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Susan W. Turnbull, of Bethesda, Md., is a life-long community activist who is involved with a myriad of social justice activities. A former JWI Woman to Watch, Ms. Turnbull devotes countless hours to philanthropic causes. In addition to her involvement with JWI, Ms. Turnbull also serves in leadership roles with: The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, EMERGE America, EMERGE Maryland, and the University of Maryland Institute for Citizenship and Politics. She was elected Chair of the JWI Board of Trustees in June 2009.
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Vivian Bass, of Bethesda, Md., is the Chief Executive Officer of The Jewish Foundation for Group Homes (JFGH). She has dedicated her career to improving the quality of life, independence, community inclusion and dignity of individuals with disabilities throughout the metropolitan Washington D.C. area. She has served as a consultant to more than 25 communities over five continents. In addition to being sought as a speaker for major national and international disabilities and/or Jewish conferences, serving on numerous boards, and playing a pivotal role in a myriad of consortiums and legislative/consumer advocacy efforts, Vivian has been the recipient of many distinctions including `Washingtonian of the Year' by Washingtonian Magazine. She is a 2007 JWI Community Leader Women to Watch Honoree, and she is also a Lion of Judah.
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Susan Feldman, of West Bloomfield, Mich., Endowment Specialist, The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, has an LLM in taxation, and spent 20 years practicing tax law. She also serves on the Board of JCADA – the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse in Detroit, Michigan. Feldman spent nine years in an abusive relationship, married to the Jewish doctor who was “every Jewish mother’s ideal dream.” She now speaks to groups far and wide, young and old, about surviving domestic violence, and was a speaker at JWI’s Second International Conference on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community and at the 2011 Women to Watch Gala. Feldman is happily remarried and has three children and two step-children, all of whom are domestic violence advocates.
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Meryl Frank, of Highland Park, N.J., former U.S. Representative to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, established a consulting firm after completing her term as Ambassador, and now works with Women’s Campaign International (WCI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and other international organizations to promote women in leadership. Ambassador Frank works with a wide range of women, from the female Members of Parliament in Afghanistan, to basket weavers in rural Kenya, to women executives at Microsoft in the U.S. She became the (first female) mayor of Highland Park, N.J. in 2000, and she was recently named one of the “50 Most Influential Jews in the World” by the Jerusalem Post. She was a recipient of JWI’s Women to Watch award in 2010.
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Toby Graff, of New York, NY, is the senior vice president of public affairs for USA Network, a division of NBC Universal. In this role, she oversees all corporate social responsibility, community outreach and cause marketing efforts. Previously, Toby was the senior vice president of public affairs and corporate communications for Lifetime Networks where she led the company’s Emmy® Award-winning public service and advocacy campaigns Graff held several positions in the Clinton Administration, including deputy press secretary for then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. She has been named as one of Broadcasting & Cable’s “Next Wave of Women” and CableFax’s “Rising Stars” and has received numerous honors. Toby also has served on the Education Advisory Board of New York City League of Women Voters, the Communications Advisory Board of RAINN (operator of the National Sexual Assault Hotline), the Myelin Repair Foundation Communications Advisory Board and the Advisory Council of the NYS Anti-Trafficking Coalition. She was a recipient of JWI’s Women to Watch award in 2006.
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Meredith Jacobs, of Rockville, Md., is the Managing Editor for Washington Jewish Week. She is also the author of The Modern Jewish Mom’s Guide to Shabbat: Connect and Celebrate—Bring Your Family Together with the Friday Night Meal (HarperCollins) and co-founder of ModernJewishMom.com. Her monthly parenting columns appear in The Baltimore Jewish Times, and she has written for many publications including JTA and Jewish Woman and has been interviewed for articles in such publications as Parenting magazine and the Forward. Meredith has been seen cooking potato latkes and matzo balls on national TV and is a frequent guest on WUSA-TV’s 9NewsNow.
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Erica Leatham, of Potomac, Md., Of-Counsel, Real Estate Department, Ballard Spahr LLP., specializes in local zoning and land-use matters in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. She was named among 2012’s Top 100 Women in Maryland by The Daily Record (Baltimore), in recognition of “high-achieving Maryland women who are making an impact through their leadership, community service, and mentoring.” In 2010, she received the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network’s “20 Under 40” award, recognizing leaders in commercial real estate, and the Washington Business Journal’s 2010 “40 Under 40” award, honoring professionals based on business success and community involvement. Leatham lives in Potomac, Md. with her husband and two children. In 2011 she served as co-chair of JWI’s Women to Watch Gala.
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Laurie Moskowitz, of Washington, D.C., is currently the Senior Director of US Campaigns for ONE.org, an international advocacy group working to eradicate extreme poverty, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Founded by Bono of U2, ONE has over 3 million members worldwide and 1.7 in the US. Laurie manages ONE's public facing campaigns in the US, helping to set strategy, develop creative tactics, and execute operations on the ground. Prior to joining ONE, Laurie founded and ran FieldWorks, a grassroots consulting firm working with Democratic candidates, progressive organizations, and ballot initiatives. As the first woman in her field, Laurie helped to elevate the importance of grassroots organizing in the political arena and created a new discipline within the political consulting establishment She has worked at the Democratic National Committee, for Al Gore’s 2000 Presidential campaign, and for candidates, state parties, issue-based organizations, and ballot initiatives in over 30 states. Laurie is married to Steve Rabinowitz, also a long time political operative and has two sons Jake and Sammy.
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Amy Nisenson, of Richmond, Va, is Executive Director of The Mary Morton Parsons (MMP) Foundation. From 2005 to 2008, she served as Vice President and Community Affairs Manager for Wachovia Corporation. In addition to the MMP Foundation, Amy works as a consultant with small and emerging nonprofits in the Richmond community, assisting with grant research, grant writing, board development, and other functions associated with sustaining a nonprofit. She also teaches classes at the University of Richmond in the Institute on Philanthropy. Amy currently serves on many local, statewide, and national nonprofit boards. She is a longtime JWI member and is the current chair of the Youth Committee. Amy was elected to the JWI Board of Trustees in 2009. She is married and has 2 college-age children.
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Kim Oster-Holstein, of Chicago, Ill., co-founder of Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels, is knee deep in salty and sweet confections as CEO and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of Kim & Scott’s Crave. Kim and Scott are taking that same dedication they’ve used for the past 17 years to launch The Crave Bar, a scrumptious pretzel ice cream bar that is available locally and soon at TheCraveBar.com. Kim is continuing her instinctive passion for making a difference through Kim & Scott’s Crave. Similar to Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels, Crave’s mission is to nourish, love and feed the stomachs, spirits and souls of the world community. Kim was a JWI Woman to Watch in 2010, Chair of the JWI Communications Committee, and Board Member for KIPP Academy Charter School in Chicago.
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Diane Radin, of Austin, Tex., is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Texas Mathematics Department, and a leader in both her local Jewish community and in JWI Currently chair of the Israel Task Force, a committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Community Association of Austin, she has served on boards at her synagogue, the Jewish Federation and Texas Hillel. A former national vice president of JWI, she served as chair or co-chair of JWI’s 1st, 2nd and 4th International Conferences on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community. She is also a member of the Austin Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse. Her daughter, son-in-law and four grandchildren live in Israel.
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Deena Silver, of Oldsmar, Fla., is a program coordinator at Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services for their Yad B’ Yad Program, matching Jewish children from single-parent families with Jewish mentors. She has been an active leader of JWI beginning in Massachusetts over 35 years ago. She is a past president of the JWI Clearwater, Florida Chapter, has served on the JWI National Volunteer Board and is the chair of the JWI National Leadership Council. Deena has been instrumental in the creation of the Jewish Alliance to End Domestic Abuse [JAEDA] in Florida’s Tampa Bay area and served as the co-chair of the JWI convened Council of Jewish Domestic Abuse Coalitions. She is a member of the Pinellas County Domestic Violence Task Force and serves on the Board of the Pinellas/Pasco Counties Jewish Federation.
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Beth Sloan, of Potomac, Md., a leader and volunteer in the Jewish community and beyond, has dedicated her time to numerous organizations, including JWI and the Service Guild of Washington, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Adas Israel Congregation, Washington Hebrew Congregation, National Family Resiliency Center, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Montgomery County Office of Consumer Affairs, and all of the schools attended by her three children. Formerly employed as a financial analyst for the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and at eLink Communications, she also served as the former Development Director and Associate Executive Director for the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes. Sloan is a past chair of JWI’s Women to Watch.
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Ellen Stone, of New York, N.Y., Senior Vice President, Marketing, Bravo Media, oversees the development of all brand strategy, consumer, ad sales, license/merchandising, and digital marketing for Bravo, with multi-million dollar campaigns for franchises such as "The Real Housewives” and “Top Chef.” She also serves as a member of Bravo's senior management team shaping the network's overall strategy. Under Stone’s watch, her team earned the 2010 Digital Publishing & Advertising Award for Best Social Engagement Campaign, an IMA Outstanding Achievement Award, a Cablefaxie and three CTAM Mark Awards. She was a recipient of JWI’s Women to Watch award in 2011, and has consulted on JWI communications since being introduced to JWI.
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Sandy Unger, of Minneapolis/St. Paul, is a 30+ year governmental and non-profit management expert having held leadership positions within municipal recreation departments and Jewish Communal agencies in the Twin Cities. Sandy is currently working as the Youth Programs and Community Outreach Manager for Twin Cities in Motion, which produces the Twin Cities Marathon and a host of other races and programs fostering healthy lifestyles in the community. Locally, she serves on the Board of Directors of Cornerstone, a Twin Cities Agency working on prevention and rebuilding lives after Domestic Violence along with other community-wide initiatives working to reduce Domestic Violence. She is a 32-year member of JWI, is a Past JWI International President and served as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees from 2004-2007.
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Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, of Los Angeles, Calif., Executive Vice-President & Artistic Director, OPI Products, Inc., known as “the First Lady of Nails,” creates every OPI nail lacquer shade and is the go-to color authority for beauty editors and fashion designers alike. Over the past thirty years, she has changed the nail care industry, paving the way for nail lacquer to become today’s hottest accessory. She is the daughter of Holocaust survivors, and emigrated to the U.S. from communist Hungary via Israel. Weiss-Fischmann served on the board of directors and the executive board of the Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School. Her philanthropy extends to numerous organizations, in Los Angeles and around the world. A recipient of JWI’s Women to Watch award in 2008, Weiss-Fischmann has been a JWI Mother’s Day Flower Project Partner for the last three years.
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