16 August 22 • 2019 jn Be the Change! Federation’ s Jaime Bean represents a new generation of Jewish leader in Detroit. W ho should be filling profes- sional leadership positions in the Jewish communal space? Jaime Bean answers that question with two others: If not me, who? And if not now, when? “Jewish young adults often want to see change in our community, and the best way to effect change is from inside the community itself, ” says Bean, the Israel and Overseas associate at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. She adds, “If the younger generation doesn’ t start pursuing Jewish world careers in greater numbers, in the long run the Jewish community will experi- ence not only a severe age gap in lead- ership, but a shortage of leaders. ” Masa Israel Journey — which counts Bean among its more than 150,000 alums — believes it has found the missing piece in the Jewish profession- al leadership puzzle. A survey released by Rosov Consulting last year revealed that more than two-thirds of Masa alumni who see themselves as “Jewish leaders” also view themselves as “lead- ers” in the workplace. At the same time, female leaders like Bean remain rare in the Jewish space. According to the same Rosov survey, 53 percent of men and only 42 per- cent of women consider themselves a “Jewish leader. ” Bean, a graduate of the Jewish Communal Leadership Program within the University of Michigan’ s School of Social Work, worked as a philanthropic advancement intern with Detroit’ s Jewish Federation. She gained experience like helping coordinate the Federation’ s Super Sunday phone- a-thon fundraiser. “I was learning so much at the internship I decided to keep working with the Federation during my last semester in grad school, ” she said. But before she officially started her career, she knew she needed to spend some time in Israel. “My mentor at the Federation recommended Masa as a worthwhile, growth-promoting experience. The timing was perfect, as the Federation was running a pilot program for English-language teaching that year through its Central Galilee Michigan partnership, ” she said. Bean is now a graduate of the Masa Israel Teaching Fellows (MITF) pro- gram. While she was in Poland as part of the program, she learned the Federation’ s Birthright coordinator was leaving and returned to the U.S. to take that job. “I worked on different young adult programming for about a year. Six months ago, I moved to the Israel and Overseas Department to work on its scholarships program, ” she said. “It has been rewarding to provide young adults in the Detroit area the opportu- nity of fulfilling their dreams of living, studying and working in Israel. ” Bean said she sees opportunities for woman at Jewish nonprofits increasing, although only 30 percent of organiza- tions currently have female CEOs. “It’ s incredible to see that Jewish groups are increasingly empowering women to reach these leadership roles. I think it’ s the result of the mentorship female leaders in the Jewish world are providing to the younger generation. I know that I benefited from that kind of mentorship, and I hope to pay it for- ward one day. ” ■ This story first appeared at myjewishdetroit.org. jews d in the LIRAN AVISAR BEN-HORIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS Jamie Bean at the Super Sunday phone-a-thon COURTESY OF JEWISH FEDERATION OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT The Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity and Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC (JCRC/AJC) presents A dessert reception will follow the program | FREE OF CHARGE Advance registration is encouraged at: barrierstoreentry.eventbrite.com For more information, contact Lauren Herrin at 248-642-2641 or herrin@jfmd.org Thursday, September 5, 2019 7-9 p.m. NOAH’s of Southfi eld 26100 Northwestern Highway, Southfi eld 48076 Following their time in prison, returning citizens must navigate a complex set of barriers which make going back to a “normal” life after nearly impossible. Nearly half will end up back in custody. Come and hear from experts about the challenges returning citizens face and the opportunities that exist for change. Sentence Served Exploring Barriers to Reentry Featured Panelists Margrit Allen Center for Employment Opportunities Aaron Kinzel University of Michigan-Dearborn Michelle Smart Bags to Butterfl ies Jacob Smith Moderator This event is generously sponsored by the Ravitz Foundation.