Chief Executive Officer
Contact Matthew

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.

Chief People Officer
Contact Wendi

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.

Chief Financial Officer
Contact Aryeh

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.

Executive Vice President & Chief Movement Experiences Officer
Contact Robyn

Robyn Judelsohn serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Movement Experiences Officer at BBYO, where she has led the Movement Experiences team since 2012. Under her leadership, the team has expanded to include Jewish Enrichment, International Convention, BBYO Passport, Camp Leadership, Inclusion and Mental Health, Customer Service, and Teen Leadership. Robyn has been instrumental in growing the scale and impact of BBYO’s immersive experiences, enhancing programmatic and Jewish content, and elevating staff development through training and recognition initiatives.

She also oversees the logistics and execution of BBYO’s International Convention, which now welcomes over 3,500 teens and 5,000 total participants annually—making it one of the largest Jewish teen gatherings in the world.

Before joining BBYO, Robyn held the role of Senior Director at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), where she focused on community planning, disaster response, and public affairs in the Washington, DC office. Her earlier career includes extensive political work, having traveled to more than 30 states to support state political parties and candidates for President, U.S. Senate, and local offices.

Robyn lives in Maryland with her husband. Their two children, now in college and proud BBYO alumni, continue to inspire her commitment to youth leadership and Jewish life.

Chief Marketing & Brand Officer
Contact Debbie

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.

Senior Vice President, Operational Effectiveness
Contact Karen

Karen Alpert serves as Senior Vice President of Operational Effectiveness, where she has led the IT team since 2016. Karen is responsible for all systems, processes, data and measurement at BBYO, protecting and ensuring the integrity of institutional data, providing data analysis for strategic decision making and determining the best, most efficient ways to run our business. She oversees organization-wide planning and plays a key role in BBYO’s strategic planning process.
Karen began her career in fundraising with Hillel, launching a prospect management program, and then moved into an IT role serving as Project Manager and Business Analyst working to translate business needs into technology solutions and implementing those 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.

Senior Director of the Executive Office & Liaison to the Board of Directors
Contact Stacey

Stacey Apter has been working with BBYO’s Board of Directors and Leadership Team since 2012, helping to guide the organization’s governance, strengthen leadership, and ensure that volunteers and staff feel supported, connected, and inspired. What she loves most about her role is the people, who remind her every day why this work matters.

Senior Vice President, Philanthropy & Centennial Campaign
Contact Jayme

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 Senior 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. 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.

Associate Vice President, Alumni Engagement
Contact Rebecca

Rebecca Feuerstein is an innovative engagement strategist, facilitator, and program designer with a proven record of building communities and experiences that drive connection and growth. As Associate Vice President of Alumni Engagement, she leads BBYO's global efforts to engage more than 400,000 alumni through storytelling, partnerships, and programming.

Blending strategic vision with creative execution, Rebecca specializes in stakeholder engagement, experiential learning, and large-scale event design. She is passionate about elevating voices, fostering belonging, and creating initiatives that inspire lasting impact. Rebecca holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from American University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. She lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia.

Vice President, Community Engagement
Contact Stacy

Stacy Friduss is Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement at BBYO and a proud alum. She began her career with BBYO 20 years ago as the Regional Director in GMR and has since dedicated her professional life to advancing Jewish teen leadership. In her current role, Stacy fundraises across multiple regions, overseeing major gifts, grassroots giving, alumni engagement, and endowment development. She manages individual major gift solicitations, cultivates new donor relationships, and implements strategies to grow and sustain BBYO’s philanthropic base, ensuring the resources needed to support transformative teen leadership experiences and the organization’s long-term growth. Stacy is passionate about empowering the next generation of Jewish leaders across Chicago, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Florida.
In her free time, Stacy loves to cook, bake, garden, and spend time with her family and friends. She lives in Deerfield, Illinois, with her husband and three daughters—future BBGs!

Associate Vice President, Camp Leadership
Contact Fara

Fara Gold is the Associate Vice President of Camp Leadership at BBYO, where she oversees the organization’s premier Camp Leadership experiences—CLTC, ILTC, and International Kallah. A Jewish camp professional for more than 20 years, Fara is driven by the impact that immersive leadership programs have on teens’ lives, including her own as a BBYO parent and longtime camp alumnus. She is passionate about building Jewish community, nurturing staff talent, and ensuring that every teen feels seen, valued, and inspired to lead.

Associate Vice President, Community Impact
Contact Samantha

For more than 12 years, Samantha Heimsohen has brought her energy, creativity, and passion for teen leadership to BBYO. She got her start in her home region of Gold Coast, where one of her proudest moments was helping the region reach 1,000 members for the first time. Now, as Associate Vice President of Community Impact, U.S., she helps drive strategy, programming, and membership growth across one-third of North America.
A University of Florida alum (go Gators!) with a master’s from Michigan State College of Law, Samantha balances her strategic brain with plenty of fun—whether that’s watching reality TV, cheering for the Florida Panthers, or spending time with her family, friends, and her dog Khloe.

Associate Vice President, BBYO Passport
Contact Marni

Marni Lobelson Heller has served as the Associate Vice President of BBYO Passport sin January 2021. Prior to joining BBYO, Marni served for ten years at Jewish National Fund USA and the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, where she held the positions Director of High School Engagement and Director of Roots Israel Service Learning Experience. Prior to JNF, Marni spent nine years at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack in recruitment and as a summer Division Head. Before her career shift into Jewish nonprofit, as she likes to describe it, “going from fashion to passion,” Marni owned and operated Marni and Andrea LTD, a sales-based business in the garment center and on the side, taught kickboxing and yoga to high school aged teens.
Marni graduated from SUNY Albany with a degree in Political Communications and hold certificates in Exercise Science from NYU, with additional certificates in Spin, Yoga, and boxing. Marni resides on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where she lives with her husband, three children, and two rescue dogs.

Senior Vice President, Movement Building
Contact Ian

Ian Kandel serves as BBYO’s Senior Vice President for Movement Building, leading efforts to expand the Movement’s reach and impact across North America and in more than 60 countries worldwide. His work focuses on strategic partnerships, staff and teen training, sustainable philanthropy, and expanding chapter development across the United States and around the globe.

Over the past 20 years, Ian has helped lead many of BBYO’s largest and most influential initiatives, including BBYO International Convention, BBYO On Demand, teen leadership and engagement programs, global development, athletics, Israel education, civics and social action initiatives, and major special events featuring partners, brands, pop culture outlets, and celebrity influencers.

Based in Washington, DC, Ian is also active in civic campaigns and voter education efforts. He is an alumnus of George Washington University, Tel Aviv University, Indiana University, and Hebrew College, and is a Wexner Foundation Field Fellow.

Senior Advisor of Strategic Initiatives & Community Impact, International
Contact Carin

As Senior Advisor of Strategic Initiatives and Community Impact, International, Carin Levine leads a global team of BBYO professionals dedicated to bringing Jewish joy and a sense of belonging to teens around the world. In addition to overseeing BBYO programs in more than 60 countries, she is spearheading the organization’s strategic planning process, rollout, and implementation.
Prior to joining BBYO, Carin served as Chief Operating Officer of Active Minds, the largest nonprofit in the United States empowering young people to change the conversation about mental health.
Although not a BBYO alum, she has definitely “drunk the Kool-Aid.” Carin’s interests haven’t changed much since her teen years—she still loves hosting parties, chatting on the phone with friends, taking long walks, and cheering on the Northwestern Wildcats (now alongside her husband, Jason, and their kids, Leia and Gabriel). She’s also a proud dog mom.

Senior Vice President, Community Impact
Contact Debi

Debi Tozer Lin is the Senior Vice President of Community Impact at BBYO, where she leads a talented team of professionals working to strengthen Jewish teen engagement across the United States. A proud BBYO alumna and former chapter president, Debi has spent 18 years with the organization, partnering with communities across the country to create meaningful and innovative experiences that bring Jewish life to teens everywhere.

Vice President, Enrichment Strategy
Contact Liron

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.

Vice President of Movement Experiences, International Convention
Contact Celia

Celia Livshin serves as Vice President of Movement Experiences, International Convention, where she leads the strategy, design, and execution of BBYO International Convention (IC), one of the largest Jewish teen gatherings in the world. She oversees cross-functional teams, large-scale programming, and immersive experiences that bring together thousands of teens, professionals, speakers, and partners from across North America and beyond. Known for building high-energy, high-impact experiences at scale, Celia focuses on blending operational excellence with creativity, connection, and purpose-driven engagement.
Across her career in youth engagement and event leadership, Celia has led teams, built partnerships, and designed programs that inspire participation and community building. She has spent more than 15 years in nonprofit and experiential leadership roles, with a focus on teen leadership development, convening, and innovative programming. Celia holds a degree from Ohio State University and lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, three children, and rescue pup.

Associate Vice President, Community Impact
Contact Seth

Seth Reder is thrilled to serve as the Associate Vice President of Community Impact for the Western U.S. region at BBYO. For the past decade, Seth has served in a variety of leadership roles at Hillel, most recently as Senior Director of Talent Management at Hillel International. In this role, he developed and led the talent strategy for hundreds of candidates and local Hillels, strengthening career growth and organizational impact across the movement. Prior to that, Seth spent five and a half years as the Executive Director of CU Boulder Hillel, where he guided the organization’s transition to an independent nonprofit, grew revenue by 225 percent, and expanded student engagement by 340 percent. Throughout his career in Hillel and higher education, Seth has focused on building inclusive communities, advancing talent and leadership development, and driving organizational growth. He is also completing his Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Northern Colorado. When he is not working, Seth enjoys writing music, performing, playing ice hockey, traveling, hiking, and enjoying Colorado adventures with his wife, Debbie, and their kids—Hannah, Lily, and Ben.

Associate Vice President, Community Impact
Contact Naomi

As Associate Vice President, Community Impact, U.S., Naomi Tilman provides strategy, guidance, and support to 12 BBYO regions across the country. Previously, she served as Senior Regional Director for the Greater Jersey Region, leading it to become the largest BBYO community in the U.S. Before joining BBYO, Naomi spent over a decade in higher education, youth leadership, and mental health, including roles with Active Minds, New York University, and Hillel International, where she developed her passion for Jewish life and empowering young people. Naomi holds degrees from the University of Michigan and NYU. A proud Midwesterner, Naomi and her family now call Scotch Plains, New Jersey, home. She is an active member of her community, serving on the board of the JCC of Central New Jersey. Outside of work, you can find her exploring new coffee shops, debating the superiority of New Jersey pizza and bagels, or curled up with a great book.

Vice President of Finance
Contact Christine

Christine Tran serves as the Vice President of Finance at BBYO and has supported the Finance team since 2009. During her tenure, she has seen the organization grow in membership, fundraising, and programming. Christine has enjoyed staffing summer camp and International Convention. Christine lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband (George), three children (baby George, Max, and Penny), and dog (Teddy). In her free time, you can find Christine working swim meets, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and seeing live music.