New Leaders Fellows 2026

JFCS is pleased to offer an inspiring educational experience to emerging Jewish leaders of the Bay Area through the JFCS New Leaders Fellowship. The seven-month Fellowship provides distinguished young adults a unique training in nonprofit governance through the lens of JFCS’ mission and expertise as a human service agency. JFCS Fellows grapple with critical issues facing the Jewish and wider community and dive into key tenets of nonprofit management, while building a collaborative community of peers.

Meet Our 2026 Cohort of Fellows!

Shelley Ackerman

Shelley is a biological engineer and head of research at a biotech startup, ImmunEdge, where she leads discovery and translational research efforts advancing next-generation immunotherapies. Previously, she worked at Bolt Biotherapeutics, where she was co-inventor of the technology, translating her doctoral thesis work into a clinical-stage biotech company in the oncology space. She earned her undergraduate degree from MIT and completed a master’s and PhD at Stanford University. Her work has been recognized with multiple honors, including MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35, San Francisco Business Times Women Who Lead in Life Sciences, and STAT’s Wunderkind award. Originally from Los Angeles, Shelley now lives in Redwood City and in her spare time enjoys shabbat dinners with friends, playing classical music, and cheering for the Yankees.

Erin Baucom

Erin focuses her philanthropy on access to education and medical research. While she currently volunteers at schools, camps, and local nonprofits, until recently Erin was a partner with the global accounting and consulting firm Deloitte. Erin served a wide variety of industries, IPOs, the Bay Area’s active life sciences sector and largest retailers, and also enjoyed the opportunity to serve San Francisco not-for-profit entities. Outside of being a CPA, Erin is a children’s yoga instructor. She spends much of her time with her own children coaching sports, playing sports, hiking, cycling, dancing, attending theater and enjoying any adventure they embark upon.

Benjamin Berkowitz

Benjamin is an award-winning writer, producer, and co-founder of Not A Billionaire (NAB), a creative studio and consultancy focused on building culturally resonant stories and brands across film, television, publishing, and digital media. With over two decades of experience as a content strategist, Benjamin specializes in developing narrative-driven campaigns, original IP, and social-first storytelling that connects on a cellular level. He is the co-creator of The Writer, a graphic novel published by Dark Horse Comics and co-written with his brother Max Berkowitz and actor/producer Josh Gad, blending Jewish folklore, modern mythology, and meta storytelling. Through his work, Benjamin is deeply interested in the power of stories to preserve memory, challenge hate, and create shared meaning. A Boston native, Benjamin lives in San Francisco with his family. He is a lifelong Red Sox fan, a devoted father, and someone who believes great white fish salad, honest conversations, and a strong sense of mishpocha make everything better.

Jim Chowdry

Jim works for his family office focusing on private investments specializing in nature based solutions to climate change. He is a Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth, North America board member and alumni based in the Bay Area of California. Prior to this Jim worked for Toniic and Confluence Philanthropy. Jim has also worked in the ocean conservation space educating the public about issues facing the oceans using immersive technologies like virtual reality and 3D printing to create interactive experiences aimed at creating empathy for the oceans and its inhabitants.

Laura Cogan

Laura is a freelance editor and nonprofit consultant. She was the Editor and Executive Director of ZYZZYVA for over a decade, guiding the editorial vision and policies of the journal, publishing 34 print issues, building the organization’s professional infrastructure, and expanding its programming. She holds a BA and an MA from New York University, and has been a speaker and panelist at many conferences and schools. She now serves on the board of New Literary Project; on the jury for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize; and on the planning committee for the Jewish Arts & Bookfest.

Sarah Grace

Sarah is an analytics leader at Arcadia, where she oversees a team leveraging claims and clinical data to help healthcare organizations make informed decisions that strengthen patient care and drive effective business management. She holds a BS in Statistics from Brown University. Originally from the Boston area, Sarah moved to the Bay Area from Washington, DC in 2021 and currently lives in Albany with her husband. Outside of work, she enjoys coaching with Girls on the Run, attending concerts and theater performances, traveling, and spending time outdoors.

Shayna Efron

Shayna is a San Francisco-based leader on Edelman’s technology team, where she specializes in executive visibility and corporate reputation for Fortune 500 CEOs and C-level leaders. She’s counseled clients in a variety of settings and scenarios—from Silicon Valley earnings season to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Previously, Shayna was a career journalist at CBS News in New York. She is a two-time Emmy Award nominee and received an Edward R. Murrow Award as a member of the CBS Evening News team. Shayna earned her master’s in journalism from Columbia Journalism School and received a BA from Emory University. A native Angeleno, Shayna can otherwise be found spending time with her husband and criminally cute infant daughter.

Eliana Munro

Eliana is a publications and communications leader in the non-profit space with over 10 years of writing and freelance editing experience. She gradually moved westward from Pittsburgh, PA to Chicago before arriving in San Francisco in August 2024. She strongly believes in the power of clear and consistent communication. In addition to her full-time job as Director of Publications with the Appraisal Institute, Eliana was granted an Early Career Fellowship with the Society for Scholarly Publishing in 2021 and became a certified yoga instructor in November 2024. Compelled by a love of lifelong learning, Eliana is currently practicing tennis, Hebrew, Spanish, chess, and piano. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors devoted to education, Eliana is passionate about developing her involvement with the San Francisco Jewish community, particularly as a volunteer with Rhoda Goldman Plaza residents, as a member of the 3gSF Advisory Committee, and of course, as a Fellow.

Becca Siegel

Becca is a UX Program Manager with experience across fintech and large-scale Fortune 500 technology organizations. She previously worked at PayPal, leading global inclusive design initiatives focused on equity and belonging. Becca earned her degree in Law, Societies, and Justice, Gender Studies, and Diversity Studies from the University of Washington. She has been actively connected to JFCS for many years, including serving as a JFCS intern during college and recently participating in the Young Adult Leadership Association. In her free time, Becca always says “yes!” to live music and dance, spending time with friends and family, and any chance to be around animals.

Vlada Rakhunov

Vlada has led product management teams across ecommerce, loyalty and lifestyle brands (Keurig, Sephora, Diageo, among others). Vlada is an active participant in the Bay Area Jewish community, supporting initiatives that build connections locally and globally. Originally from Boston, Vlada moved to San Francisco in 2019 and currently lives in Bernal Heights with her partner, and dog Izzy. Outside of work, Vlada loves to explore new restaurants, visit far away places, and speaks Bravo fluently.

Samuel Rothmann

Samuel is a San Francisco native who earned his BA from UC Davis in Political Science and Religious Studies. He works in tech across sales and customer success, with a focus on post-sales expansion and retention, and recently joined a Series A and VC-backed early-stage startup working with strategic, enterprise accounts. Samuel lived in Israel for five years and has traveled extensively throughout Latin America and Europe. He speaks English, Hebrew, and Spanish, and is passionate about community involvement and volunteering, with long-standing involvement in Jewish and Israel-focused organizations, including Hillel and AEPi.

Michelle Spiegel

Michelle is a PhD social scientist in tech, currently conducting user sentiment survey research at Meta. She earned her PhD from the University of California, Irvine and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, where her research examined income segregation in public schools and policies that expand opportunity, including cash transfers to low-income families. She holds a Master of Public Administration from New York University and previously worked with Eritrean and Sudanese refugees in Israel and taught at a middle school in the South Bronx. Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and is originally from Chappaqua, New York. In her free time, she is usually training toward a running, swimming, or biking goal, turning wooden bowls, or walking her beloved pitbull-chihuahua mix, Hunky Hank.

Elianna Starr

Elianna is a payments executive—currently leading a go-to-market and commercialization team at Visa. Elianna recently moved from San Francisco to Redwood City, but continues to work from Visa’s Mission Rock headquarters. Originally from the suburbs of Boston, she has been actively involved in the Jewish community having gone to Jewish day school her entire life. She then went to get a BBA from University of Michigan—where she was actively involved in Hillel, leading the school’s Conference on the Holocaust program. She lived in New York for a bit before moving to SF (having never been to the city before!) in 2012. In her free time, she leads a book club, travels, plays mah jongg, loses regularly in pickleball, attends Broadway in SF, loves trying new restaurants, loves to binge TV, and has recently begun building Lego projects!

Josh Super

Josh is originally from Los Angeles and now lives in San Francisco, where he moved to continue a career in tech sales at Navan. He graduated from New York University, studying Behavioral Economics and Philosophy with a minor in Poetry. Before transitioning into tech, he spent three and a half years bartending in New York City. As a first-generation American with a South African Jewish background, Judaism has been an important component of building community and connection for Josh. In his free time, he enjoys reading, surfing, skiing, hiking, traveling, and listening to music.

Elisa Tagliacozzo

Elisa is a product leader with experience across startups and public companies. She currently works at Autodesk, building software that supports the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. She holds an undergraduate degree from the Technion and a master’s degree from Stanford University in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Originally from Rome, Italy, Elisa has been actively involved in Jewish organizations, volunteering both locally and internationally. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, two daughters, and their dog, Juno.

Blaire Woloz

Blaire is a business leader with expertise in marketing & communications, driving growth for consumer packaged goods companies. She currently leads the OLLY vitamin and supplement brand, making wellness more accessible and delightful. Blaire is a proud Bruin having received both her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Master of Business Administration from UCLA. She is a Bay Area native and lives in San Francisco with her husband. In her free time, you can find Blaire enjoying urban hikes, cooking, or rooting on the SF Giants and Golden State Valkyries.