Fifteen graduate from first cohort of community leadership course

A group of 15 Jewish community go-getters have graduated from an 18-month leadership course, becoming the first cohort to do so.

Senior figures from organisations such as the Office of the Chief Rabbi, the Zionist Federation, the Union of Jewish Students, the Board of Deputies, Maccabi GB, the United Synagogue, S&P Sephardi Community, UJIA, JAMI and two big Jewish schools all took part.

They were the first to undertake and complete the Jewish Leadership Council’s new Dangoor Senior Leadership Programme, supported by philanthropist David Dangoor.

Participants included ZF director Arieh Miller, who will now take over as chief executive at the Union of Jewish Students from March, and Amanda Bowman, who became the vice-president of the Board of Deputies while on the course.

Maccabi GB operations chief Ashley Lerner, Young Norwood vice-chair Ashley Sweetland, and Dan Bacall, the Chief Rabbi’s director of external affairs, joined Moriah Jewish Day School head Ruth Gafson and JFS Governor Vicky Fox, alongside former Langdon chief executive Gary Skovron.

Others included UJIA’s director of fundraising Jacalyn Sank da Costa, United Synagogue director of strategy Jo Grose, former S&P board member Jonathan Solomons, JAMI’s deputy head of services Louise Palmer, and Mia Hasenson-Gross, director of human rights group Rene Cassin.

Part of the course was delivered by management consultants at Windsor Leadership, with participants learning about sense-making, relating, visioning, inventing, reconnecting and refining. One module was called ‘The Leader I am Now, The Leader I Need to be Going Forward.’

Sweetland paid tribute to “a special and unique group of participants,” adding: “It really has had an impact on how I see myself now and in the future.”

The JLC would not reveal course costs or applicant numbers but said recruitment for the next cohort will begin next year.