Shterna was born in the USA and lived in NY for 18 years before winning a scholarship to study in a seminary in Australia. She studied for one year and then finished her teaching degree in NY.

Shterna went to St Petersburg (FSU) for two months to run a summer camp and retreat for women.

In 1994-95, she met and married her husband, who is Australian, and they were headhunted to run a program in Sydney for one year — social and educational functions for young adults for Jewish continuity.

They have stayed on for the past 28 years and Shterna has taught in day schools for 27 years.

Shterna has started a women's group called Women in Unity and she runs classes and talks for women of all ages. She volunteers weekly shiurim, teaches brides and couples for conversion for the Beth Din, and runs a support group for better marriages called the “Harmonious Marriage Support Group.”

Shterna has a weekly podcast called Soulcafe and she runs classes online for mikvah reviews and parenting/communication lectures . She has studied over 185 hours for mikvah.org and The Eden Centre, and she is currently studying for the Maaglei Nefesh mental health and halacha group weekly.

Reena was a lawyer in Ontario and moved to Flatbush in 2020. She is a practising (not practice) Toenet, and is interested in seeking to expand the whole new profession of a legal representative in Beit Din so that women will be trained and comfortable in that space. Reena has a passion for access to justice and education.

As an out-of-the-box thinker growing up in Monsey, NY, Lakie wanted to make her mark on the world. Fitness drew her in as she loves movement and growth. She grew her name and her business to teach hundreds of women each week. She also released a Fitness DVD to promote it to all. Following some interstate moves, Lakie had to reinvent the way she supported her family. She fell into a Montessori School where she became a teacher. Due to her vision, the school transitioned the school to become a fully integrated Montessori institution from a dual traditional and Montessori curriculum. Another move brought her into traditional Jewish Education, where she taught deep lessons and wrote a curriculum that embraced color for students to connect and understand the Chumash teachings. As the current Director of Innovation, Lakie now focuses on the marketing and technology side of the Phoenix Hebrew Academy to continue to bring its vision toward the future.

Dalia Davis is a Jewish educator and artist who is passionate about creating opportunities for healing and spiritual growth. She graduated from Yeshivat Maharat’s Advance Kollel, majored in Jewish History and Dance at Barnard College and studied in Israel at Nishmat. Dalia also received an M.A. in Jewish Education from Y.U. and a certificate in Talmud and Halacha from GPATS.

Dalia has enjoyed a variety of Jewish educational opportunities. She has served as Rosh Beit Midrash for Merkavah Women’s Torah Institute in Berkeley, taught Melton courses in Springfield, MA, and served as Jewish dance educator for the Foundation for Jewish Camps. Currently, she also teaches Judaic studies at Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School, is designing a youth curriculum for Congregation Darchei Noam, and serves as a research fellow for M2: Institute for Experiential Jewish Education.

She has created new initiatives inspired by the needs of the Jewish community and her desire to offer opportunities for growth and healing. Dalia created Beit Midrash in Motion, a fully embodied approach to Jewish learning, and has led workshops at various conferences including Limmud and NewCaje. She also co-founded Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Journeys, and serves as its spiritual leader. She authored Fertility Journeys: A Jewish Healing Guide for Mayyim Hayyim, and has designed and led programming to support those struggling to grow their families.

Dalia’s newest creation is Ye’ud: Making Life’s Liminal Moments Truly Sublime. Through this work she is creating community, offering pastoral support, and using her passions for Jewish text and the arts to support people along their life journeys.

Sharon is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Adelphi University.

Living in Woodmere, New York, she is constantly frustrated by the limitations our religion and community have established for women. However, Sharon is blessed to have met some like-minded women, and together they have established a successful grassroots organization, the Five Towns Orthodox Feminists, who were brought together by a post on Facebook asking about local women’s Megillah reading. Together, Sharon and the Five Towns Orthodox Feminists have created monthly events in the Five Towns area for women such as dancing with a Torah on Simchat Torah, women-led Megillah reading, and lectures by leading female Torah scholars that local shuls refuse to host.

In addition to Sharon’s leadership role in the Five Towns Orthodox Feminist organization, she is a proud member of the local Hadran of Long Island group, a passionate group of women learning Daf Yomi under the leadership of Rabbanit Michelle Farber. This group is into its third year of the cycle and has only missed one gathering to celebrate a completion of a Masechet. When Sharon was first learning the Daf, her son’s Rebbe was also learning and asked if any of the dads had completed the recent masechet. One of her three sons bravely stated: Not my dad but my mom!

As a stay-at-home mom and homemaker, Talia is always looking for opportunities to keep her brain and soul nurtured with in-depth Torah study and meaningful ritual experiences. She grew up in Baltimore, MD, where she attended Beth Tfiloh Community Day School. After a year at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem, she studied English and Classics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Currently she lives in Fair Lawn, NJ, where she leads and hosts an annual women’s reading of Megillat Esther each Purim, enabling women of the community to connect on a deeper level with this positive time-bound mitzvah in which women are uniquely obligated. She is passionate about women’s growth and commitment to Judaism, advocating for women’s engagement with Jewish learning and ritual, and fostering community by building relationships with women from multiple shuls.

Perhaps the most important thing about who I am is that, while my approach to Judaism and most other things is complicated, multi-faceted, nuanced, and often contradictory, I take a fairly simple and straightforward approach in handling the complexity.

Born and bred in Boston, I “own” many cultural norms from there that do sometimes clash with Israeli expectations in Jerusalem, for example. I first attended a venerable Boston prep school, then graduated Maimonides, attended Michlalah (as it was back in the day), earned a BA/MA at Harvard (with a semester at Stern College), and, before I eventually began an as-yet incomplete PhD in Jewish Education, dedicated nearly a decade to full-time Torah study (including a Scholars Circle certificate from Drisha Institute, before such certification became fashionable, and before it later morphed into ordination). I used that education to teach high school and post-high school, nearly always developing my own courses and curricula. I came to Israel in 2005 to teach full-time at Midreshet HaRova, eventually shifted gears to make progress on my doctorate, and put the brakes on that plan when I gave birth to a son in 2014. I still teach when I can, not the least of which is the Talking Talmud daf yomi podcast, but much of my professional focus has shifted to writing and editing (the hours are more flexible). My “day job” as the deputy opinion editor at The Times of Israel affords me the means to promote women in writing divrei Torah, especially via our Chochmat Nashim/OLP Parsha Initiative. And left to my druthers, I would develop my own creative and Torah writing, and that of others, especially women, who are only now really joining the conversation, as it were.

Ruthie was born in Germany, grew up in Michigan, spent five years in NYC, and now lives in New Jersey. As the Principal of NYC-based extracurricular religious school Jewish Youth Connection, she is able to indulge in her passion for educational accessibility and asking "the big questions" with her students.

Currently, Ruthie works as the Programming and Development Manager for a creative arts sleep-away camp for observant girls, is the Director of Institutional Advancement for women’s beit midrash and learning program Bnot Sinai, and operates as the founder of Achayot: a community network that enables Jewish women to find support, friendship, free events, and Shabbat meals. With a background in administration, programming, marketing, and graphic design, she hopes to make an impact on the lives of people who are searching for a place in the Jewish world. Ruthie lives with her husband Max, a nonprofit professional and RIETS semicha student; her daughter Mila; and her dog Momo.

Suri has been married for over 17 years to an active duty officer in the U.S. Navy. At every duty station she has sought to find the best way to serve her Jewish community, whether through helping plan synagogue programming, parenting classes, leading youth Shabbat programming, teaching a Parsha class, or as an early childhood educator. She currently resides with her family in Silver Spring, Maryland where she home educates her 8 children in addition to running a licensed in-home part time preschool program. She also recently started a women's learning program at the Silver Spring Jewish Center and has goals to create more infrastructure for the Silver Spring Jewish homeschool community.

Tziri Lamm grew up in Brooklyn, daughter of a rabbi in a large family, went to a fairly standard Bais Yaakov, got married, moved to Israel, and had three children in quick succession. She didn’t wonder much about what she’d be when she grew up — Tziri knew she’d be a teacher.

In 2010, at the beginning of a very contentious divorce, soon after her youngest child was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, as things had moved lightyears from standard, Tziri decided to fully lean into the thing she knew and become an English teacher. She oversaw her son’s myriad therapy appointments in the morning, taught in the afternoon, and went to school at night. But amid all the chaos, she found her place in the classroom — as both the student and the teacher.

After six years in a variety of all-girls schools, Tziri was hired to the Yeshivah of Flatbush in 2015. It was there that she realized that she loves learning new things more than she loves English, so she has spent the last eight years weaving through subjects and courses. She currently runs the computer science department, complete with a self-paced, state-of-the-art Makerspace, though she knew nothing about coding or fabrication five years ago. Tziri also teaches electives on data analysis and social entrepreneurship, two other new-to-her fields.

However, the most significant influence on Tziri in the post-COVID world has been her immersion back into the world of Tanach through Shnayim Mikra and Nach Yomi. Returning to text she hadn’t really looked at in over 20 years has radically shifted the way she perceives herself in the Orthodox community and how she sees the world.

Growing up in an outreach focused home, Tamar always had a deep love of and interest in people. She was intrigued to see many people becoming drawn to Judaism, when she, as a frum teen, had her own struggles to work through. Tamar became so inspired by watching this process that she made a commitment to embark on this process for herself. Fast forward several years, and she was privileged to get married and work with her husband in outreach as well. Since then, Tamar has grown into many other avenues of communal investment and dedication: she trained as a kallah teacher 25 years ago and has taught hundreds of brides from across the spectrum of the Jewish community, she a social worker working in a Bais Yakov high school and at a private practice, she teaches shalom bayis classes and a weekly middos vaad as well. Tamar is passionate about helping our frum communities live with passion, inspiration and dedication to Torah values.

Sarah Osborne has a Master’s degree in Jewish education and close to ten years of formal teaching experience. Personal experiences with needing to eat on Yom Kippur and the dynamics of shame, hiddenness and isolation led her to found A Mitzvah to Eat, which supports Jews with a vast range of physical and mental health conditions, disabilities, life circumstances, trauma and more who need to eat on Yom Kippur, use a device on Shabbat, or relate differently to other mitzvot. To reduce isolation, support those who are suffering, and bring holiness to acts of self-preservation, A Mitzvah to Eat provides Jewish learning, original personal prayers, and virtual support gatherings, in addition to providing thought leadership and advocating to clergy, educators and leaders to meet the needs of these community members.

As part of her work for A Mitzvah to Eat, Sarah built an advisory board, learned how to create social media graphics for Facebook and Instagram, grew an international pluralistic audience, taught Jewish texts, engaged in advocacy, worked collaboratively with leaders across the Jewish denominational spectrum, and carved out space in the Jewish community that did not previously exist.

Sarah is committed to creating and building an observant community that is supportive of a variety of life experiences, that is led and improved by women's voices, and that does not condone or encourage suffering in the name of Torah and mitzvot. She lives with her family in the Washington D.C. suburbs.

Anastasia was born in the Soviet Union and moved to Germany in 1991. Through the Lauder Foundation, she learnt more about Judaism and became observant. In 2001, Anastasia moved to Frankfurt to learn at the newly established Midrasha. Today, she works for the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany, in the field of Jewish Education, runs a program for students and young adults, and is on the board of the Jewish community in Frankfurt.

Raphaela Singer is an active member of her local shul, Darchei Noam. Raphaela is a member of the executive board, runs a semi-monthly shiur program for women that brings in outside speakers while encouraging socializing pre and post shiur, and is involved in the Yoetzet Halacha Program of Fair Lawn. She is passionate about bringing Torah and learning opportunities to women in the community. Raphaela lives in Fair Lawn, NJ, with her family.

Leora serves on the leadership committee for Koleinu, a Jewish social organization which offers programming to a diverse Jewish community in Fair Lawn, NJ. She studied at Bruriah High School, Midreshet Tehillah, Midreshet Rachel V'Chaya, and the UnYeshiva, and holds a BA in Studio Art from Yeshiva University. Leora is a professional video producer and editor. She directs the video production department at TypoDuctions, a healthcare marketing agency, and also runs a freelance video editing business. Leora has worked on videos for nonprofits like NCSY, Yeshiva University, and the Hadar Institute. She volunteers as a security guard at her local shul, and is currently working on a passion project about the history of Jewish religious feminism in the United States. Leora lives in Fair Lawn with her family.

Miriam grew up in the heart of the New Jersey Jewish community and attended Yeshiva day school (Moriah then Frisch), one year at Midreshet Lindenbaum, and then studied Jewish History at University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, she had an “Aha!” moment that opened her eyes to the world of non-Orthodox Jewish communities, and before she knew what the word “pluralism” was, she realized the importance of being able to build bridges and communication lines between denominations in Judaism. While always maintaining her observant lifestyle, she worked in educational institutions that promoted communication and collaboration between groups in Judaism, knowing that individuals make up the strength of our larger community. As her career grew, Miriam obtained her Masters in Education and Judaic Studies through George Washington University, and went on to teach at Charles E. Smooth Jewish Day School where she got interested in higher level administration. After working in education and in strategic enrollment for more than 20 years. Miriam founded her own consulting practice, Saddlerock Strategies, a boutique consulting service that works with organizations in enrollment strategy, organizational health, and professional development.

As a lifelong learner, Miriam is a graduate of Atidenu, Prizmah’s signature program in enrollment strategy training, in the Day School Leadership Training Institute (DSLTI), is a certified facilitator of The Six Types of Working Genius, and participant in numerous other leadership and learning programs. She works with organizations around the country, presents nationally, and loves helping people get better at what they do. Miriam lives in the suburbs of Washington, DC with her co-pilot husband, their children, and their dog.

You can learn more about Miriam and her work at www.saddlerockstrategies.com.

Purpose-driven, passionate, a huge people-person, and firm believer in the Oxford comma, Chava Tova is a leader in the communications field who specializes in women’s & girls’ confidence. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, and graduated from Barnard College in 2014.

With an indomitably positive attitude, Chava Tova harnesses her empathy and assertiveness to build meaningful relationships both personally and professionally. She is constantly searching for common ground with everyone she meets.

Right out of college, Chava Tova started her career at Bloomingdale's in the Executive Development Program. She dedicated about six months as an Assistant Buyer (in the Home Department/Electrics business) and about 9 months as the Digital Marketing Promotions Analyst for the company. While there, Chava Tova and three coworkers founded Bloomingdale’s new private label home brand, Sparrow + Wren. She then jumped ship and moved to Hawaii on her own in December 2015; she made wonderful friends and a life there for about 2.5 years.

Considering her life experiences and, especially, from 2018 onward, Chava Tova can identify three true loves/common threads: 1) written and verbal communication, 2) spreading the joy of Yiddishkeit, and 3) encouraging her beloved women and girls.

Chava Tova is the Founder and Chief Encouragement Officer of The Confidence Class, which she started in Hawaii, and which is her platform to equip women and girls with effective communication and conflict resolution skills. Simultaneously, she is the Communications and Engagement Lead for a Chabad organization, where she has worked for about 2.5 years (and which she sees as her shlichus, more than just a "job").

Chava Tova is currently on the east coast and works mostly remotely.

Tzivia grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from CTA in Columbus. After high school, she spent a year in Israel studying at both Hebrew University and Neve. Tzivia has a BS in Business Management from Yeshiva University along with an MBA from Touro College.

Tzivia began her career in retail management In New York. In 2007, she became the Director of Young Leadership at the Orthodox Union. Though Tzivia was just discovering her leadership and management style, this has helped guide her love of community service especially in the Orthodox community.

She and her family then made Aliyah living in RBS. While living in Israel, Tzivia worked for Aish Hatorah planning special events for corporations and individuals in its Old City headquarters.

After living in Israel for five years, Tzivia and Benny relocated to Houston, Texas to be closer to her family.

Tzivia sits on the board of various local and national causes and is always there to lend a hand. The last several years, Tzivia organized and staffed a table at the OU Community Fair in New York promoting Houston as a great community. As a result of her efforts, several families have visited and moved to Houston.

Tzivia is the Co-founder of two Houston based non profit initiatives: Kivun Houston —- an organization for women by women, dedicated to the inspiration and growth of the women in our community, and Lev Echad — created as a generalized chesed initiative for medical, financial and emotional support on an individual level and a community wide scale.

Since 2015, Tzivia has been the Executive Director of the Houston Kashruth Association where she lives with her husband and 4 children.

Rochel is the Executive Director of A Single Impact, a non profit organization that provides support, resources, and advocacy for frum singles. She is well known in the Baltimore community for creating opportunities that fill in the gaps not yet met by local organizations. She has spearheaded a grief support group, an all-women’s theater group, and has been a big advocate and resource for Jewish Caring Network in fundraising and marketing. Rochel is now using her creative talents to effect positive change for singles in the frum community. She has formed important connections with community leaders and is working to change the way singles are spoken to and about, to ensure that all singles, no matter the age or hashkafa level, are treated with respect and dignity.

A licensed mental health therapist, Rochel utilizes lots of humor and (some) quirkiness while working with adult clients on achieving their goals to better their everyday lives. Working in various customer service jobs for 12 years, she went back to school at 30 and earned her Masters in Social Work from University of MD School of Social Work. Rochel can usually be found planning an event, hosting a Shabbos meal, kayaking, and being favorite Auntie Rochel to her friends' kids.