The Future of Rabbinic Leadership

What does it take to lead a Jewish community through changing expectations and across generations? Join the Atlanta Rabbinical Association at The Future of Rabbinic Leadership program to learn practical tools to build more inclusive organizations, strengthen mentoring and communication, and create a culture where people and new ideas can thrive.

This free event is not just for rabbis!! 

Participants will learn to:

• Cultivate more inclusive and innovative organizations as Jewish and religious communities, leadership teams, and expectations change.
• Work more effectively across generations through mentoring, communication, setting appropriate workplace expectations, and building organizational culture.

Sessions & Speakers:

Session 1: Presenter: Branden Grimmett, vice provost for career and professional development and associate dean, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Generation Z is rapidly reshaping the workforce with distinct expectations around purpose, flexibility, technology, and well-being. This workshop synthesizes recent empirical research (2017–2026) to examine the career aspirations of Gen Z in the United States and identifies evidence-based strategies for employers to attract, retain, and support this emerging talent pool. Findings indicate that Gen Z prioritizes values alignment, mental health, continuous learning, and inclusive workplace cultures. Organizations that adapt recruitment, management, and development practices to these expectations are better positioned to build sustainable talent pipelines and enhance long-term organizational performance.

Session 2: Presenter: Ella Washington, professor in the practice of organization and management, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School

Every community runs on unspoken rules. Some are said out loud, but many more are signaled through how a space looks, who seems to belong, and how newcomers are invited in. Insiders rarely notice these signals. Newcomers notice them right away, and most never say a word. They simply don’t come back. In this interactive workshop, we will look at our communities through a newcomer’s eyes and explore research on what drives belonging and commitment: knowledge, connection, and ownership. Drawing on organizational psychology, business case studies, and hands-on activities, participants will examine how leaders set the tone for belonging and leave with practical ways to make the unspoken visible, open more doors into community life, and turn visitors into committed members.

Session 3:  Presenter: Rabbi Jordan Braunig, Jewish chaplain, Emory University; Atlanta Rabbinic Leadership Lab Fellow

How can the tools of ethnography be directed towards our goals as pastoral caregivers? In this interactive workshop, we will employ the skills of fieldwork to better understand the contexts we work in and the people that we seek to serve. Using the work of Dr. Mary Clark Moschella as a jumping-off point, we will explore how spiritual care is deepened by “active observation” and “thick descriptions.” With a mixture of case studies and skill-building exercises, the goal of the session is to develop the ethnographic toolkits of participants and to enrich their pastoral caregiving practices.

For more information, email atlantarabbis@gmail.com

The Atlanta Rabbinic Leadership Lab is a partnership between Candler School of Theology and the Atlanta Rabbinical Association.