Introducing our NEXUS Class of 2024!

Federation’s Next Gen is pleased to introduce this year’s dynamic and diverse class of professionals who will come together from February through April for a seven-session program to enrich their leadership abilities. Each session will feature distinguished community leaders, define the skills and tools leaders require, and inspire our participants to put their enhanced leadership into action to benefit the Greater Washington Jewish community. Join us in congratulating the next generation of future leaders and changemakers!

Program Participants 

Chloe Altschul

Chloe Altschul

Chloe recently moved to the Greater Washington area from Northern New Jersey to start her career in government consulting. She studied Chinese and business at Washington University in St. Louis. Chloe is a fitness enthusiast, an avid podcast listener, and a big fan of mac and cheese. Her favorite Jewish holiday is Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). Chloe is excited to join NEXUS and help cultivate a stronger Jewish community! 

Gillian Bayer

Gillian Bayer

Gillian is originally from Miami and moved to DC after graduating with a degree in marketing from Tulane University. She currently works as a senior account manager at SmartBrief, a leading digital publishing company. When she’s not working, she can be found with her goldendoodle, Quinn, riding her Peloton, sprinting at Barry’s, or trying DC’s newest restaurants. She’s excited to join NEXUS to connect with other rising Jewish leaders and empower the community! 

Geoffrey Block

Geoffrey Block

Geoff is from Winter Park, Florida and lives in Cleveland Park with his wife. After graduating from Cornell, Geoff served in the Navy; he then attended Yale Law School. In his free time, Geoff likes drinking wine, traveling, and collecting airline miles. 

Andie Bodian

Andie Bodian

Andie is from New York but moved to DC last May from Colorado for physician assistant school at George Washington University! She graduated from the University of WisconsinMadison in 2021 where she majored in sociology. Andie loves to ski, do things with friends and family, travel, and try new things. 

Rebecca Brown

Rebecca Brown

Originally from Pittsburgh, Rebecca has lived in DC since 2020. She works at JPMorgan Chase providing communications support to the Global Head of Corporate Responsibility and previously served as Press Secretary for Senator Amy Klobuchar. Rebecca is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied political communication and sociology. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and powerwalking, both with a Diet Coke in hand. 

Jason Bussgang

Jason Bussgang

Jason is a 24-year-old Jewish American who recently moved to DC and is excited to get involved in the community here. He grew up attending synagogue and received his elementary and middle school education at The Rashi School in the Boston area which instilled in him a strong Jewish identity. Jason has continued to nurture this identity through leadership roles in high school and at Bowdoin College’s Hillel. His grandpa was a Polish immigrant and a Holocaust survivor, and his parents are both very involved in the Jewish community. Recently, Jason graduated from college and relocated to Washington, DC, to pursue a PhD in biochemistry at Georgetown and the National Institutes of Health. In this new chapter, Jason is eager to engage with Jewish life in DC through philanthropic endeavors and involvement with Federation. Jason also participated in Changemakers this past summer and is excited to participate in NEXUS! 

Aaron Cohen

Aaron Cohen

Aaron is originally from the Chicago suburbs and moved to DC about a year ago after graduating from the University of Wisconsin Madison. While in Madison, Aaron was very active with Jewish life, Greek life, and the university sailing club. He sails here in DC, and on summer evenings, you can find Aaron on the Potomac and Anacostia rivers if there’s good wind. He has also done his best to stay active with Jewish life in DC, and is part of JNF’s young professional group, JNFuture, where he is a board member (ask him about getting involved!). Aaron is super into music and trivia and makes iPhone apps in his free time. Aaron’s latest app is for practicing and learning Hebrew, but he also has one for the NYT Spelling Bee and a sailing weather app, too. 

Joel Croft

Joel Croft

Joel is a strategy consultant dedicated to serving federal clients on their IT transformation journey. Joel brings leadership experience from various roles within the Jewish community, including Shabbat Cluster Coordinator, Moishe House Without Walls Host, and most recently, the founding Board President of ConnectJew, a new tech-based nonprofit serving the DC area. Beyond work, Joel channels his Texan roots into crafting Texas-smoked BBQ for friends, and fosters puppies through a local rescue. 

Emily Englander

Emily Englander

Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Emily moved to Washington, DC in 2012 to pursue a degree in political communication from George Washington University. Currently, Emily is the Director of Brand Marketing and Sales for 1953 Tequila, an ultra-premium tequila founded, farmed, distilled, and led by women. Before working in the beverage industry, Emily worked on numerous political campaigns in Texas and Virginia, and in the United States House of Representatives, specifically on policy and work focused on combatting antisemitism. Emily is also a part-time student pursuing a master’s degree in sport management from George Washington University. In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time with friends, working out, watching Texas sports, or playing with her pup, Shiner. 

Joey Fink

Joey Fink

Joey brings close to a decade of experience in the financial service industry. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with the Bell Broseker Group at Morgan Stanley. Outside of the office, Joey serves as an active alumnus of both Goucher College and the Park School of Baltimore. Joey graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Goucher College, where he was a two-time equestrian national champion. After time in Philadelphia, followed by time in Minneapolis, Joey relocated back to the Greater Washington area in 2022 with a newfound passion for advocating and educating his community on behalf of the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities. They are a part of the Israel Policy Forum’s 2023 cohort of Charles Bronfman IPF Atid Conveners and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore’s Young Leadership Council. 

Benjamin Fraifeld

Benjamin Fraifeld

Ben is the Associate Director for Policy & Advocacy at Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response. He received his bachelor’s in social work at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and his Master of Science in addiction policy and practice at Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Ben moved to the DC area in 2021 from Greensboro, North Carolina, where he was a team member with a community-based harm reduction organization, facilitating syringe services and overdose education, and naloxone distribution for people at risk of overdose. He has always found meaning and connection in the Jewish community wherever he has lived and looks forward to being part of NEXUS. In his free time, Ben enjoys snowboarding, playing the guitar, and spending time with his cat, Ketzel. 

Hailey Kerben

Hailey Kerben

Hailey is from Rockville, Maryland and currently resides in Arlington, Virginia. She attended the University of WisconsinMadison for her undergraduate degree in interior architecture and she was an active member at the UW Chabad. Hailey thoroughly enjoyed being on the Chabad board and attended weekly Shabbat dinners and events. This past August, she received her masters in sustainable urban planning from George Washington University. Currently, she works as an interior designer at JLA Designs. Hailey looks forward to continuing their involvement in the Jewish community and what NEXUS has to offer! 

Blair Kessler

Blair Kessler

Blair is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from Elon University in 2020 where she studied marketing with a minor in communications and sport management. She also played for four years on the Division I Womens Lacrosse team. Now, she is living in DC as an account manager at Cvent, an event management software company. Blair enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the beach, and trying new restaurants in DC. 

Maxwell Kushnir

Maxwell Kushnir

Maxwell is a macroeconomic and political analyst focusing on low-income countries. He is dedicated to improving his local community through empirical research and interpersonal capacity building. As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine, he advised civil society organizations on American management practices, including for Jewish-led NGOs. In his spare time, Maxwell enjoys rock climbing and writing about architecture. 

Dana Lutenegger

Dana Lutenegger

Dana is an aspiring Jewish community leader with an interest in understanding the operations of Jewish organizations, the challenges facing Jewish communities in the 21st century, and the role of philanthropy in sustaining Jewish community. Professionally, he has held positions in the business intelligence and investigations field over the past nine years, managing complex investigations into people and companies on behalf of private sector clients. Previously, he served as a consular officer at the US Embassy in Beijing, China. Dana was born and raised in Minnesota, and now lives in Southwest DC. 

Ilana Moffet

Ilana Moffet

Ilana is from Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience and minored in Judaic studies. After graduating, she received a master’s in human nutrition from Columbia University and is now in her first year of medical school at George Washington University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, and running. 

Julie Ostroff

Julie Ostroff

Julie currently lives in Arlington, Virginia, but is originally from the Philadelphia area. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2022, and now works in marketing for a healthcare nonprofit where she enjoys making an impact in her day-to-day work. Outside of work, Julie loves traveling, reading, and trying new restaurants around the city. She grew up going to and working at a Jewish overnight camp and is hoping to grow her Jewish community in the DC area! 

Emily Rollman

Emily Rollman

Emily is originally from the tight-knit Jewish community of Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh and graduated from Tulane before moving to DC in 2019. From BBYO and teen philanthropy initiatives to studying the Holocaust and sitting on the Standards Board for the Tulane AEPhi chapter, she has used Jewish programming and spaces as a forum to cultivate her leadership capabilities and pay homage to her heritage. Emily has now lived in the Logan Circle area for nearly five years, working at the intersection of public affairs, communications, tech, and business. In her spare time, you can find Emil sampling the best baked goods in DC, playing Boggle at Players Club, checking out the latest Smithsonian exhibit, or taking excessively long walks around Northwest DC with friends. 

Aaron Roth

Aaron Roth

Aaron dreams of a united, diverse, and proud Jewish community. Professionally, Aaron works at BlackSea Technologies as Head of Autonomy Technology. He has worked at technology startups across multiple industries including finance, healthcare, and machine learning. He has conducted research in robotics and artificial intelligence in academia and government labs, published research articles, and given talks on the subject internationally, to both technical and general audiences. In his spare time, he enjoys writing and playing squash. In a volunteer capacity, Aaron serves on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Associate Board of DC, is a Moishe House Without Walls (MHWOW) Host, and is founder and leader of Herut: Choose Freedom DC (HCF:DC), a nonpartisan grassroots Zionist community in DC (part of Herut North America). Aaron always has a spot open at his Shabbat table for you! Find his website at www.aaronmroth.com. 

Alexis Sneider

Alexis Seidner

Alexis was born in Bogota, Colombia and raised in Costa Rica and has two older brothers. She graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in special education with a focus on severe disabilities. Alexis is currently working in DC public schools as a special education teacher. She is passionate about what she does and loves spending time with friends and exploring new restaurants. Alexis enjoys listening to music and dancing, and loves meeting new people and making connections. 

Lilly Sibel

Lilly Sibel

Lilly is from Baltimore, Maryland and attended the University of Maryland where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. Lilly currently works in marketing for a nonprofit in DC. She has lived in DC for a year and a half and was interested in getting more involved in the Jewish community. During her free time, Lilly enjoys being with friends and family. She loves animals and has three dogs at her childhood home who she loves going home to see. 

Rachel Simmons

Rachel Simmons

Rachel works in media relations with a focus on technology and higher education. Originally from Pittsburgh, she spent six years working in film publicity in Los Angeles before relocating to the DC area in 2020. Growing up, Rachel was very involved in her Jewish community. She attended and was a counselor at Camp Ramah in Canada and participated in USY. She just returned from a ten-day trip to Israel where she spent her time volunteering for the war-efforts. She now plans to bring her passion to combat antisemitism back to her local community. 

Christine Solomon

Christine Solomon

Christine currently lives in Washington DC with her husband, Alex, and their small dog, Ruby. In 2020 Christine began her Jewish journey and fully embraced Judaism when she converted in June 2023. Christine and her husband now actively participate in the Washington Hebrew Congregation and have built a wonderful community there. Professionally, Christine manages marketing automation systems at the National Retail Federation while also teaching at Pure Barre part-time. Beyond work, Christine’s interests encompass reading, writing, wine appreciation, travel, running, and puzzles. 

Dani Weinberg

Dani Weinberg

Dani grew up in Potomac, Maryland and has been a member of Washington Hebrew Congregation for her entire life. She graduated from Penn State in 2019 and got a degree in early childhood education. Dani is now a kindergarten teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools. She is very involved in the National Brain Tumor Society and helps to organize a yearly race and fundraiser. In her free time, Dani loves to do yoga, play golf, read, and travel. Dani is so excited to be joining NEXUS!