| JFN West Annual Convening Speakers |
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Katherina Rosqueta Katherina ‘Kat’ M. Rosqueta is the founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, faculty co-director of High Impact Philanthropy Academy, and adjunct faculty in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2 Founded as a collaboration between SP2 and alumni of the Wharton School, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy is the premier source of knowledge and education on how philanthropy can do more good. Before accepting her appointment to launch the Center, Kat was a consultant with McKinsey & Company; a consultant to the founding team of New Schools Venture Fund; founding director of Board Match Plus, a San Francisco program dedicated to strengthening nonprofit boards; and program manager of Wells Fargo’s Corporate Community Development Group. She has held numerous civic leadership positions including board president of La Casa de las Madres (San Francisco’s oldest and largest shelter for battered women and their children), chair of the United Way’s Bay Area Week of Caring, co-founder and executive committee member of the Women’s MBA Network, board secretary and governance committee chair of Guidestar and chair of the board of Candid (merger of Foundation Center and Guidestar), the world’s largest source of information on nonprofits and foundations. In addition, she serves on the national board of Greenlight Fund, a venture philanthropy fund dedicated to addressing urgent social needs cities around the United States, and co-chairs Greenlight Fund Philadelphia. Her work and comments have been cited in numerous publications including the New York Times, Slate, Money Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. She speaks frequently on social impact management and philanthropy and has lectured at the Wharton Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, University of California Haas School of Business, and the University of San Francisco’s Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management. Kat received her a BA from Yale University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was the 2012 recipient of the Wharton Women in Business Kathleen McDonald Distinguished Alumna Award, a 2011 recipient of the Brava! Women Business Achievement Award, and the 2020 recipient of the Margaret Bailey Speer Award.
Richard A. Marker Richard Marker is faculty co-director for the High Impact Philanthropy Academy. Marker has been in the philanthropy world for many years: as the last CEO of the Bronfman/Seagram Foundation, a trustee of several others, and a speaker to foundations, wealth management firms, and philanthropy conferences in 40 countries. Recently referred to as an “eminence grise” in the philanthropy field, In his work as a philanthropy advisor and co-principal of the Institute for Wise Philanthropy™, Marker has taught and worked with large and small foundations as well as individual philanthropists. His distinctive approach to funder strategy is now utilized by many in the field. He specializes in inter-generational issues and succession, aligning focus, policy, and funding priorities, and in working with boards on developing successful decision-making strategies. He also coined the term “philanthro-ethics” reflecting his expertise in ethics for the funder and grantmaking field. In addition to his faculty role at Penn, Marker has taught philanthropists and foundation professionals from around the world since 2000 at NYU, where he was recognized with the NYU Excellence in Teaching Award, and for foundations and regional associations in many of the US States and several other countries. He has also had academic appointments at Hofstra, Loyola of Chicago, and, from 1971-82, at Brown University. In addition to his academic appointments, over a professional career that began in 1968, Marker has been a university chaplain, International Vice President of Hillel International, a management consultant in the for-profit sector in addition to his roles in the philanthropy world. He has also served voluntary elected leadership positions in many NFP/NGOs. He is married to his partner in the Institute for Wise Philanthropy™, Mirele Goldsmith, PhD, an environmentalist and nationally recognized expert in program evaluation.
Andrés Spokoiny Andrés is a longtime Jewish communal leader with a history of leading successful organizational transformations. He served as the CEO of Federation CJA in Montreal and, prior to that, Andrés worked for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Community (JDC) in Paris. As Regional Director for Northeast Europe, he was responsible for a number of pan-European projects. While at JDC, Andrés also served as the Director of Leatid Europe, a leadership training institute for Before his Jewish communal work, Andres worked for IBM and was responsible for training, development, hiring, and recruitment for IBM's Latin America Southern Region during a period of major restructuring. Originally from Argentina, Andres has a multidisciplinary academic background including business, education, and rabbinical studies in different institutions around the world. He is fluent in Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Yiddish, and is proficient in Russian and German.
Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu The founding director of four start-up Jewish organizations, Rebecca served most recently as Director of the Engagement Division at Hadassah: The Women’s Zionist Organization. Selected as one of the “Most Inspirational Rabbis in America” by The Forward, she is former Director of Clal’s Rabbis Without Borders, a pluralist network of rabbis dedicated to serving the needs of all people through the creative use of Jewish wisdom. Rebecca is also the founder and CEO of RabbiCareers.com, making it easier for rabbis and communities of all types to find one another. Rabbi Sirbu has consulted for synagogues, organizations, and individuals on leadership development, building creative capacity, actualizing ideas, and how to work across religious and cultural borders. In addition, she is a co-founder of the Gender Equity in Hiring Project which brings the best practices in gender-balanced hiring to lay and professional leaders. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Vassar College, Rebecca holds a master’s degree and ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship from Columbia Business School.
Tzivia Schwartz Getzug Tzivia creates opportunities for network members to connect, to engage, and to strengthen and leverage their philanthropic work. Tzivia has a degree in Jewish studies from UCLA and a law degree from Loyola Law School. She practiced labor and business law for several years before becoming the Western States Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League. There, Tzivia was responsible for the civil rights work of ADL’s seven offices in the 13 Western states. She left the ADL to work with DreamWorks’ founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, as the Community Liaison on DreamWorks Animation’s first animated film, "The Prince of Egypt." Tzivia's extensive experience includes five years as the founding executive director of Jewish World Watch, an innovative nonprofit working to combat genocide and mass atrocities through targeted community engagement. Tzivia also served as the Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, responsible for the interfaith, Israel advocacy, and political work of the Jewish Community Relations Committee. She is an active member of the Los Angeles Jewish community.
Debra Feldstein Following a brief career as an attorney in the Boston area, Debra entered the field of nonprofit management and development. She built her 25-year career as an executive director and consultant, working to increase the capacity of nonprofits. She also specializes in rebuilding organizations with management and infrastructure challenges following leadership transitions. Debra relocated to Silicon Valley in 1999 to lead Hillel at Stanford, and she then served as executive director for City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley and as a consultant for several local and national nonprofits. She has worked extensively with organizations that deliver programs in youth development, the arts, environmental education, academic support, and Jewish engagement. Debra lives with her family in Santa Cruz, Calif. Debra graduated from Tufts University with a degree in international relations, received a Juris Doctor from the Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, and completed a Master of Management degree at the Heller School at Brandeis University. She is a member of the Massachusetts and Illinois Bar Associations.
Yoni Belete Yonatan Belete is the Director of Impact and Strategy at ADL’s Center for Antisemitism Research. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Yonatan's tested approach to strategic communications, content development, and advocacy is backed by seven years of experience in corporate consulting, public diplomacy, and Jewish affairs. Prior to joining ADL, Yonatan was a consultant at NATIONAL Public Relations, and previously served as Director of Speechwriting and Public Relations at the Embassy of Israel in Ottawa where he advised two successive Israeli ambassadors to Canada. A proud member of the Ethiopian Jewish community, Yonatan lectures on the history of Ethiopian Jewry and the politics of Israelis of Ethiopian descent. During his studies, Yonatan specialized in International Relations with a research focus on U.S. foreign policy, the U.S.–Israel relationship, and Israeli democracy. He holds a BAH in Political Studies and History from Queen's University.
Alon Friedman Between 2012-2019 Alon served as head of the Israel office of Hillel International and as CEO of the Hillels of Israel, operating 8 campus centers across the country. Prior to this position, Alon served as Associate Director of MASA Israel Programs (2008-2012), as the Executive Director of the WUJS Institute in Arad (2004-2008) and as a National Emissary (Shaliach), developing educational resources and cultivating pro-Israel activities among college students on North American campuses (2001-2004). Alon began his educational career in 1994 as a group leader for summer programs in Israel. He is a frequent speaker on Jewish Peoplehood, Identity and leadership as well as Israeli society and culture. Born in Tel-Aviv, Alon served as an officer in the IDF, holds an MA degree in Communications and Journalism from the Hebrew University and resides in Hod-HaSharon with his wife Joni and their 3 children.
Yana Kalika Yana Kalika serves as President of the Koum Family Foundation, a private foundation focused on supporting Jewish causes globally, fostering innovation in healthcare, and serving local communities. Yana leads the foundation team to leverage its resources strategically, efficiently and flexibly to meet Jewish community needs locally in the SF Bay Area, nationally, and internationally in the Former Soviet Union, Europe, and Israel. Joining in 2016, Yana has scaled the foundation’s grantmaking to more than $100M in giving annually. Yana is originally from Odessa, Ukraine and grew up in San Francisco, CA, graduating with a degree in Finance, Business Administration from University of San Francisco. She is based in Silicon Valley with her husband, Eli, and two sons, David and Simon.
Kiyomi Kowalski Kiyomi is an Afro-Latin, queer, Jewish, Marine Corps veteran, mother who works to ensure that all of the intersecting identities of her and her children feel at home in any space. If there is one word to sum up her life’s work it would be “inclusion.” Kiyomi’s social justice activism is centered on creating more inclusive spaces for Jewish people of all backgrounds as well as eradicating racism and antisemitism. To that end, she develops, produces, and facilitates panels, workshops, and discussions on the topics of race, racism, and antisemitism and utilizes non-violent communication approaches to coach people through tough conversations and promote productive dialogues. In 2020, Kiyomi co-founded Jewbian Princess, a Black, Jewish women-led organization to deliver corporate-level diversity and inclusion education to Jewish organizations through a Jewish lens. Kiyomi joined the Project Shema team as a coach and facilitator to help educate people on antisemitism and its root causes within social justice activism in 2021. In her role as the Director of Partnerships at Project Shema, Kiyomi works with Jewish activists to provide a training and support strategy with the goal of slowing the tide of antisemitism to ensure Jewish voices are included in progressive activism. Recently, Kiyomi joined the facilitator team at Ta'amod to "stand up" for creating psychologically safe Jewish workplaces through empathy, education, and equity. In addition to her day jobs, Kiyomi serves as a board member of the Los Angeles section of the National Council for Jewish Women (“NCJW”) and the national board of Jewish Council of Public Affairs (“JCPA”). She has a degree in political science and a Juris Doctorate with an emphasis in public service. Kiyomi lives with her partner and two children in the suburbs of Los Angeles where she can be found watercolor painting, embroidering, and sewing pieces of flare to inspire a more just world. Learn more about her at KiyomiKowalski.com.
Kenneth L. Marcus Kenneth L. Marcus is founder and chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law; Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Center for Liberty & Law at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School; and author During his public service career, Marcus served as Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education for Civil Rights; Staff Director at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; and General Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. In academia, he formerly held the Lillie and Nathan Ackerman Chair in Equality and Justice in America at the City University of New York’s Bernard M. Baruch College School of Public Affairs and served as Visiting Research Professor of Political Science at Yeshiva University. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism and previously served as Associate Editor of the Journal for the Study of Earlier in his career, Mr. Marcus was a litigation partner in two major law firms, where he conducted complex commercial and constitutional litigation. He also currently chairs the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy Civil Rights Practice Group. He has published widely in academic journals as well as in more popular venues such as The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Newsweek, USA Today, and Politico. Mr. Marcus is a graduate of Williams College, magna cum laude, and the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.
Nicole Mutchnik Nicole Mutchnik is a longtime policy advisor to government officials and business leaders, forging trust and solutions across government, nonprofit and business sectors. She is vice chair of the Anti-Defamation League, the world’s oldest anti-hate organization, and serves on the boards of the Women’s Political Committee, the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, the Aspen Institute Leadership Council, Civicas women’s civic action network, and the Mayor’s Transition Advisory Committee. She is co-founder of the California Democracy Fund and serves as an advisor to Mayor Karen Bass and former Mayor Eric Garcetti. She previously worked in government and politics, having served Governor Gray Davis, Treasurer Kathleen Brown, Speaker of the CA Assembly Bob Hertzberg, and the organizing committee of the World Cup Games. She attended University of Pennsylvania in Government Administration where she was a Fels Scholar (MGA), and UCLA undergrad in International Affairs (BA). She is married to Allan Mutchnik, and they have three children.
Yotam Polizer Yotam Polizer is the Global CEO of IsraAID – Israel’s biggest humanitarian NGO. Leading a team of 300+ currently active in 16 countries including a large scale operation in Israel following the October 7th massacre. Yotam Polizer is the 2023 Charles Bronfman award laureate. Following the August 2021 Afghanistan crisis, Yotam and partners led an operation to evacuate 167 at risk Afghans from the hands of the Taliban. In September 2015 refugee crisis in Europe, he led IsraAID’s humanitarian mission in Lesbos, Greece, to support Syrian refugees on the island and also established IsraAID Germany, which provides long-term support for Yazidi and Syrian refugees in Germany. During the last 15 years, Polizer has also built and led programs in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, and in South Korea to support the reintegration of North Korean defectors. He has also led missions in Nepal following the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake and in 2014 in Sierra Leone for Ebola survivors. He has 15 years’ experience in education, humanitarian aid, and international development. Prior to his work at IsraAID, Yotam worked in the Israeli Embassy in Nepal and was the program coordinator for Tevel Btzedek an Israeli NGO focused on long term development programs in the Himalayas. Yotam serves on the board of directors of SID (society of international development) and the advisory board of Justserve an international service initiative. Yotam is a Schusterman fellow, he graduated from Tel Aviv University & Israeli Open University where he studied African studies and international relations.
Amy Spitalnick Amy Spitalnick is the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the national convener of Jewish coalitions working across communities to build a just and inclusive American democracy. She previously served as Executive Director of Integrity First for America, which won its groundbreaking lawsuit against the neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and hate groups responsible for the Charlottesville violence. Amy is partnering with the Aspen Institute, the Righteous Persons Foundation, and a number of other foundations on a short-term project exploring how to better connect the conversations on antisemitism and democracy in the United States. She also serves as a Senior Advisor on Extremism to Human Rights First, and on the Advisory Board of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University. Amy has extensive experience in government, politics, and advocacy, including as Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor to the New York Attorney General and spokesperson and advisor to the New York City Mayor. She’s been named a Women in Power Fellow at the 92nd Street Y, a Truman National Security Project Fellow, a City & State 40 Under 40 Rising Star, and a NY Jewish Week 36 Under 36 Changemaker. She graduated from Tufts University.
Shayna Rose Triebwasser Shayna is an advocate for civic engagement, social justice, and cross-cultural connections. She spent the first 12 years of her career in journalism. During her nine-year tenure at Los Angeles magazine, where she rose to the position of Senior Editor and oversaw the editorial development of LAmag.com, she focused on the people and issues shaping the future of Los Angeles. Inspired to play a larger role in supporting worthy projects, she joined the Righteous Persons Foundation in 2016. Today, Shayna directs RPF’s faith-rooted work for justice and its investments in art, media, and Jewish storytelling for social change. Shayna has a degree in American Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the 2020 recipient of the JJ Greenberg Award presented by JFN to professionals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in Jewish philanthropy.
Matt Williams As Vice President of the Center for Antisemitism Research, Matt Williams leads ADL’s development of rigorous research and answers to both longstanding and new questions about how to measure, understand and prevent antisemitism. He partners with other ADL departments to utilize research and impact analysis to develop practices for addressing antisemitism. Previously, Matt served as the founding director of the Center for Communal Research at the Orthodox Union, the managing director of the Berman Jewish Policy Archive, and visiting professor of nonprofit management, sociology, and Jewish studies at New York University, the University of California Irvine, and Yeshiva University. Matt holds a BA from Yeshiva University and an MA and PhD from Stanford University.
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