Alumni Hub

Since our founding in 1924, the Grand Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) and International Order of the B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG) have served as the preeminent leadership programs for Jewish teens from all walks of life.

This year, in honor of our historic 100th anniversary, BBYO alumni are reconnecting like never before—joining together for reunions, celebrations, and special events that highlight the impact of our Movement on 400,000 lifetime members and counting. As we look back on the last century of BBYO and craft a vision for BBYO’s future, we invite YOU to be a part of our Centennial and help us celebrate the strength of our alumni community.

CELEBRATE BBYO’S CENTENNIAL

Explore The BBYO Alumni Association

Host an Alumni Shabbat Dinner

Join the Alumni Advisory Council

Check Out BBYO Alumni Spotlights

Explore the BBYO Alumni Association

At BBYO International Convention 2024, our Movement reached a major milestone—the launch of the BBYO Alumni Association. Membership in the Association is open to all BBYO alumni, and will provide opportunities for engagement, networking, and connections with hundreds of thousands of alumni worldwide.

Later this spring, we’ll roll out a digital platform for the Association that will enable alumni to reconnect with friends more easily, engage in mentorship and professional development opportunities, meet fellow alumni in their communities, and leverage each other’s expertise and networks. Click here to stay updated and explore new tools for collaboration and connection with fellow lifetime members of AZA, BBG, and BBYO.

Host an Alumni Shabbat Dinner

Through an exciting partnership between BBYO and OneTable, you can host Shabbat dinner for BBYO alumni (aged 18-39) and receive up to $15/person reimbursement—more than the usual OneTable amount—to cover the costs of food, beverages, and supplies. If you love to plan Shabbat dinners with friends and want to unite fellow alumni,  click here to get started and begin organizing the menu for a BBYO Shabbat gathering this year.

HOST A DINNER

join the Alumni Advisory Council

New to BBYO this year, the Alumni Advisory Council is a cohort of BBYO alumni who give their time and network to support engagement opportunities that foster a lifelong relationship between alumni and BBYO. Members of the Advisory Council help to guide:

Alumni Network Programming
- Serving as thought partners, ambassadors, and hosts for alumni development opportunities featuring high-level executives and speakers in diverse industries
Outreach and Communications Strategy
- Supporting a marketing plan to re-engage an increasing number of BBYO alumni year over year
- Exploring and implement innovative outreach methods for alumni engagement
Celebration and Recognition of Prominent Alumni
- Creating a nomination and selection process to recognize Alephs and BBGs whose achievements have helped shape their communities and global business alike

MEET THE COUNCIL

Gabbi Baker

SGroup Client Director, Red Antler

Gabbi Baker is a Group Client Director at Red Antler, a Brooklyn-based company that specializes in building brands for startups and new ventures. She began her career at Ogilvy and spent seven years partnering with clients in technology, retail, travel, tourism, and CPG to develop marketing and advertising campaigns. Her expertise is in bringing together integrated teams to find creative solutions to complex business challenges. Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, Gabbi graduated from the School of Business at George Washington University, where she recently served on the Board of Trustees. She is a mentor for She Runs It (formerly Advertising Women of New York) and is active in Team Fox Young Professionals of NYC, the grassroots fundraising arm of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Arielle Buxbaum

Operations Associate, Good Rebellion

Arielle is the Operations Associate at Good Rebellion, a full-service public relations agency that solves communications challenges through strategy and design. With a knack for creating and implementing systems, Arielle is skilled at finding ways to work smarter and more efficiently to get the job done perfectly every time. Prior to working at Good Rebellion, Arielle worked as a BBYO professional staff member for 6 years. In her role as Senior Regional Director of Liberty Region, Arielle was responsible for a program of over 800 teens, oversaw an operations budget, managed volunteers, and executed large scale events from start to finish. Under her leadership, membership in her communities grew 300%.

Originally from Queens, NY, Arielle is a proud Binghamton University alum and now resides in New Jersey with her husband and two children. Arielle loves to try new recipes, volunteer at her son’s preschool and keep up with all things pop culture.

Sam Dragul

Senior Manager; State & Local Tax Financial Services, PwC

Sam grew up in Denver, Colorado, graduating from Cherry Creek High School in 2009 as a proud member of Hank Greenspun AZA #705. During his time in BBYO he held a number of leadership positions, including RMR Regional Godol and Grand Aleph Mazkir. After graduating from Miami University in Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance, he moved to Chicago, IL and has spent 9 years with PwC's State & Local Tax Financial Services practice, specializing in the Asset Management industry. He lives with his girlfriend in downtown Chicago and enjoys spending time binge watching a new TV show, playing golf, going bowling on a whim, and exploring the culinary scene around the city! Denver sports hold a significant place in his heart and he's still enjoying the Avs' 2022 Stanley Cup Win like it happened yesterday.

Sydney Ellison

Director of Operations, Illinois Office of the Governor

Sydney is currently focusing on all details big and small with Governor JB Pritzker and serves as Director of Operations. Sydney took a brief leave this past December to be the Deputy Executive Director for the 2023 Illinois Inauguration. She began her love for all things operations on JB Pritzker's Gubernatorial race, and later became Senator Cory Booker's Nevada Operations, Special Projects Director and Trips Coordinator. Following that, she served as the Director of Logistics and Special Projects for the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention. She believes her love for politics and community stem from her B'nai B'rith Girls experience. She is lucky enough to be able to fuse her passion and career together. When she is not working she loves a game of bar trivia and spending a night with friends and family. She is always making a plan and invites all.

Evan Elsner

Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

Evan was born and raised in Randolph, New Jersey, and after attending college at Duke University, moved to Chicago, Illinois for law school. Evan graduated from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 2012, and after spending three years in private practice at a large Chicago firm, spent six years serving as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Division of the Illinois Attorney General's Office. For the past two years, Evan has been teaching a first-year legal writing course at Northwestern Law. His wife, Kate, and him have two young children, Clare (5) and Jack (3), and an exceedingly annoying dog named Rory (10).

Nick Ginsberg

Vice President/Head Strategist, M&A and Financial Sponsors Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs

Nick Ginsberg is the head strategist for the M&A and Financial Sponsors Investment Banking groups at Goldman Sachs. He started his career as an analyst and has worked in a variety of departments using a combination of data science with investment banking to provide bankers and clients with novel and powerful analytics. Nick is a proud alumnus of Exodus AZA in Connecticut Valley Region BBYO, where he served as regional Godol, and has spent the last 9 years advising for Empire AZA in Manhattan Region. Nick lives on the Upper East Side in New York City with his wife, Rebecca. Nick graduated from Johns Hopkins University with degrees in Computer Science and Economics.

Julie Judson

Vice President, Bernstein Private Wealth Management

Julie Judson, a native Dallasite, is a proud BBG alum and credits much of her success to the leadership skills and development she learned while in BBYO. She built her career in philanthropy at organizations like Citi Performing Arts Center, Peabody Essex Museum & the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas for over a decade, and now works closely with dynamic families on issues of philanthropy, legacy, planning, and more through her practice at Bernstein Private Wealth. Julie is proud to serve on the AT&T Performing Arts Center Auxiliary Board as an Executive Committee member and is a participant in the 2022-2023 ADL Glass Leadership Institute. In her spare time, she loves cooking and hosting dinner parties, writing, the arts, and exploring Dallas with her fiancée, David.

Nolan Hausler

Senior Manager, Placemakr

Nolan calls Washington, DC home but can usually be found somewhere else around the world. As a Senior Manager at Placemakr, he oversees flexible operations initiatives for this innovative hospitality startup. Prior to Placemakr, Nolan worked on BBYO’s Global Movement Strategy team connecting teens with each other through worldwide campaigns and initiatives. He is a double alum of The George Washington University with a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and an M.S. in Management.

Adam Levy

Journalist and Producer

Adam Levy is a Peabody and Emmy award winning journalist and producer. He’s been a leader of domestic & international news during critical moments in history. As a show producer, Adam’s launched some of the most thought-provoking news and analysis shows on CNN like State of the Union with Jake Tapper, Inside Politics, and Fareed Zakaria GPS. A seasoned political producer, he’s worked on dozens of presidential debates and town halls for more than a decade. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and son.

Sean Lynch

Head of Product at MetaLab

Sean Lynch leads the product management practice at MetaLab, a global product agency. Previously, he led the midwest product team at Huge and developed products for clients such as Canada Goose, Carhartt, United Airlines, National Geographic, and Northern Trust. Sean was named by Business Insider as a Rising Star of Madison Avenue for his work on Dining at a Distance, a pandemic response platform for the hospitality industry. In the Jewish community, he has served on the boards of the Charleston Jewish Federation and Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, on OneTable's Tech Advisory Council, and as a staff member at BBYO. Sean received his B.B.A. from the George Washington University School of Business. He is a Charleston, SC native and currently resides in Chicago with his wife and son.

Adam Meyer

Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Chief of Staff to the CEO, Envision Healthcare

Adam is currently the Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Chief of Staff to the CEO of Envision Healthcare, a national medical group providing hospital-based services and management of outpatient ambulatory surgery centers. Adam completed his undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University (Nashville TN) in Human & Organizational Studies before joining Huron Consulting Group (Chicago, IL) for 8+ years as a management consultant focused on higher education strategy & operations. Additionally, Adam completed an MBA at the Booth School of Business (University of Chicago) focused Strategic Management and Managerial & Organizational Behavior.

Steven Mintz

Senior Manager of Data Science, National Basketball Association

Steven is a driven and passionate member of the BBYO alumni community. Following a transformative, fully invested AZA experience in Dallas, TX, he attended Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA) where his BBYO-formed leadership skills made a positive impact on Jewish life on and off campus. He studied math, pre-med sciences, and jazz bass as an undergraduate before attending Texas A&M's Statistics PhD program. Leveraging his analytical education and passion for basketball, Steven is living out his career dreams working for the NBA in their League HQ in New York City. Like his time within BBYO, Steven values his NBA experience as being part of something much greater than himself. It is through the power of basketball and technology where Steven continues to make positive impacts on communities near and far. Steven prides himself on maintaining connections with many of his BBYO friends worldwide. He currently resides in Jersey City, NJ with his cattle dog, Pepper Mintz, and is also an Associate Professor of Statistics at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies. In his spare time, Steven loves cooking, live music, travel and listening to podcasts at 2x speed.

Andi Perelman

VP of Digital, Pittsburgh Penguins

Andi Perelman is working her ninth season with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. She joined the Penguins after earning a master’s degree in Sports Industry Management at Georgetown University. Andi started her career with the Penguins as a New Media Coordinator and has since worked her way up to manage a seven-person full-time team and two game-night employees as the Vice President of Digital. Andi oversees the Penguins’ social media accounts, website, text service, and the team app. Since she joined the Penguins, Andi has won an Emmy Award, been named a Rising Star by the Business Journals, has been honored as a 30-under-30 winner in the Pittsburgh Business Times, and was named a Webby Honoree three times. During Andi’s tenure at the Penguins the team’s social media accounts have led the NHL in seemingly every category despite Pittsburgh’s lower-third market size. Andi was among the first female executives for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and she believes that simply ‘getting the job done’ isn’t enough. She always encourages her department and the organization as a whole to look past ‘the way things are always done’ and try to achieve more.

Sam Perlen

Talent Acquisition Advisor, FedEx Services

Sam Perlen is a 27-year-old Talent Acquisition Advisor for FedEx Services currently living in Chicago, Illinois. Sam graduated from Indiana University- Bloomington with a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs majoring in Management in 2019. Sam grew up in Nashville, Tennessee where he was active in his local community, especially BBYO where he served as the 90th Grand Aleph Godol. Sam is passionate about helping partner with others to create strategies that are people focused to drive change forward. In his free time, Sam enjoys exploring Chicago through its beautiful parks and lake shore and trying all the amazing food the city has to offer. He is an avid traveler having traveled to 35 countries while always looking for the next adventure. Sam has been fortunate to travel with JDC Entwine and visit the local Jewish communities of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mumbai, India, Havana, Cuba, and the United Arab Emirates.

Adam Shaw

Senior Consultant, Kaufman Hall

Adam is a passionate alumnus of BBYO and his hometown of Chicago. He currently serves as a Senior Consultant for Kaufman Hall where he provides strategic and financial planning for healthcare systems and organizations. Outside of work he enjoys golfing with friends, spending time with family, and enjoying all the great restaurants that Chicago has to offer.

Colin Silverman

Senior Associate, Manning Silverman & Company

Colin provides accounting and tax consulting to many small businesses throughout the Midwest. Colin graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from the Fisher School of Accounting at the University of Florida. On campus Colin was involved in many clubs and organizations and served as president of the Jewish Student Union, which is the largest in the country. Before attending college, Colin served as a member of the board of directors and as the international president for BBYO, an international youth led organization engaging over 100,000 people in 40 countries.

Justin Spooner

Senior Associate, Colliers Nebraska

Justin was born and raised in Omaha, NE. Professionally, Justin is a commercial real estate broker with Colliers Nebraska. In the past, he has worked for the Jewish Federation of Omaha, AIPAC, and for sports technology giant Hudl. In 2014, Justin unsuccessfully ran for the Nebraska Legislature, placing 3rd out of 6. Philanthropically, Justin engages with many different parts of the community. He is actively involved with the United Way of the Midlands and JAG Nebraska. In the Jewish community, Justin is a regular at Federation events and causes and is a long time advisor to Mother Chapter AZA #1. In 2013, Justin graduated from the University of Nebraska Lincoln with degrees in history and political science. Justin was married in May 2022 to Lissy Kane. Along with their cat, Smudge, the Spooner's reside in Omaha.

Logan Stalarow

Senior Consultant, Oliver Wyman

Logan Stalarow is a consultant at Oliver Wyman, a global strategy consulting firm, where he focuses in private equity and pricing related projects. Prior to his time at Oliver Wyman, he majored in Mechanical Engineering and minored in Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin. In his spare time, he enjoys any and all activities in the outdoors (especially snowboarding), watching sports at the professional or college level, and flying as he recently obtained his private pilot’s license.

Pauline Wizig

Associate, Foley & Lardner LLP

Pauline Wizig is a Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution associate attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Foley & Lardner LLP. Pauline has a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and earned her B.A. magna cum laude in History and International Studies from Emory University. While at GW Law, she was an active member of the Moot Court Board, served as a law clerk in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, and represented indigent defendants in D.C. Superior Court through GW’s Criminal Defense and Justice Clinic. Prior to law school, Pauline was a development fellow for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee where she worked to mobilize the pro-Israel community throughout New York City. At Emory, Pauline was an active member of the Jewish community and wrote an honors thesis on emigration from Nazi Germany. She also served as chapter president of her sorority, Sigma Delta Tau. She is originally from Houston, Texas.

Council Members will have the opportunity to network with leading executives, develop a relationship with a mentor from within BBYO's larger lay leader community, meet other BBYO alumni in their local community, connect with current BBYO teens, become a member of the BBYO Honor Society, and work with members of BBYO's other Advisory Councils to support initiatives across the broader BBYO community.

To learn more about the Alumni Advisory Council, please email Rebecca Feuerstein, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement, at [email protected].

CHECK OUT ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

Throughout the year, we’re celebrating members of our alumni community, sharing they’ve accomplished in their careers and lives since graduating, and exploring how their experiences in BBYO have shaped them in adulthood. Check out our Alumni Spotlight features here.

READ SPOTLIGHTS

BECOME A SPEAKER

We aim to bring in excellent speakers and educators to enhance our year-round chapter, regional, and international programming. We’re eager to engage alumni that bring unique conversations, workshops, or skill-building opportunities to our teens. Please complete the form below and a member of the BBYO team will be in touch should we have the right opportunity to connect.

BECOME A SPEAKER

CELEBRATE ALUMNI OF THE YEAR

The BBYO International Alumni of the Year Award recognizes an Aleph and a BBG who embody the Menorah Pledge and Cardinal Principles of our movements and show commitment to the Jewish community throughout their lives. For BBG alumnae, the principles of Jewish Heritage, Interfaith Relations, Philanthropy, Tradition, Citizenship, Community Service, World Jewry, and Good Sisterhood. For AZA alumni, the principles of Patriotism, Judaism, Filial Love, Charity, Conduct, Purity, and Fraternity.

In February 2024, at BBYO International Convention, Brett Gursky of Greater Jersey Region and Hedy Schabes of BBYO Mexico received the AZA of the Year and BBG of the Year Awards.

CONTACT US

To learn more about opportunities to engage with BBYO’s alumni community, please contact Rebecca Feuerstein, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement, at [email protected].