Stefanie Shapiro of Jewish Federation of Greater Raleigh Selected for 13th Cohort of JCC Association’s Merrin Teen Professional Fellowship

Jewish Federation of Greater Raleigh is proud to announce that Stefanie Shapiro, our Camp, Youth & Family Manager was selected as one of the 13 JCC professionals for the 13th cohort of the Merrin Teen Professional Fellowship, a 12-month program designed for JCC professionals who work directly with teenagers in Jewish Community Centers and Camps (JCCs) across the continent. Merrin Fellows gain leadership and management skills, strengthen their professional networks, advance their career path, and deepen their Jewish knowledge. Most importantly, they develop expertise in serving teens effectively, including connecting them to the Jewish community and its values and to multiple facets of Jewish living, learning, and celebrating.

“Connecting teens to meaningful Jewish experiences is key to creating a vibrant Jewish future,” says Joy Brand-Richardson, vice president and director of training and professional development at JCC Association. “The Merrin Fellowship offers an impactful, high-quality program to a select group of early-career JCC professionals, fostering a strong cohort of colleagues and friends across the movement. Fellows in Cohort 13 bring a diverse range of experience—including those who lead and assist JCC Camps, BBYO, JCC Maccabi Games®, and afterschool programs—and are all deeply committed to ensuring that the teens in their communities feel valued and find a welcoming environment at their JCC.”

In her role as Camp, Youth & Family Manager, Stefanie creates engagement opportunities for families, connects Jewish youth to one another, and meaningfully links campers and staff to Judaism. Previously, Shapiro was the Learning Experience Coordinator at a Reform synagogue in Indianapolis, Indiana, creating programs for families and teaching in the religious and Hebrew high schools. As a Merrin Teen Fellow, Shapiro is excited to gather new ideas and strategies to enhance teen engagement in Jewish life and help young people in her community find connection and meaning. She holds an undergraduate degree in history and elementary education from Ramapo College of New Jersey and a master’s degree from National Louis University in special education.

“I am honored to be part of the Merrin Teen Professionals Fellowship, recognizing my passion for working with youth and teens, and strengthening their connection to Judaism,” said Stefanie. “Camp has always been a place of growth, joy, and belonging, and I am excited to bring new ideas and energy to this work. I look forward to learning from fellow Jewish professionals, deepening my impact, and continuing to create the next generation of Jewish leaders in our community.”

The fellowship includes in-person seminars, monthly webinars, collaborative work in small groups, and an intensive, 10-day seminar in Israel, scheduled for next winter. Members of Cohort 13 will have the opportunity to meet with alumni of past JCC Association talent and leadership programs through the movement’s Alumni Buddy program. Fellows will also participate in ProCon, JCC Association’s gathering for movement professionals, in October.

More than 150 JCC professionals are alumni of the Merrin Fellowship, and some have risen to C-suite and executive director positions in the JCC Movement, a testament to the success of Merrin as an early career JCC Talent offering.

With more than 10,000 full-time professionals, over 20,000 part-time staff, and 17,000 seasonal staff, the JCC Movement is the largest employer on North America’s Jewish communal landscape, and JCC Association is devoted to developing the talent of the JCC workforce and continuing to attract the best and brightest to the movement’s work.

The Merrin Fellowship is generously funded by longtime donors Seth Merrin and Anne Heyman, z’’l, making it possible for JCC professionals who work with teens to better serve this critically important sector of the Jewish community. The program enhances Merrin Fellows’ professional profile in their JCCs and throughout the movement, enriches and deepens their Jewish identities, and helps them augment their own network of Jewish communal professionals—in JCCs and other organizations—across North America. Most importantly, it demonstrates JCC Association’s commitment to support Jewish professionals in the early stages of their careers and helps ensure a full pipeline of qualified Jewish communal professionals for the future.

More information about the Merrin Teen Professional Fellowship is available at jcca.org.

About JCC Association of North America

JCC Association of North America leads the JCC Movement, the most expansive and inclusive platform for Jewish life in the U.S. and Canada, which comprises more than 170 Jewish Community Centers and Jewish Community Camps (JCCs). By virtue of its size and scope—serving more than 1.5 million people weekly, in person, and online—and with guidance and support from JCC Association, the JCC Movement dynamically influences efforts to create Jewish community, vibrant Jewish life, and intentional and measurable Jewish outcomes in local communities and across the continent. Learn more at JCCA.org or on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

JCC Talent elevates JCC professionals and lay leaders and the workplaces they serve by offering experiences and initiatives that enhance Jewish knowledge, foster cultures of inclusion and belonging, and strengthen the JCC Movement’s talent infrastructure. Learn more in the JCC Resource Center or email jcctalent@jcca.org.