2023-2025 Cohort Co-Chairs
The inaugural BCLC cohort is led by Andrew Kaplan and Julie DeVoe, The J board chairs.
2023-2025 Cohort
Building Community Leadership Council
The J’s Building Community Leadership Council (BCLC) is a program for adults with young families designed to enhance leadership skills and encourage future volunteer leadership within The J community.
The BCLC builds community among young adult parents (ages 25-40), prepares them to engage more deeply with The Jewish Community Center, and connects them with other leaders in the organization. Selected participants in each two-year cohort meet to network and connect with J leaders, learn about J operations, and collaborate on group projects with the support of Board leadership.
About The BCLC
The mission of BCLC is to foster engagement, learning and connection opportunities for the next wave of J leaders. The group’s mission aligns with and continues The J’s mission of building a strong, vibrant and inclusive community for the future.
Through BCLC programs, participants learn more about the work of The J, hone their leadership skills and discover how meaningful involvement shapes a community. The group will deliver a culminating project with support from The J’s Board leadership. All parents with young families, BCLC members say they want to do their part to positively influence the J’s future so their children, too, have the support of a strong community when the next generation needs it.
In its inaugural year in 2023, the first two-year BCLC cohort will conclude in the Fall of 2025. Fifteen participants, selected through an application and interview process, meet regularly to build community with one another and to influence positive change within the larger J community. Participants have many opportunities to see first-hand the difference strong leadership can make and to catch a vision of how they can carry the torch forward.
Following completion of the two-year BCLC cohort, participants will be invited and encouraged to remain involved as a volunteer for one of The J’s many committees.
How BCLC Works
- Members commit to at least eight meetings (approximately one each quarter) over a two-year period, beginning October 2023 and ending October 2025, with a graduation celebration at The J’s annual meeting.
- BCLC participants receive a 50% J membership discount as well as discounted and free event entry.
- Each of the planned eight meetings are held weekday evenings and includes dinner.
- Free childcare for children, ages 3 months to 12 years, is provided.
- The sessions cover topics such as breaking down conversational barriers while promoting camaraderie, learning about leadership styles and individual strengths, understanding how The J operates, and discussing why community is so important. Participants are encouraged to coordinate and attend J-sponsored social hours between sessions.
If you’re interested in learning more about the current BCLC cohort or future cohorts, contact Carly Stein.
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