workplace and reveal the core talent and workplace norms that further connection, engagement, and actually move the needle. Backed by data, deep expertise, and real-world tools, this Lab will ensure you leave with a fresh framework to build a culture in which people don’t just stay, they thrive!

FACILITATORS:
Alena Akselrod, vice president, Outreach and Engagement, Leading Edge 
Dana Childress, vice president, Leading Places to Work, Leading Edge

Self-Care Is Not Selfish: Build Resilience in Yourself and Your Community

Caring for yourself is key to sustaining the energy and resilience needed to serve others effectively.  In this Lab, you’ll learn from the leaders of the Be Well Initiative and Blue Dove Foundation, who are known to provide practical self-care strategies designed to support physical, mental, and emotional health and strengthen your capacity to support your organization and community. You’ll leave with concrete, actionable resources you can weave into both daily interactions and community efforts. By learning and modeling these tools, you can ultimately help you and your JCC or JCC Camp team to foster well-being, reduce stress, and create positive change.

FACILITATORS:
Carly Coons, Director of Programming and Resiliency Roundtable, BeWell
Beth Lipschutz, Director of Education and Training, BeWell 

Using Storytelling To Share the Impact of Your JCC or JCC Camp

Metrics tell us what happened, but stories reveal why it matters. In this Lab, we’ll explore how storytelling can transform the way you communicate your JCC’s impact. Together, we’ll practice using an adaptable framework to shape and share stories that illuminate transformation and inspire action. Whether engaging the board, staff, or members, you’ll learn to convey the impact of your organization in a way that truly sticks.

FACILITATORS: Jodie Goldberg, founder and principal, Fleurish Consulting Inc.

From Hire to Inspire: Working With Early Career Professionals

Getting early career professionals to join your team is just the beginning—keeping them inspired, supported, connected, and growing is where the real magic happens. In this Lab, we'll share field-tested strategies for recruiting, onboarding, and nurturing the newest generation of Jewish community leaders, helping you become the kind of manager who gives consistent feedback to support growth and development and helps champion their success. Together, we’ll explore how to build a workplace culture in which early career staff feel valued, empowered, and excited to stay for the long haul.

FACILITATOR: Leah Palestrant, Director, Springboard Fellowship, Hillel International

From Vision to Victory: Strategic Planning That Sticks

Every JCC has a mission, but turning that mission into a plan that has an impact on your community requires more than good intentions—it requires a clear, practical strategy. In this session, we will explore how to craft a focused, realistic, and actionable strategic plan, avoiding the common pitfalls that cause plans to collect dust. You will leave with simple tools and fresh ideas to engage your board, staff, and stakeholders in building a plan that truly drives results.

FACILITATOR: Brian Hayden, president, Collaborative Strategies, Inc.

JCC Budgeting: Think Like a Business Owner

Budgeting shouldn’t feel like a burden or a mystery. In this Lab, we’ll demystify the concepts and numbers that matter and explore the strategies and philosophies that guide smart, mission-aligned financial decisions.

From agency-wide budgeting principles to program-specific planning, we’ll cover these topics: connecting dollars to outcomes, strategic program planning and evaluation, the Mission/Money Matrix: balancing values and viability, and communicating budget decisions with clarity and confidence.

Whether you’re new to budgeting or need a quick refresher, you will leave the session more informed, empowered, and aligned with your organization’s financial goals and mission.

FACILITATOR: Paul Lurie, chief executive officer, JCC of Greater Baltimore

Ready, Set, Secure: Security Considerations for Your JCC or JCC Camp

The only thing harder than planning for a crisis is trying to explain why you didn’t. In this session, you’ll learn how to make sure you’re prepared to respond—not react—to what may come your way. It could make all the difference.

FACILITATOR: Phil Neidringhaus, regional director, Secure Community Network

Recruit, Retain, Thrive: Building a Volunteer Journey That Lasts

Successfully managing volunteers involves more than coordination. It means creating systems that maximize contributions and foster positive experiences. Through effective, appreciation-focused recruitment, training, engagement, and retention, your JCC or JCC Camp can optimize volunteers’ journeys so they feel like true partners in the work. Come learn how making a serious commitment to volunteers can deepen their impact and accelerate growth in your organization.

FACILITATOR: Hannah Grossman, director, field activation, education, and learning, Repair the World

Renewing Your Creative and Leadership Spark: Studio Habits of Mind

This playful, self-care and rejuvenating hands-on Lab led by Jewish Studio Project invites JCC professionals in any role to explore short Jewish texts through the lens of creativity. Using an accessible mix of guided prompts, art materials, and connective group discussion, we will cultivate “studio habits of mind”: fun, adaptable, imaginative mindsets that support leadership, collaboration, and grounded decision-making. You will leave with simple, effective, and compelling practices for grounding and recentering yourself during the workday, creative mindset shifts, and renewed personal inspiration to bring to your JCC work.

FACILITATORS:

Leenie Baker Gindy, director of partnerships, Jewish Studio Project
Jeff Kasowitz, co-founder and executive director, Jewish Studio Project 

The Strategy of Belonging: Creating Radically Welcoming Jewish Communities

As connectors, it is vitally important we move from seeing diversity as an ideal to making belonging a reality for Jews of Color—and for the entire Jewish community. In this interactive session, Arya Marvazy, JoCI’s senior director of programs, will provide concrete tools that will help JCC and JCC Camp professionals in building cultures that reflect, honor, and serve Jews of Color. Together, we’ll explore how to shape Jewish spaces that go beyond welcoming—where belonging becomes the heart of participation and community life.

FACILITATOR: Arya Markavy, senior director of programs, Jews of Color Initiative 

Turning Crisis Into Opportunity

Although a complicated situation can often feel like a crisis, when handled well, there is often room to turn such a situation into an opportunity for positive awareness-building of your mission.

Strategic communications firm West End Strategy Team, experienced in working alongside organizations, including many in the Jewish community, to emerge in the best possible position for the future from all kinds of situations, will lead an interactive session that identifies and considers scenarios and strategies to create positive media and stakeholder attention.

FACILITATOR: Samantha Kupferman, West End Strategy Team

You Can Be a Performance and Leadership Star

Join us to learn the ways top athletes, entertainers, and educators achieve a peak physical and psychological state—quickly and consistently. In this highly interactive, hands-on, and fun Lab, we’ll explore the powerful techniques (called STAR State) you too can use to bring the best version of yourself to all facets of your work—and your life. You can be a rockstar!

FACILITATOR: Rick Recht, Jewish artist and leader

AI 101 for JCC Professionals

This interactive hands-on session will demystify artificial intelligence and equip you with the tools you need to begin using AI confidently in your daily work and share informally with your teams. You will explore key platforms, including ChatGPT; learn time-saving applications; and gain a basic understanding of how AI works. We’ll also discuss core principles around ethical use, privacy, and confidentiality. You will leave the session energized, equipped, and connected.

FACILITATOR: Michael Bresler, founder, Broadheights

The Answer Is Yes, Now What is Your Question?

Exceptional customer service and hospitality is more than solving problems; it’s all about creating meaningful, lasting connections. In this interactive Lab, learn how to foster a culture in which every interaction builds loyalty, enhances your brand, and promotes retention. We’ll explore practical strategies to enhance communication, handle challenges with grace, and deliver hospitality that inspires. You’ll come away with tools to strengthen relationships and ensure your team consistently delivers service that delights.

FACILITATORS: Bonnie Patrick-Mattalian, chief experience officer, Kaplen JCC on the Palisades

Beyond ADA Compliance: Building Communities of Belonging (Disability Inclusion)

Disability inclusion is more than accessibility—it is about fostering belonging in all parts of JCC life. Using JCC Association’s Eight Guiding Principles on Inclusion, this interactive session will provide practical tools to strengthen disability inclusion practices in your daily work and across your organization. You will explore inclusive language, proactive strategies, and cultural shifts that move your JCC beyond compliance toward a community that is rooted in Jewish values and welcomes every individual. Hands-on activities and discussions will deepen your understanding of how to apply the principles of disability inclusion, and you will leave with concrete practices to help everyone—members, staff, and guests—feel fully seen and valued. 

FACILITATOR: Sierra Weiss, JCC inclusion specialist and JCC Maccabi® Access director, JCC Association of North America

Building A Coaching Culture At Your JCC

What does it take to create a workplace in which growth is expected and supported? This Lab explores how JCCs and JCC Camps can foster a coaching mindset across departments and roles—where feedback is normalized, reflective practice is encouraged, and professional development is ongoing. Key topics will include what coaching is—and isn’t, shifting from problem solving to inquiry, encouraging peer-to-peer coaching moments, and practical ways to integrate coaching into team meetings, one-on-ones, and reviews. You will learn simple, scalable strategies to immediately start embedding coaching behaviors into your everyday leadership practices.

FACILITATOR: Maya Dolgin, Dolgin Leadership Group

Fundraising 101: Storytelling That Builds Community and Inspires Giving

Fundraising is more than just asking for money—it’s about sharing the powerful stories that bring JCC and JCC Camp communities to life. Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have to build trust, inspire action, and deepen connections with members, donors, and individuals. In this interactive Lab, we’ll explore how authentic storytelling enhances every aspect of JCC professional practice, from community engagement to team leadership to fundraising. You’ll learn how to uncover and share stories that reflect the values, mission, and impact of your JCC or JCC Camp. Through real-world examples and hands-on exercises, you'll leave with actionable tools to strengthen your communication and engagement efforts across departments and focus areas. Together, we’ll discover how your voice can ignite generosity and help shape the future of your community.

FACILITATOR: Jessica Grossnickle, director of fundraising services, Evolve Giving Group 

The Gathering Effect: Tools to Design Powerful Gatherings 

Community isn’t built by programs alone; it’s created by how we bring people together. In this session, you’ll gain a practical framework and hands-on tools to design meetings and gatherings that are intentional and memorable. Whether you’re planning to lead a staff meeting or facilitate a Jewish holiday celebration, the strategies you learn will help transform routine moments into meaningful experiences that building connection and will strengthen community throughout your JCC or JCC Camp.

FACILITATOR: Jodie Goldberg, founder and principal, Fleurish Consulting Inc..

Partnering With the People: Working With Lay Leaders and Committees

Savvy and nuance are required ingredients when engaging and connecting with lay leaders and key stakeholders—whether they are volunteers, committee members, or critical partners in your work. Learn how to best develop forward-thinking, motivated, and collaborative lay-leader teams that strive to use their expertise in ways that advance the mission of your JCC or JCC Camp and are valuable to both lay leaders and staff.

FACILITATOR: Dori Denelle, senior vice president, Executive Leadership and Board Governance, JCC Association of North America

Pride and Joy: Advancing LGBTQ+ Belonging in Jewish Life

This session will provide tools and guidance for creating LGBTQ+-inclusive Jewish spaces that celebrate the full diversity of our communities. You’ll explore core concepts, terminology, and real-world scenarios to build confidence in fostering belonging for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Leave with practical strategies to make your programs, policies, and culture more affirming and inclusive.

FACILITATORS: 
Rabbi Eliana Kayelle, Bay Area education and training manager, Keshet
Eli Lurie Sobel, Greater Boston education and training manager, Keshet

Reimagining Israel Engagement: A Collaborative Journey for JCCs and JCC Camps

In today’s complex landscape, JCCs must foster meaningful connections with Israel while serving diverse communities. This session presents a six-month process that unites staff, lay leaders, and members to create an Israel engagement framework tailored to your community’s values. Learn a methodology that transcends political divides, see it in action through the Baltimore JCC’s success, and experience hands-on exercises that model key steps. You’ll gain practical tools and facilitation strategies to guide respectful, values-based conversations—empowering your community to shape its own approach to Israel that builds understanding, strengthens Jewish peoplehood, and creates lasting bonds.

FACILITATORS: 
Leah Garber, senior vice president | director general, Center for Israel Engagement, JCC Association of North America
Uria Roth, project director, Mit-habrim Initiative, Center for Israel Engagement, JCC Association of North America
Sara Shalva, chief arts officer, JCC of Greater Baltimore

Renewing Your Creative and Leadership Spark: Studio Habits of Mind

This playful, self-care and rejuvenating hands-on Lab led by Jewish Studio Project invites JCC professionals in any role to explore short Jewish texts through the lens of creativity. Using an accessible mix of guided prompts, art materials, and connective group discussion, we will cultivate “studio habits of mind”: fun, adaptable, imaginative mindsets that support leadership, collaboration, and grounded decision-making. You will leave with simple, effective, and compelling practices for grounding and recentering yourself during the workday, creative mindset shifts, and renewed personal inspiration to bring to your JCC work.

FACILITATORS: 

Leenie Baker Gindy, director of partnerships, Jewish Studio Project
Jeff Kasowitz, co-founder and executive director, Jewish Studio Project 

Technology and Data Trends That Shape a Smarter Revenue Mix

Each JCC blends membership, childcare, camps, events, and programs differently—and every department has untapped opportunities to contribute to financial resilience. In this session, JCC leaders and a Daxko expert will share how technology and data can help both executives and program staff spot new revenue opportunities across childcare, camp, membership, and more—based on proven practices from JCC peers; use departmental and organizational data to identify trends, measure impact, and guide decisions; and use flexible fee models to offset critical operational costs and create new revenue streams. You’ll walk away with a practical toolkit of ideas—from identifying the right KPIs in your data to exploring innovative approaches for diversifying revenue—that can be applied at the organizational and department level to drive new revenue, protect margins, and support long-term growth.

FACILITATOR:    TBD

You Can Be a Performance and Leadership Star

Join us to learn the ways top athletes, entertainers, and educators achieve a peak physical and psychological state—quickly and consistently. In this highly interactive, hands-on, and fun Lab, we’ll explore the powerful techniques (called STAR State) you too can use to bring the best version of yourself to all facets of your work—and your life. You can be a rockstar!

FACILITATOR: Rick Recht, Jewish artist and leader