We invite you to get to know BBYO's professional staff from our Washington, DC headquarters, as well our 40+ field offices across North America.
Team members in our DC office manage marketing and communications, finance, development and alumni relations, teen programming, and registration for international year-round and summer programs. Our diverse team, many of whom are BBYO alumni, works together to perpetuate BBYO's legacy as the world's leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement. To find a specific contact in one of our 40+ regions, please visit the BBYO Near You page and click on the region you’re searching for.
If you’re looking for our main address and phone number, look no further!
BBYO
529 14th St NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20045
P: 202.857.6633 / F: 202.857.6568
[email protected]
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BBYO’s International Board of Directors is the organization's governing body, comprised of key Jewish philanthropists, Jewish community leaders, BBYO alumni, Jewish Federation leadership, BBYO’s International Teen Presidents (the Grand Aleph Godol and International N’siah) and local and regional BBYO lay leaders.
Board members are committed to Jewish youth and to building future Jewish leadership, influential in their communities and willing to help guide and assist the organization as it charts its course for the future. The Board of Directors' responsibilities include determining policy, supporting fundraising efforts, approving partnerships with other agencies, and establishing new organization committees and task forces.
Officers
Craig L. Weiss, Board Chair, Memphis, TN
Craig is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and graduate of CBHS Class of 1985. He earned a BA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990 and MBA from the University of Memphis in 2000.Craig is a co-founder and partner of Tower Ventures. Tower Ventures is one of the largest privately-held tower companies in the United States. Tower Ventures develops and leases towers for the cellular industry. Tower Ventures currently owns over 400 tower assets in 35 states. Craig manages the leasing department responsible for lease agreements with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Dish and others. In 2005, Craig purchased two Memphis-based security guard businesses and merged their accounts and created Central Defense Security. Craig and his partners grew CDS to become the largest security provider in the MidSouth with its headquarters in Memphis and branch offices in Nashville and Little Rock. They successfully sold Central Defense Security in 2020.Craig is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Paragon Bank, a Regional Community Bank headquartered in Memphis with approximately $550 million in assets. Paragon currently has 4 branch locations in Memphis along with its Small Business Capital Group and a Commercial Branch in Atlanta, as well as branches in Oxford, MS and Wilmington, NC. Honors: Craig was selected by the Memphis Business Journal as one of their “Top 40 under 40” of local Community leaders in 2005. Craig was named by the Memphis Business Quarterly as one of the Region’s Power Players in Security in 2014-2020. Craig was elected into the Christian Brothers High School Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2018, Craig received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis and was inducted into the FCBE Hall of Fame. Craig recently completed the Class VIII of Leadership Tennessee. Non-Profit: Craig is the current Chair of the Board of Directors for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center. Craig serves on the Executive Committee & Board of Directors for the United Way of the Mid-South as Chairman of the Investment Committee and is Chair Elect. Craig serves on the Board of Directors of The Memphis Shelby Crime Commission and the Board of Visitors at the University of Memphis. He serves on the Hutchison Board of Trustees and the Christian Brothers High School Board of Directors. Craig is a past President/Chairman of the Memphis Jewish Community Center Board of Directors and a past Vice Chair of Jewish Community Partners. Craig is the incoming Board Chair for BBYO’s International Board of Directors. Craig and his wife Cathy have three children, Isaac (21), Ari (19) and Ava (17).
Ruth Suzman, Past Chair, Scarsdale, NY
Ruth is a dedicated volunteer, philanthropist, and non-profit advisor. Having earned degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, today Ruth works with organizations and programs that help connect young people to Jewish identity and leadership, and those that help people access educational opportunities and engage productively in the workplace. In her local work, Ruth is Chair Emerita of the Board of the Westchester Community College Foundation (Westchester County, NY), and a member of the advisory council to the Westchester Community Foundation. She serves as a member of the Visiting Committee to the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nationally, Ruth is a board member of the Vanderbilt University Hillel (Nashville, TN), and a board member of Swipe Out Hunger, a national organization committed to addressing food insecurity for students on college campuses in the US. In Texas, she serves on the Advisory Council of the College of Liberal Arts at UT Austin, and the board of directors of the MB and Edna Zale Foundation (Dallas). She is an active member of Westchester Reform Temple. Ruth lives in Scarsdale, NY with her husband, three children and two beloved but poorly trained dogs.
Lois Kohn-Claar, Vice Chair, Scarsdale, NY
After years of working in the field of education and educational technology, Lois now devotes herself to Jewish communal service. Lois chairs the Immersive Jewish Experiences allocation committee for UJA-Federation of NY, where she also sits on the Board of Directors and the Women’s Executive Committee. She is past-chair of UJA-Federation Westchester Women’s Philanthropy and a founding member of the Neshamot Women’s Impact Philanthropy group. She serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Jewish Education Project and is a Trustee for The Leffell School. Lois is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage program. Her first introduction to leadership occurred in the early 80’s in Louisville, KY when she became her BBG chapter’s President and also attended many KIO conventions. Lois holds a BA and MS Ed from the University of Pennsylvania where she currently sits on the Board of Overseers for the Graduate School of Education. Lois and her husband, Gary Claar, have three children. She is also a certified yoga instructor.
Ruth Perlman, Vice Chair, Chicago, IL
Ruth Perlman, a graduate of Northwestern University, is an accomplished actress and singer who performed professionally Off Broadway and regionally across the United States. As an Artist-in-Residence with the Whirlwind Performance Company, she taught drama in Chicago Public Schools and also worked as the Publications Coordinator in the Marketing Department of Arthur Andersen’s World Headquarters and subsequently as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader. Ruth now feels most blessed to sing for and connect with the elderly at nursing homes and senior centers, in addition to performing in various concerts and charity events. Her past philanthropic endeavors include serving as a Director on the North Suburban Medical Research Junior Board of Children’s Memorial Hospital; a Trustee for Am Shalom Synagogue in Glencoe, Illinois; and the PTO Vice President of Education and Cultural Arts Programming for Glencoe School District 35. Currently, she is an Executive Vice President of the Perlman Family Foundation Founded by Anita and Louis Perlman; a Director on the Board of Beber Camp in Mukwonago, Wisconsin; an Advisor on the Board of JUF Encompass; and is actively involved with the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. Ruth is the proud mother of Emily, Jack, and Alec.
Jonathan Anschell, Treasurer, Los Angeles, CA
Jonathan is a former BBYO I-board member and Regional Aleph Godol from Northwest Canada Region and was on BBYO’s BOD immediately following independence. He has a son and daughter who are approaching BBYO age. Jonathan plays a leadership role in the Los Angeles Jewish community, where he has served the Jewish Federation as Chair of the Legal Services Division, area Chair of the National Young Leadership Cabinet and as a member of Board of Directors and its Planning and Allocations Committee. Jonathan also serves on the Los Angeles area boards for the American Jewish Committee and the American Friends of the Hebrew University. Professionally, Jonathan was the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for CBS Television and the Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for CBS Corporation, overseeing the legal affairs for CBS's televised entertainment and news operations in addition to its corporate governance, securities, intellectual property and labor and employment practice areas. He is currently the Chief Legal Officer at Mattel.
Leora Zabusky, Secretary, Philadelphia, PA
Leora serves on several non-profit boards, including Board Chair of Penn Hillel, Secretary of Perelman Jewish Day School, and Board member of the Women’s Philanthropy division of Jewish Federation. Leora is a Wexner Fellow in Jewish learning and leadership and also serves on the Wexner National Alumni Council. Leora manages her own consulting practice, which specializes in strategic planning and marketing. Before beginning her independent consulting business, Leora worked at Genentech in San Francisco. During her tenure at Genentech, Leora commercialized several oncology medicines and helped run the Company’s digital marketing business. Prior to Genentech, Leora was a strategic management consultant at Monitor in New York. She has an MBA from UC Berkeley and a BA in Economics and International Relations from Univ of Pennsylvania. Leora resides in the Philadelphia suburbs. She grew up in Cape Town, South Africa and emigrated to Harrisburg, PA as a teenager. Leora enjoys tennis, yoga, dance, the outdoors, and most of all, spending time with her daughters, Arielle and Haley, and husband, Jonathan
Matthew Grossman, Arlington, VA
Matt has served as BBYO's Chief Executive Officer since 2004 and is currently responsible for working with the organization's teen, professional, volunteer and philanthropic leaders to set BBYO's vision and direction. For almost 100 years, BBYO has provided exceptional identity enrichment and leadership development experiences for hundreds of thousands of teens and now ranks as one of the Jewish community’s premier platforms for reaching and inspiring Jewish teens. Matt takes great pride in BBYO's ability to bring Jewish teens together so they can form powerful, authentic relationships with each other and with inspiring adult role models. He plays a key role in hiring the professional team who bring to life the compelling Jewish environments where teens feel pride in who they are, in control of their own destiny and a part of something greater than themselves. With the guidance and mentoring of BBYO's Board of Directors, Matt has helped grow BBYO's budget seven-fold, expand AZA and BBG membership to over 33,000 teens across the globe, all while ensuring that appropriate systems and financial controls are in place to support BBYO's fast growing infrastructure. Prior to BBYO, Matt worked for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, playing a key role in the organization’s decade-long renaissance. Matt lives outside of Washington DC with his wife and children.
Directors
Jay Bernhardt, Austin, TX
Laurie Blitzer, New York, NY
David Brown, Chicago, IL
Lisa Cohn, Denver, CO
Levi Fox (98th Grand Aleph Godol), Houston, TX
Michelle Gerber, West Vancouver, BC
Avi Gorodetski (78th Anita M Perlman International N’siah), Washington, DC
Andy Gutman, Detroit, MI
Rachel Hoffer, Paradise Valley, AZ
Lee Kohrman, Cleveland, OH
Todd Maurer, Indianapolis, IN
Jonathan Morris, London, England
Courtney Mizel, Los Angeles, CA
Estee Portnoy, Bethesda, MD
David Rittberg, Washington, DC
Stacy Schusterman, Tulsa, OK
Aviv Siegel, Bay Area, CA
Walter Solomon, Cincinnati, OH
If you are interested in joining the International Board of Directors, please contact Stacey Apter.
Matthew Grossman, Arlington, VA has served as BBYO's Chief Executive Officer since 2004 and is currently responsible for working with the organization's teen, professional, volunteer and philanthropic leaders to set BBYO's vision and direction. For more than 90 years, BBYO has provided exceptional identity enrichment and leadership development experiences for hundreds of thousands of teens and now ranks as one of the Jewish community’s premier platforms for reaching and inspiring Jewish teens. Matt takes great pride in BBYO's ability to bring Jewish teens together so they can form powerful, authentic relationships with each other and with inspiring adult role models. He plays a key role in hiring the professional team who bring to life the compelling Jewish environments where teens feel pride in who they are, in control of their own destiny and a part of something greater than themselves. With the guidance and mentoring of BBYO's Board of Directors, Matt has helped grow BBYO's budget three-fold, expand AZA and BBG membership to over 33,000 teens across the globe, all while ensuring that appropriate systems and financial controls are in place to support BBYO's fast growing infrastructure. Prior to BBYO, Matt worked for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, playing a key role in the organization’s decade-long renaissance. Matt grew up in Cheshire, a small town in central Connecticut and currently lives with his wife Melissa, daughter Olivia, and son Gabriel in Arlington, VA.
From the time she took her first accounting class in high-school, Jan has enjoyed the challenge of telling a story with numbers. After passing the CPA exam, she earned her stripes by working in public accounting, both in audit and taxation. Realizing that she wanted to have more of an impact on an organization’s operations, she left public accounting and began work in the non-profit sector. For the past 20 years, Jan has helped start-up and mature non-profits strengthen their financial, operational and business practices. Since she joined BBYO as Chief Financial Officer in 2015, the organization has experienced 32% growth in revenues. Jan has put best-practice systems in place to ensure that BBYO’s business operations run smoothly and stewards its donors’ gifts as intended. Jan lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and is the proud parent of one daughter. She likes to travel, practice yoga, and laugh with her friends.
As Chief Impact Officer, Jill oversees BBYO’s field staff in North America, Jewish enrichment, immersive programming, and teen leadership, as well as BBYO’s new Center for Adolescent Health and Wellness. Prior to joining BBYO, Jill worked in both public education and business sectors, as well as a volunteer BBYO advisor. Jill began her career working for Starbucks in Seattle where she launched a variety of products in grocery stores and cafes. In 2010, she moved into the public education sector after being selected for the Broad Residency, a program designed for leaders interested in focusing their skills on addressing the challenges in urban education. Jill took a role in the Chicago Public School system to organize external partners in transforming the City’s schools. In 2013, Jill moved back east to work for the New Jersey Department of Education in the Office of the Deputy Commissioner overseeing talent, operations, and project management for the division while leading the planning and implementation for the state’s effort to improve outcomes for poor and minority students. Jill has a BA in economics from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard University, and lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.
Jayme has grown her career at BBYO over the last 20 years and currently serves as BBYO’s Vice President of Community Engagement. Starting out in Tucson, Arizona, as the Director of BBYO Mountain Region, and working her way up through her current role as Vice President, Jayme has remained dedicated to building and expanding BBYO across the globe. Based in Phoenix, Jayme is responsible for securing the funds necessary to support the growth BBYO has seen in recent years. Jayme summers in Starlight, Pennsylvania, where she also serves as the Site Director for BBYO’s summer leadership experiences, International Leadership Training Conference (ILTC) and International Kallah. In her free time, Jayme enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, as well as reading and hiking, which are among her favorite activities.
In his role as Senior Vice President of Community Impact, Gary leads BBYO’s field staff team across 40 North American regions. Prior to joining BBYO, Gary worked as a middle school teacher, and later joined the Anti-Defamation League. A Southern California native, Gary earned a BA in History from UCLA and a Master’s in Education (Ed.M.) from Harvard University. Gary currently lives in Parkland, Florida with his wife and son. In his spare time, you can find him playing tennis, listening to books on Audible, hanging out with his son, exploring new ideas on edX, and figuring out ways to make a dent in his 32,000-piece puzzle.
Robyn has led BBYO’s Immersive Experiences team since 2012. Over that time, she has worked with her team to grow the size and number BBYO’s immersive programs, strengthen program and Jewish content, and ramp up staff training and recognition. In her role, Robyn is also responsible for the logistics of BBYO International Convention, an annual event which has grown to serve over 3,000 teens and 5,000 total participants. Prior to joining BBYO, Robyn worked at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) as a Senior Director with responsibility for community planning, disaster response and public affairs in the Washington, DC office. Robyn has also worked in politics traveling to over 30 states to work with state political parties, and candidates for President, the U.S. Senate and other local offices. In her spare time, she serves on the board of Girls on the Run for Montgomery County, Maryland and B’nai B’rith Perlman Camp. Robyn lives in Maryland with her husband and two children, one of whom is an active member in BBYO.
A mission-based brand and communications leader with 20+ years’ global experience in non-profit and tech industries, Debbie Shemony leads the global marketing and communications efforts for BBYO. In her role, she provides leadership in the planning, creation and execution of integrated communications strategies designed to drive brand awareness, foster engagement, and increase acquisition. Prior to joining BBYO in 2016, Debbie enjoyed a 15+ year marketing career at Texas Instruments supporting multiple businesses, as well as DC-based tech startups Telogy Networks and BroadSoft. With global experience spanning five continents, Debbie’s areas of expertise include brand management, media and analyst relations, executive communications, crisis management, digital marketing, social media, and demand generation. She holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Binghamton University in New York. Debbie lives in Maryland with her husband and four children, and loves exercising, listening to podcasts, playing volleyball, and spending time outdoors with her family.
As Chief People Officer, Elizabeth leads BBYO’s people practices, from hiring and training to staff development to payroll and benefits administration. She is a seasoned business leader with a 20-year track record of accelerating organizational success by reimagining human resources for large enterprises, start-ups and non-profits. Elizabeth’s expertise spans all facets of human resources including talent management, change management, organizational design and performance, training and development, payroll, benefits and compensation. Prior to BBYO, Elizabeth served as the Director of Human Resources for Vevo, the pioneering premium music video and entertainment platform. She originally made her mark in the cosmetics and fashion industries as a leader with Estée Lauder Companies, Nike, and Macy’s. Elizabeth earned her Master of Industrial & Labor Relations and her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from Cornell University. She is an alumna of BBYO Liberty Region and is married with two children, one of whom is a current BBYO member. She cares deeply about mental health and wellness, and outside of work, Elizabeth coaches elementary school boys for Let Me Run, a non-profit empowering boys to live active lifestyles while building healthy self-esteem.
As Vice President for IT Strategy and Measurement, Karen is responsible for all systems and technology at BBYO, protecting and ensuring the integrity of institutional data and providing data analysis for strategic decision making. Karen began her career in fundraising with Hillel, launching a prospect management program, and then moved into an IT role where she served as project manager. Karen went on to become the Associate Director of IT for Business Analysis, working to translate business needs into technology solutions, and eventually moved into the areas of strategy and measurement, where she helped launch the measuring excellence program to create a measurement framework for assessing organizational excellence. In her spare time, Karen loves to bake and travel and has visited over 100 countries. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband and two kids.
Liron is an education designer and strategist. Her objective is to provide an all-encompassing understanding of Judaism and Jewish narratives through quality and relevant experiences. As a life-long learner, Liron strives to nurture curiosities, exploration, and discovery- and does so through her work with BBYO. Prior to joining the BBYO International team, Liron was the Founding Director of the Joint-Jewish Education Program (J-JEP), a multidenominational collaborative experiential learning community of Rodef Shalom Congregation and Congregation Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh, PA. Though her passion for education was ignited while teaching in Baltimore as a Teach For America Corps Member, her commitment to Judaism began while being raised in her Israeli home. Liron currently resides in a small town outside of Pittsburgh with her family.
Aryeh has been serving as BBYO’s Chief Financial Officer since March, 2020. He was previously CFO of Hillel International for 25 years where he oversaw day-to-day financial management of the global headquarters operations and oversaw facilities management, office operations, security & safety, insurance, information technology, conference & travel logistics, and legal functions. He purchased and managed the interior design and construction of the Hillel International Center building in Washington DC where BBYO’s DC Hub is located. Aryeh was also intimately involved with the planning and running of the first Birthright trips in 1999 and for many years thereafter. Prior to Hillel, Aryeh worked at Yeshiva University as the Director of Project Planning. He volunteers as the Treasurer for Camp Moshava in Pennsylvania. He has a BBA and MBA from Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York.
Wendi was hired in July 2021 to serve as BBYO’s Chief People Officer. Prior to BBYO Wendi worked at Apple, Inc. where, for the last 8 years, she was a senior leader of a team that supported talent and development for Apple’s mid-Atlantic retail team. Prior to that, she worked in Human Resources in the hospitality industry, primarily with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Wendi is a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree on a full athletic softball scholarship. Today, she continues to be involved with softball and owns ColbyFastpitch, a softball facility in Vienna, VA. Wendi’s mission at the facility is provide a space for young athletes and learn the game, make friends and improve their individual skill level. She also coaches softball with the elite McLean Magic Travel organization at the 13U/14U levels. Wendi has her MBA from Trinity University in Washington, DC with a specialization in Organizational Design. Wendi grew up in Long Island, New York and currently lives with her wife, Catherine, and two daughters KC and Joely in McLean, VA.