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Meet Stefanie Tuzman, NEXTGen Detroit's
new director.
Becky Hurvitz I Special to the Jewish News
I
f she looks familiar, and you just can't
place her, there's a good chance she
served you your Greek salad and pita at
Leo's in the 1990s. NEXTGen Detroit's new
director, Stefanie Tuzman, is no stranger
to the Jewish community in Metro Detroit.
But she'll be the first to tell you a lot has
changed since she left after college.
Tuzman's triumphant return to the
Motor City says something. Actually, it
says several somethings.
It wasn't so long ago that people were
saying, "Detroit's biggest export is its young
people:' While the 2007-2009 economic cri-
sis was devastating for many Detroiters who
had established careers, it also left a genera-
tion of recent graduates unable to begin
their careers. And so a mass migration of
young Detroiters left for greener pastures in
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and every-
where in between.
But while the national and local
economy thankfully made a comeback, it
wasn't enough for many young expats to
give their hometown another shot. After
starting adult lives, careers and families
elsewhere, why come back?
Well, community for one.
NEXTGen Detroit, the young adult
division of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, has been at the
forefront of turning Detroit into a vibrant
hub of young Jewish life — a place boom-
ing with social, spiritual, professional and
cultural opportunities. Since its launch in
2010, participation in Federation's events
and programming for young adults has
grown from about 1,500 to more than 5,000
individuals, a number that increases by the
day. It's a sign of the times (and a lot of hard
work) that Tuzman and thousands of others
are moving back in record numbers.
So where has she been all these years?
After graduating from Western Michigan
University, Tuzman joined her parents,
who had moved several years earlier at the
onset of the recession, in Las Vegas for bet-
ter career opportunities and significantly
warmer weather. She began working for
a poker website, which came to an abrupt
end, on Yom Kippur 2006, when a law was
34 December 3 2015
passed that made online gambling illegal.
And thus, her journey to becoming a Jewish
communal professional began.
A friend told her that BBYO in Vegas
was hiring. While Tuzman had been active
in BBYO in Detroit, she never thought of
working for the organization as a profes-
sional. After doing some research, and dis-
covering that the position embodied much
of what she was passionate about and a
skill set that she possessed, she applied
and soon was hired.
"I always say that I fell into Jewish
communal work:' Tuzman says. "I wasn't
looking to do it; I never thought I would
end up here. But I happen to be good at it,
and I happen to love it even more. You can
teach specific skills to someone, like how
to engage with people or how to work on a
campaign, but you can't teach passion and
commitment. You really have to feel it to
want to do it. And I do:'
LAS VEGAS FEDERATION
Tuzman worked for BBYO for nearly three
years, until she was approached by the
Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, whose
leaders had taken note of the success she
had growing and strengthening the BBYO
program. Wanting new energy and a fresh
set of eyes, they offered her a position run-
ning their young adult program.
"I started working for the Vegas
Federation in 2009, overseeing the young
leadership program JewEL (Jewish
Emerging Leaders). I worked for young
leadership for more than two years, imple-
menting leadership development oppor-
tunities, social programs and networking
events:' she says.
"Then I was promoted to director of
Women's Philanthropy, one of the larg-
est divisions that make up the Jewish
Federation of Las Vegas. A little over a
year before my last day there, I added
`director of campaign' to my title and
oversaw the Jewish Federation's campaign
efforts, including affinity groups, Women's
Philanthropy and overall campaign strat-
egy and development:'
A few years short of a decade, the buzz
about Detroit trumped the bright lights of
Las Vegas.
"What hadn't I heard about NEXTGen
Detroit?" Tuzman asks. "First of all, this
approach to being everything to everyone
and going to where the 'customer' is — it's
really a different mindset. And it's work-
ing. We're reaching out to people and
offering them experiences that they can't
get anywhere else. We're providing young
adults with an opportunity to connect to
Judaism and to the community in what-
ever way is meaningful for them:'
With its deep roots, history and a com-
mitment to passing on traditions to the
next generation and giving them the
freedom to make them their own, Detroit
is pretty much every Jewish communal
professional's dream come true.
"I'm so impressed with our level of
lay leadership and the NEXTGen Detroit
Board:' she says. "The individuals in this
community who have taken on a leader-
ship role or have made the choice to get
involved are really dedicated, commit-
ted and passionate young adults, and it's
incredibly inspiring:'
TRIBEFEST PRIDE
Tuzman had kept tabs on all the wonder-
ful change and renewed interest in the
Jewish community happening here with
occasional visits back to Detroit and from
staying in touch with high school friends.
But seeing it first-hand at the Jewish
Federations of North America's TribeFest
made it crystal clear, something special
was happening in her hometown, and she
knew she wanted to be a part of it.
"I remember watching the Detroit del-
egation walk into TribeFest in 2013. They
were the biggest delegation; everyone wore
matching sweatshirts and there was just
so much pride. Pride to be from Detroit.
Pride to be representing their city. Pride
in being Jewish:' she says. "Suddenly, I
wanted everyone to know that I was from
Detroit, too. And I knew that meant some-
thing, something really important:'
Welcome home, Stefanie. Welcome
home.
"I always said, partly joking but partly
not, that if I ever went to work for another
Federation it would only be Detroit:'
Tuzman says, "so it's funny that the reason
we actually came back to Detroit was more
about my husband:'
Tuzman's husband, Jonathan, who is
originally from New York, moved to Vegas
for his career in the hospitality industry.
After working for MGM Resorts in their
corporate office for several years, the
company offered him an opportunity to
transfer to MGM Grand Detroit, and the
Tuzmans jumped at it.
The Tuzmans, along with Brie, their
beagle, made the move in July to their new
home in West Bloomfield. The director of
NEXTGen Detroit since August, Tuzman
is settling in and energized for what lies
ahead.
She and Jonathan are enjoying check-
ing out what's new Downtown, trying out
restaurants and taking walks along the
Riverfront and through Campus Martius
Park.
She says the roundabouts are a bit con-
fusing, and she's convinced her blood has
thinned in the Vegas heat and she's going
to have a rough time braving a Michigan
winter; but all-in-all, Stefanie Tuzman
is ready to begin a new adventure in the
place where it all began.
"I smile from ear to ear when people
talk about all the great things Detroit is
doing. I can't wait to represent Detroit at
national conferences and tell our story.
And I'm excited to implement some new
ideas to keep things fresh and exciting. I'm
so happy to be home and ready to be part
of Detroit's future:' *
This story first appeared on Federation's
myjewishdetroit.org.