JCLP Alumni
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Class of 2024
Ben Shovers
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2024
Ben Shovers was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He comes to the JCLP program after completing a Master of Management at the U-M Ross School of Business in 2022. Before completing his Master of Management, Ben graduated from George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and minors in psychology and sociology. Ben hopes to eventually become a CEO of a Jewish Community Center or an Executive Director of a Jewish Federation, combining his business knowledge of finance, accounting, marketing, and overall business strategy with his social work education to optimize social services for his community. When Ben is not in school, he loves working at his Jewish summer camp (Camp Interlaken JCC), watching NBA basketball (particularly the Milwaukee Bucks), going to Michigan football games, trying new restaurants, and spending quality time with his friends and family.
Marie Aiudi Pattipati
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2024
Marie Aiudi Pattipati (she/her/hers) is the Director of Cultural Arts and Education at the Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor. She was raised in Connecticut and has been living in Michigan for close to ten years. She received her undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan in 2021. Marie served eight years in the military as a member of the Army National Guard. This has played a strong role in her research as she examines group identity, values, and structures within white nationalist groups. She is proudly autistic, and is passionate about advocating for marginalized communities. She is the creator of the social media page "Ela Asherah author/advocate", which shares creative works that push back against ableism and supremacy. She is the mom of four amazing individuals whom she greatly admires, and enjoys spending time with her family swimming, hiking, and traveling. She is also an avid foodie and the co-creator of the page "Introverted and Hungry", which shares mostly local food recommendations.
Class of 2023
Abby Calef
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2023
Abby Calef currently works as a clinical therapist specializing in maternal mental health at Honey. For Moms in Ferndale, Michigan. Having grown up in Ann Arbor, Abby could not stay away from her beloved community for too long, so she also works alongside JCLP alum, Moss Herberholz, and the DEI department at the University of Michigan, School of Social Work to provide support groups for Jewish students, faculty, and staff. Before joining the JCLP, Abby worked for Hillel Campus Alliance of Michigan, bringing Jewish life to 10 college campuses across the state. Abby attended Kalamazoo College for her undergraduate degree, in which she soaked up poetry, psychology and Jewish studies classes, while serving as the Department Student Advisor for Jewish Studies. Abby loves connecting with JCLP alumni!
Caroline Strauss
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2023
Caroline is currently a therapist at Light On Anxiety in Ann Arbor, MI. Caroline Strauss is originally from Farmington Hills, Michigan. She studied the Interpersonal Practice Pathway and completed placements with Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County's Thrive Counseling Services and the Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center of Ann Arbor. Caroline completed her undergraduate degree at Michigan State University, where she majored in Psychology with minors in Human Behavior and Social Services and Health Promotion. During her time in undergrad, she was involved at Michigan State Hillel as the Vice President of Administration, where she planned programs for students and interacted with the greater campus community on behalf of the Jewish community. She also held research positions in the Department of Psychology, which furthered her passion for and interest in helping people. Caroline’s Jewish background includes five summers at Camp Tamarack, as well as involvement at Adat Shalom Synagogue. She became particularly interested in the intersection of Social Work and Judaism after completing a summer internship at Jewish Family Services of Metropolitan Detroit.
Elana Lambert
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2023
Elana Lambert currently works with Jewish Family Services of Metro-Detroit as Community-Based Resource Center. Elana studied the Management and Leadership Pathway and completed her field work at U-M Hillel and Avodah. Prior to joining JCLP, she served with AmeriCorps for two years as a college success coach supporting students to and through college graduation and then moved to a career access role supporting high school seniors in year-long internships and planning for after high school. The close relationships with her students from these roles inspired her to pursue a Masters of Social Work degree.
Ellery Rosenzweig
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2023
Ellery Rosenzweig is a Clinical Social Worker at MYBody in Birmingham, MI. Ellery was born and raised in Metro Detroit with a strong connection to her close-knit Jewish community. She studied at the University of Michigan where she received her B.A. in Psychology and minor in Community Action and Social Change. Between graduating from her undergraduate and graduate degrees, she worked at Repair the World Detroit as their Youth & Family Engagement Associate running PeerCorps Detroit, their teen service-learning program, and supervising Repair fellows in their year of service at Detroit nonprofit organizations. Outside of work, Ellery is the co-creator of an Instagram account, @___Shelle___, where she shares size-inclusive clothing and resources on combating diet culture and fatphobia. She is passionate about empowering young people, swimming in lakes, knitting blankets, and eating bagels!
Jorgen Reberg
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2023
Although an erstwhile resident of Australia, Scotland, and most recently Norway, Jorgen Reberg has been a permanent fixture of Michigan’s flora and fauna since July of 2014. Six years later, he graduated from Grand Valley State University with a BS in Psychology and minors in Human Rights and Middle East Studies; his years in Grand Rapids were filled with many meaningful experiences, but few could compare with the opportunity to collaborate with the USC Shoah Foundation. Jorgen’s fluency in Norwegian meant that he was able to translate their collection of Norwegian Holocaust testimonies, which had been virtually untouched for more than twenty years. His chosen pathway in the MSW program is Program Evaluation and Applied Research, which he hopes (nay, is certain!) will provide him with both the knowledge and understanding of how to best improve the lives of today’s Norwegian Jewish community.
Lydia Greenberg
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2023
Lydia Greenberg is a Psychotherapist with North Shore Psychotherapy in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to JCLP, Lydia came from Northwestern Hillel where she had been working with college students since 2017 to make the connection between social justice and Judaism through her role as the Social Justice Coordinator. Before moving to Chicago, she received her BA in Gender & Women’s Studies and Art History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has also been an active member of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs’ Immigration Committee and is an Avodah Fellowship Alum.
Rachel Brustein
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2023
Rachel Brustein is a Program Evaluation Associate at Pilot Light in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to JCLP, Rachel spent four years in her hometown of Chicago working in a variety of settings, including youth development, Jewish education, babysitting, and the mortgage industry. She also spent time organizing with IfNotNow and the Sunrise Movement, and serving as a Leadership Fellow with Mishkan Chicago. In 2016-2017, Rachel participated in Avodah in Washington, DC, where she worked at Interfaith Power & Light, organizing faith communities to take action on climate change. Rachel graduated from Goucher College in 2016 with a B.A. in sociology; at Goucher, Rachel was the Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper, and wrote her senior paper on feminist interpretations of mikvah rituals.
Class of 2022
Clare Lauer
Jewish Communal Leadership Program Class of 2022
Clare Lauer is currently completing a Post-MSW Fellowship with the University Center for the Child and Family (UCCF) through the Mary A Rackham Institute at the University of Michigan. Previously, she worked as a Research Technician Associate through Michigan Medicine. Clare completed her Master of Social Work degree in Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse through the University of Michigan School of Social Work in the spring of 2022. She has enjoyed staying connected to the program as a local alumna of JCLP.