Intentional Networking

Monday, February 2: 5:45-6:30 p.m.

Choose your own networking experiences on the campus of the Marcus JCC, and you’ll find relationship-building can be engaging, energizing, and fun!

Finding Humor in Our Work: Many of us grapple with intense topics, large teams, and complex community challenges. The moments of humor we encounter – or the ways we stay grounded – often reveal a lot about how we lead. Join us for an honest, and hopefully comical, discussion with Lynn Wittles, EMD Consulting.  (Sophie Hirsch Srochi Discovery)

Prioritizing Creativity: Sip and paint with a cocktail in one hand and a paintbrush in the other, connect with your colleagues while discussing how you create space for creativity in both your work and your life. Led by Ms. Pink, owner of Atlanta’s Doodle Art Studio. (Old Computer Lab)

Hosting & Hospitality: While you may no longer be the person schlepping the food orders or ensuring you have enough, hospitality remains central to our work. Build cheese boards together and share how you think about hospitality in your agency. Led by Lisa Long, director of culinary programs at the Marcus JCC. (Brill Room 1)

Decompressing: Find a hobby – or in this case, bourbon. The work is hard, managing people can be even harder, and everyone needs a way to decompress. Take some time to share how you unwind, or how you’d like to begin doing it. Bourbon tasting led by Matt Spengler of Atlanta’s Empire Distributors. (Brill Room 3)

What Fills Your Jewish Cup? How do you nurture yourself Jewishly while deeply embedded in Jewish work?  Do you? Do you want to? Learn with and from one another in conversation with Kelly Cohen, senior director experiential Jewish education at the Marcus JCC. (Brill Room 2)

 Bundle Up & Campsite Walk: If it’s not too cold to walk and talk, come explore the beautiful Marcus JCC campus. Enjoy fresh air and fresh ideas. (Meet on Main Street)

Connect, Kvell, and Kibbutz: Jewish camps are joyful, messy, mission-driven ecosystems—let’s kibbutz and kvetch, around very real operational pressures of running camp today. Led by Danny Herz, executive director of Camp Barney Medintz, a Marcus JCC camp. (Brill Room 5)

Finding You in the Israel Conversation: It’s one thing to make decisions about Israel engagement in your work, but how do you personally connect with Israel? Take a deep dive into both the light and the polarity around Israel with your colleagues and Roey Shoshan, senior director, philanthropic engagement at the Marcus JCC. (Brill Room 4)

Tuesday, February 3: 9:05-9:50 a.m.

Participate in peer-facilitated, focused conversations that happen best in-person with people who truly understand the work, and there’s room to acknowledge vulnerability, challenges, and problems to be solved.

JCCs with Owned or Operated Resident Camps: Let’s commiserate. Let’s celebrate! (Berlin)

Retirement on the Horizon: I’m conflicted. I’m excited. How might I stay connected? (Kern)

Holding the Whole Person & Still Being the Boss: Managing people and their lives can feel overwhelming. How do you maintain a healthy, person-centered approach while still getting the job done? (Rodgers) 

Integrated Communities: JCCs, Federations and beyond—for those already living this model or those who see it on the horizon. (Foster)

JCCs with 50% or More Members of Other Faiths: How do you maintain the “J” when leading a primarily non-Jewish community, especially when both lay and professional leadership are Jewish? (Copeland)

Three-Year Tenure: How’s it going? (Bernstein Ballroom)

Seven-Year (Itch) Tenure: Staying fresh, excited – or wondering if it’s time to move on? (Bernstein Ballroom)

Fifteen-Plus Years: Wow, how has it been that long? And, honestly, how can it feel like forever? (Bernstein Ballroom)

Tuesday, February 3: 5-6 p.m.

Women’s Leadership: A return of a much-requested sacred space for women-identifying leaders across. The JCC Movement. (Hotel Suite, pending )