Leadership 615
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About the Program
A fellowship program that strives to advance the next generation of leaders for the Nashville Jewish Community.
The Jewish Federation of Nashville’s Leadership 615 Program is a 6-month fellowship program designed for outstanding and forward-thinking individuals to become more strategic, knowledgeable, and effective community leaders.
This program is currently in its inaugural year. For information about next year's cohort, please contact Michal at michal@jewishnashville.org.
Leadership 615 provides you with the opportunity to:
Hone the skills you need to make an impact. Everywhere.
Over the course of the program, you will learn critical skills for leading in times of change and achieving maximum impact. You will also gain key principles of nonprofit leadership and Board governance.
Connect with other successful leaders in Nashville.
You will have the opportunity to connect with a diverse group of leaders in the city of Nashville and be part of a group of leaders who share your values.
Engage with the contemporary challenges impacting Jewish Nashville.
You will widen your knowledge about the current challenges that the Jewish community in the U.S. is currently facing. You will also dive deep into the issues that affect the Nashville community in particular.
Our curriculum at a glance:
Our sessions are taught by distinguished scholars from all over the country, respected community and business leaders, and local Jewish community leaders.
We will focus on:
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The State of Jewish Community in America
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Leadership Skills in a Changing World
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Nonprofit Management Skills
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Nashville’s Leadership
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Case studies of current challenges of Jewish Nashville
The sessions take place once a month, over 6 months. Excluding our cocktail party, all sessions will be on Sunday morning.
Leadership 615 is funded by a generous directed donation from Mark Goldfarb. As part of participation in Leadership 615, we encourage Fellows to make a personally meaningful donation to the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville in support of our programs.
Meet the cohort 1 alumni
Andrea bernstein
Rachel Appelbaum, MD is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as part of the Division of Acute Care Surgery. She completed her Medical School education at the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine as part of the inaugural class for the SELECT program. This program aims to cultivate compassionate physicians with a heightened awareness for the changing culture of healthcare. Dr. Appelbaum graduated from General Surgery Residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network and she is board certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. She is an active member of the EAST Quality, Safety, and Outcomes Committee and the AAST Critical Care Committee. She serves as the Executive Director for the Future is NOW (Non-violent Options Win) Nashville, a new initiative aimed at exposing children to science and healthcare to inspire them to choose a violence free future for themselves, their families, and the community. Dr. Appelbaum plans to continue her research interests in quality improvement and communication, specifically guideline development, process improvement, and handoffs.
Andrea bernstein
Andrea Bernstein, a Nashville native, began her dynamic professional journey following her 2006 graduation from Bates College, earning a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Spanish. Her commitment to global outreach led to her taking on significant roles in international development in Washington, DC, where she dedicated herself to empowering underserved communities worldwide. In 2011, Andrea brought her passion for sustainability and social responsibility back to Nashville, joining Interstate Packaging, her family’s business, as the third-generation representative. Her instrumental role in steering the company towards becoming a women-owned enterprise underscored her dedication to diversity and ethical business practices. Andrea serves as Director, Customer Solutions, driving the company's customer-facing initiatives. She is active in and has served on several local non-profit boards and currently resides in Nashville, sharing her life with her husband, Hunter, and their two sons, Jack and Samuel.
Hannah Epstein
Hannah Epstein works in the Sports and Television department at CAA. She represents some of the most acclaimed OSCAR, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning production companies across the world and has been recognized in Variety’s “Up Next” New York Power of Women Impact List.
Epstein has spent portions of her life in Panama, where the majority of her family still resides, as well as the UK, the American south and New York, where she was based for the past fifteen years.
Epstein relocated to Nashville, where she has been promoted to sit within the CAA Sports department. In her new role, she will focus on the crossover between sports and entertainment, as she will be creating opportunities that amplify athletes' stories within TV, MP, Podcasts and more.
Scott Fishel
Scott Fishel is a Nashville native and active member of the local Jewish community. He currently serves on the board of Jewish Family Service and is a member of The Temple. In his professional life, Scott serves as Vice President of Acquisitions for Hamilton Creek Partners, LLC. Scott graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and received his Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University. He and his wife Annie enjoy all things Music City related and can usually be found walking the McCabe greenway on any given weekend.
Dara Freidberg
Dara Freiberg is a Higher Education and Nonprofit Development professional with nearly 20 years’ experience across a variety of organizations including Yale University, Emory University, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Frist Art Museum, and the Gordon Jewish Community Center. Prior to beginning her career in fundraising, Dara was a Teach for America Corps Member in Washington D.C. and worked for the organization after completing the program. Originally from Chicago, Dara holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University. Dara currently serves as President-Elect of the Board of Directors at the Gordon Jewish Community Center and President-Elect of the University School of Nashville Association. She volunteers with organizations including the National Council of Jewish Women and Gilda’s Club Middle TN. Dara and her dog Penny Lane are a certified pet therapy team and have provided services and support for the residents at Abe’s Garden Community, students at Vanderbilt University, and through the Pet Enhanced Therapy Program at Metro Nashville Public Schools. Dara enjoys traveling, hiking, running, indoor cycling, and theater. Dara, and her husband Craig, have 2 boys, ages 11 and 14, who are avid soccer players and 2 labradoodles, Penny Lane and Lennon.
Ertha Luma Gruber
Ertha Luma Gruber serves as a team leader at AT&T with a career spanning several years in sales. She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her current role. Ertha has played an instrumental role in the sales department in developing and supporting the Team lead group along with the Sales Consultants. Prior to working at AT&T, Ertha has successfully developed multiple capital campaigns that engaged board members, volunteers, and staffs at Workers Dignity. In addition, Ertha is passionate about Economic justice, community building, leadership, and housing. She serves on the Board of Directors for Nashville Emerging Leaders, Safe Haven Family Shelter, and NowGen. She is dedicated to using her experience in both the public and private sectors to broaden access to housing by supporting local community groups, her congregation, and building strong communities. Ertha holds a B.S in Biology from Middle Tennessee State University. She is an alumnus of Nashville Emerging Leaders Class of 2022 and Young Leaders Council Class of 2022. Ertha remains actively engaged in the Nashville community serving as a co-chair of the social committee for NowGen.
Caroline Miller
Caroline is originally from Long Island, NY and went to college at Ohio Wesleyan University. She lived in Israel for 9 months on a Masa program where she volunteered teaching English in a suburb of Tel Aviv. She has lived in Nashville for 10 years and teaches English Language Development to high school students in MNPS. She is a co-founder of East Side Tribe and loves the community she has helped create. She looks forward to learning more from the Leadership 615 program to help fuel future endeavors in Jewish Nashville and beyond!
Amy Pearl
Amy Pearl is a native Nashvillian, and currently works at AllianceBernstein, focused on M&A and Strategic Initiatives for Private Alternatives. In this role, Amy is responsible for evaluating new business opportunities to support growth of the platform. Prior to AB, Amy worked in acquisitions on the investment team at a Real Estate Private Equity business, acquiring over $1 billion in real estate assets across the U.S. Amy graduated from New York University – Leonard Stern Business School in 2016 with an MBA and has an M.S. degree from Columbia University. She graduated from the University of Miami in 2009 with a B.S.
Amy is involved in the Nashville community, and currently sits on the board of the Nashville Children’s Theatre, which provides children, families, and educators across Middle Tennessee with shared theatrical experiences that inspire imagination, develop creativity, and build community. Amy, her husband, David, and their three young children enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling, and cooking together.
Lori Star
Originally from Houston, Lori has called Nashville home for the last twelve years. She has spent over a decade working in healthcare providing direct clinical care as well as leading clinical operations and strategy. Lori’s passion for advocacy of equitable healthcare delivery led to her being nominated for Tennessee Nurse of the Year by her patients. She feels most fulfilled in her work when she is fostering meaningful bonds with those around her, recognizing the profound impact they have on well-being and success. Along with her wife and children, Lori has cultivated a balanced life that embraces the challenges of a busy work life and the joys of family and friend time. She attributes striking this balance to her spontaneous spirit that helps her navigate life’s curveballs with ease. Some of the little things that bring Lori joy include after dinner sweets, being outdoors, tapping into her history junkie side by working on her stamp collection and watching documentaries. Secretly, Lori wishes she could be a student forever, but has settled on being a lifelong learner, seeking out opportunities to learn something new. Next on her list is enrolling in an art history and healthcare innovation course.