New Leaders Fellows 2023

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 Fellows! 2023 Cohort

Alexi Dagan

Alexi  is the San Francisco Area Director for AIPAC, where she is responsible for working with the organization’s investors and activists across the Bay Area. Alexi received her BA in International Affairs from George Washington University and spent a year studying at Tel Aviv University. A Palo Alto native, she lived in Washington, DC for 10 years prior to moving to San Francisco, where she lives with her husband and son.

Esther Fishman

Esther works in communications at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, after a decade of service at Jewish nonprofits. Born and raised outside of Kansas City, Missouri, Esther received her BA in Political Science from San Francisco State University and her Jewish Service Learning Graduate Certificate from SFSU. She received her master’s in public administration (MPA) from USF in 2015, where she concentrated her research on a new model of corporate volunteerism using best practices from service learning.

Sam Gaynor

Sam is a Partner and Managing Director at Altamont Capital Partners, a private equity firm, where he leads the financial services practice. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, Sam worked in management consulting at the Boston Consulting Group. Sam has lived in the Bay Area since 2011. He lives in Noe Valley with his wife, Caitlin, and daughter, Mia, along with their pit bull mix dog and tabby cat.

Amanda Jacobson

Amanda is an HR Business Partner at Ripple, the leading provider of crypto solutions for businesses. A Bay Area native, she has lived in San Francisco for over a decade. Amanda has been involved with JFCS for many years; she has especially enjoyed volunteering with JFCS’ Food Bank and Shupin Social Club. Amanda now lives in Cow Hollow with her husband and son.

Branden Johnson

Branden is the Director of Business and Operations for Camp Ramah in Northern California. A native of Eugene, Oregon, he has a BA in Journalism and Communications from the University of Oregon. He has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and is an alumnus of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators. Branden recently moved back to the US from Israel; he has also lived in France, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea.

Alyssa Kincaid

Alyssa is a Senior Sales Executive at Instacart, where she advises consumer packaged goods companies on their marketing strategies. She graduated from Northwestern with a major in History and a minor in World Literature. She went on to receive her master’s in Marketing from Northwestern and began her career at Nielsen as an analytics specialist. Originally from Los Angeles, Alyssa has lived in the Bay Area for five years and is an active volunteer with JFCS’ Shupin Community for adults with developmental disabilities.

Michelle Marcus

Michelle built her career in the advertising industry marketing products for CBS, YouTube and Walmart, where she developed and executed global promotional strategies and campaigns. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan.  A proud Michigan native, Michelle moved to San Francisco in 2016 and now resides in Noe Valley with her husband.

Sarah Maxwell

Sarah is currently researching disparities in pediatric liver disease and obesity as a fellow in pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology at University of California, San Francisco. After attending Harvard College and studying medical anthropology, Sarah moved up and down the east coast for medical school and residency in pediatrics prior to moving to San Francisco. Sarah grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Rachel Meade

Rachel is Senior Director of Business Development at Highspot, a sales enablement software company. She has spent the last 10 years building her career as an international partnerships leader in the tech industry, eight of which were at DocuSign, based in the US and London. Rachel is a passionate leader and active member of her community. A Seattle native and graduate of University of Oregon, she now resides in San Francisco.

Tonya Newstetter

Tonya leads global grants operations at Salesforce, where she builds equitable and trust-based systems and processes that deliver millions of dollars in funds to organizations around the world. Her desire to build and strengthen community led her to study at University of California, Berkeley, then on to a career in social impact. A Northern California native, Tonya spent most of her life moving around the Bay Area before settling in Marin with her husband, son, and cat. Outside of work, Tonya serves on the board of Community Action Marin and volunteers with her son’s preschool.

Ricky Ralston

Ricky is an Analyst with First Republic Investment Management and enjoys bringing his professional lens to his spiritual community, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, where he volunteers on the Finance Committee. A Sonoma County native, Ricky spent 11 years studying, working, and adventuring in San Francisco before making the move back across the Golden Gate bridge to Mill Valley, where he currently lives with his wife and daughter.

Michael Rosoff

Michael is the Co-Founder of several companies including Clovi, a healthcare data analytics company, and Jungle Munchies Snacks, which offers healthy snacks on the go. After graduating from Pitzer College, Michael worked at a non-profit organization with the Black Eyed Peas, where he helped children from underserved areas of Los Angeles engage with STEM education. A Los Angeles native, Michael visits often to spend time with his two nieces.

Eli Schlenker

Eli is a software engineer at Honeycomb and is passionate about creating delightful and accessible user experiences. Originally from Canada, they moved to the Bay Area in 2016 after completing their bachelor’s degree at Wellesley College. They’ve found their home in San Francisco at Sha’ar Zahav, an LGBT synagogue, and are an enthusiastic member of the social action committee.

Alla Trostyanetsky

Alla is a Senior Administrator for an investment firm in San Francisco, after working at the United Nations for over seven years. Born in Russia, Alla has lived in Boston, Chicago, and, most recently, Jersey City, New Jersey before moving to San Francisco last year, where she lives with her husband and cat. She has traveled to over twenty countries and continues to have wanderlust.