Teen Leadership Fundamentals

Erica Hruby, M.A. is a Jewish educator with nearly 30-years of teaching, curriculum writing, and professional development experience in Jewish community, academic, and residential environments. Erica serves as Senior Manager, National Teen Education and Engagement at The Jewish Education Project. She is also the founder of Anchored Parenting, LLC where she serves as a parent educator and coach. Erica has an M.A. from Georgia School of Professional Psychology in Clinical Psychology with a focus on children and adolescents. She lives on the West Coast of Florida with her high school sweetheart with whom she shares two adult daughters.

Ami Gelman (he/him) is a Junior at Denver Academy of Torah. He serves as the writing group director for the Jewish Youth Climate Movement, a Begin Scholar for the Tikvah Fund, and a member of his varsity boys basketball team. Ami teaches at a local Hebrew school, is a youth group leader at his synagogue, and is an intern at SAME Cafe. He is also a student tour docent at the Golda Meir House Museum and a member of his school’s Model UN team. Ami likes to hike, read, keep up with the news, and write. 

Hallel Abrams Gerber (she/her) is a first year at Brown University and a recent graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. She works for four on-campus publications, helps create picture books through Fiction for Kids, and mobilizes for youth engagement in democracy through Brown Votes. She has also had her work published on the jGirls+, Jewish Women’s Archive, The Science Survey, and Project Here Now websites. Additionally, she serves as a student advisor for Alongside and an editor for Life Letters. In all of her work, she strives to improve quality of life and build intentional, collaborative spaces.

Annie Rosenthal served on her Temple Youth Group Board until she was the President as a Junior. Senior year she worked as the Membership Vice President of NFTY SW while holding other leadership roles in the congregation like Rosh (Head) Madricha and Immediate BITY (Beth Israel Temple Youth) Past President (something they created for me so I could still be involved in the youth group despite her mutually exclusive NFTY position). She attended and worked for her Temple-owned sleep away camp for 14 years and held almost every title offered throughout her time there. In undergrad at the University of Arizona Annie received a Bachelor of Arts in Judaic Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and Human Development. She is now working on a Masters in Jewish Nonprofit Management through the Zelikow School of Nonprofit Management at Hebrew Union College. Annie is in the middle of her third year as the Youth Engagement Professional at Congregation B'nai Israel in Boca Raton, FL. She runs four youth groups in the congregation ages Pre-K-12th grade, oversees a teen board of about 13 students, runs the Madrichim program, teaches in four different classes at the Religious School, and takes on additional special projects as they arise such as the Purim Carnival, Mitzvah Day, and High Holy Day Family Programs.
 

Brandon Gabay (he/him) is one of the Youth and Teen Engagement Managers at Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs, GA. In this position, Brandon oversees the Teen Board, teen leadership development, Madrichim in Training, trips, and more. Prior to his professional career, Brandon attended Florida State University, where he helped found the Jewish Student Union, serving as the first Executive Director. Brandon found his connection to Judaism in high school, when he was involved in NFTY-STR as a teen, having served on his Temple youth group board, attended URJ Kutz Camp, served on multiple North American committees, and was active in his region.