24 | SEPTEMBER 7 • 2023 

O

n her first day as 
executive director 
of University of 
Michigan Hillel, Tilly Shemer 
was nervous but excited.
In the three years prior, 
she had served as associate 
director, and she now had 
big shoes to fill as she sat at 
the desk of former executive 
director Michael Brooks, who 
had held the role for more 
than three decades.
“It was a dream come true,” 
explains Shemer, who worked 
at Michigan Hillel since 2008, 
transitioning into the role of 

executive director at the start 
of 2012.
Now, after 15 years of 
service, Shemer is stepping 
down to pursue a new 
opportunity as senior vice 
president of Wellspring at the 
Shalom Hartman Institute 
North America, where she 
will start in October and 
remain close to the global 
Hillel community.

MAKING WAVES
When she first took on 
the executive director role, 
Shemer was the only female 

executive director in the 
Hillel movement leading a 
Hillel of this size.
“I would really notice 
when I was the only woman 
among my male peers,” she 
says. “I felt a responsibility to 
mentor female professionals, 
advocate for better national 
family leave policies to attract 
women to work in Hillel and 
host a Women’s Lunch at 
Hillel’s Global Assembly of 
professionals.”
Yet, for Shemer, it was a 
source of inspiration. Support 
around her was strong. From 

staff to students to partners 
and Hillel International, 
she recalls stepping into 
the new role as a “natural 
transition.” It allowed her to 
think about the various areas 
of the organization and how 
they could work together in 
support of the students and 
mission.
“Working with these 
students was an incredible 
opportunity to dive into the 
challenges and opportunities 
of being a Jewish leader 
today,” Shemer says. “We 
would explore big issues 
facing the broader Jewish 
world or opportunities 
on campus to further our 
outreach or deepen our 
impact or respond to a 
challenge.”

FINDING HOME
Still, Shemer never antici-
pated building a career 
focused on the Jewish 
community. 
“If you would have told 

A Vibrant, 
Impactful Career

OUR COMMUNITY

After 15 years, Tilly Shemer steps down as 
executive director of Michigan Hillel.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Tilly 
Shemer

