On Wednesday, November 12, more than fifty professionals attended
the second Jewish Professional Network (JPro) breakfast. The breakfast, dubbed Graceful
Transitions and Navigating Change, featured former CEO of Jewish Family Service,
Jill Borg Spitzer, and current CEO Michael Hopkins. The colleagues spoke candidly
to the audience about their experiences— separately and as a team—
transitioning into their respective leadership roles, the start of their Jewish
professional careers, and discussed lessons they learned along the way.
The breakfast convened with an opening speech from Moderator,
Rabbi Matt Earne of Temple Beth Am, who discussed the necessity of change in
Jewish life while highlighting connections to the week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah. Through his connection to
the matriarch of Judaism, Rabbi Earne, emphasized purposeful and meaningful
life transformations—both personally and professionally.
Change wasn’t the only topic in agreement between the past
and present CEO’s, both speakers, discussed the importance of treating all
organizational staff in a way that they would want to be treated one day; providing
on-going professional and leadership development opportunities for Jewish
communal professionals; and keeping the ‘talent’ within the local Jewish
community.
In addition to sharing several viewpoints, Hopkins and
Spitzer credited their Jewish summer camp experiences as instrumental to their careers
in the Jewish non-profit world. Hopkins and Spitzer both said they were guided
to be in the positions that they are in today, highlighting the importance of connecting
and mentorship; hence, the JPro Network.
In light of the 20th annual San Diego Jewish Book
Fair, the breakfast concluded with a few words about a book that affected both
speakers throughout their careers. A
Responsible Life: The Spiritual Path of Mussar— the book
chosen by Spitzer— was referred to as a guide to lead an ethical, fulfilling,
and more pragmatic life. Hopkins discussed Strengths
Finders, a book that his allowed him and his staff to
discover their assets, which has become an invaluable team building,
leadership, and organizational resource.
The Jewish Federation
of San Diego County is proud to promote and sponsor the JPro Network. The third
JPro event, “Lighting the Way to the Future” will take place on December 14th,
with exciting details coming soon.
About
JPro:
The Federation supported JPro Network aims to empower San Diego Jewish communal
professionals with innovative ideas and best practices to impact the sector through
community-wide educational and leadership programs. To learn more about JPro
and future events visit their Facebook page.
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