Many of NFTY's past leaders - serving as members of the NFTY North American Board - have gone on to become prominent leaders in the Reform Movement. Many now serve as Rabbis, Cantors, Educators, Youth Workers, Temple Staff Members and lay leaders in Union for Reform Judaism affiliated Congregations.

NFTY's Past Leadership
Year Name Position
1939-1941 Richard N. Bluestein President
1941-1946 Bernard Sang President
1946-1948 Leonard Spring President
1948-1949 Arnold Levine President
1949-1950 Paul Friedberg President
1950-1952 Jerome K. Davidson President
1952-1954 Robert M. Seltzer President
1954-1956 Joel Wittstein President
1956-1957 Michael Meyer President
1957-1959 Robert Miller President
1959-1960 Roger Wolf President
1960-1961 Maurice Hirsch, Jr President
1961-1963 Don Mintz
David Mersky		 President
Vice President
1963-1964 Kenneth Kudisch President
1964-1965 Charles Tobias President
1965-1966 Carl Lee President
1966-1967 Bill (Zev) Chafets
Eric Yoffie
Macy B. Hart
Norman Roman		 President
Vice President
Vice President
Vice President
1967-1968 Macy B. Hart
Steven Blair
David Altshuler
Sanford Borins
Marlyn Silver
Kenneth Jaffe		 President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
3rd Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
1968-1969 David Altshuler
William Ginsberg
Susan Bolotin
Robert Loewy
Sandra Braman
Howard Mezer		 President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
3rd Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
1969-1970 Doug Kahn
Mark S. Anshan
Bruce Benson
David Barish
Tobi Goldstein
Steven Weinstein		 President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
3rd Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
1970-1971 Mark S. Anshan
Eric Kline
Lee Zlotoff
Leon Barish
Sue Ann Strauss
Mike Novick		 President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
3rd Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
1971-1972 Steve White
Jeff Marx
Jon Levin
Larry Grossman
Larraine Posner
Louis Dobin		 President
1st Executive Vice President
2nd Vice President
3rd Executive Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
1972-1973 Larry Rickel
Nathan Beraha
Bill Gren
Jeff Kerne
Leah Krevit
Gary Siepser		 President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
3rd Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
1973-1974 Gary Blair President
1974-1975 Josh Gottlieb
Shari Berkowitz		 President
Special Projects Vice President
1975-1976 Phil Jordan President
1976-1977 Brian Shore
Andrew Gardener
Hilary Kahan		 President
Special Projects Vice President
Administrative Vice President
1977-1978 Abraham Morris
Judy Kleinman		 President
Special Projects Vice President
1978-1979 Craig Wasserman
Judy Kleinman		 President
Special Projects Vice President
1979-1980 Andy Hodes
Peter Oppenheim
Sam Lieberman		 President
Executive Vice President
Special Projects Vice President
1980-1981 Jeff Strauss
Michael Brent
Jeff Cohen		 President
Executive Vice President
Special Projects Vice President
1981-1982 Dena Morris
Dee Rothman
Adam Lipton		 President
Executive Vice President
Special Projects Vice President
1982-1983 Adina Baseman
James Rothman
Adam Lipton		 President
Executive Vice President
Special Projects Vice President
1983-1984 Melanie Dernis
Charles Miller
Todd Jaffee		 President
Executive Vice President
Special Projects Vice President
1984-1985 Mitchell Warren
Jimmy Hexter		 President
Executive Vice President
1985-1986 Jonathan Miller
Sarah Bendiner
Rachel Sabath		 President
Executive Vice President
Special Projects Vice President
1986-1987 Leon Morris
Sara Polansky
Steven Derringer		 President
Executive Vice President
Special Projects Vice President
1987-1988 Steven Derringer
Susan Shankman
Brad Lander		 President
Executive Vice President
Special Projects Vice President
1988-1989 David Barrett
Eve Rudin
Michael Drexler		 President
Executive Vice President
Social Action Vice President
1989-1990 Roxanne Schneider
Richard Maxwell
Michael Latz		 President
Executive Vice President
SAVP
1990-1991 Deborah Sternberg
David Widzer
Aaron Gross		 President
Programming Vice President
SAVP
1991-1992 Jonathan Crane
Joui Hessel
Aaron Gross
Marc Stemberg		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
1992-1993 Brigitte Swenson
Mimi Cotzin
Michael Friedman
Ari Gauss		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
1993-1994 Jeff Berger
Karen Reiser
David Kaley
Anthony Scaglione		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
1994-1995 Abby Holland
Jenn Siegel
Scott Lyons
Lauren Grabelle		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
1995-1996 Rinat Manhoff
Tamar Anitai
Eric Magnus
Marla Swartz		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
1996-1997 Jacob Zlotoff
Betsy Walter
Asher Knight
Adam Hollander		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
1997-1998 Matt Kunofsky
Ilana Chernow
Nicole Scaglione
Stephanie Leifer		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
1998-1999 Juliesue Thorner
Jessica Olean
Randi Levine
Michael Simon		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
1999-2000 Jeremy Rosenberg
Melanie Ross
Ryan Roman
Helayne Hashmall		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
2000-2001 Sean Thibault
Becky Ellias
Rachel Van Thyn
Marc Zieger Guerra		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
2001-2002 Ashley Habas
Becky Gimbel
Anna Avery
Jesse Friedman		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
2002-2003 Chad Rochkind
Will Dempster
Matt Berns
David Ladon
Debra Eichenbaum		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2003-2004 Allison Tatarsky
Adam Roe
Dana Tarley
Matt Reber
Adrienne Levy		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2004-2005 Daniel Zadoff
David Silverstein
Mira Lyon
Jeremy Gimbel
Justin Felder		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2005-2006 Andy Shoenig
Sarah Ruben
Jordyn Jacobs
Nina Loftspring
Elyse Greenberg		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2006-2007 Dean Carson
Ben Levine
Aaron Arbiter
Mark Swick
Seth Gordon-Lipkin		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2007-2008 Zachary Newburgh
Benjamin Judah Phelps
Mookie Kideckel
Joshua Morris, Ivy Cohen
Jeremy Carlson, Emily Harry		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2008-2009 Jessica Goodman
Noah Wolf-Prusan
Michelle Cravez
Elaina Marshalek
Zach Bronstein		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2009-2010 Aliza Gazek
Tyler Benjamin
Sophie Vener
Josh Levin
Alyssa Kress		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2010-2011 Daniel Landesberg
Julia Carpey
Molly Goldberg
Rio Cheyenne Blue
Aly Pavela		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2011-2012 Forrest Yesnes
Liza Moskowitz
Avra Bossov
Austin Zoot
Taylor Lyles		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2012-2013 Evan Traylor
Jordan Rodnizki
Joy Nemerson
Jacob Georginow
Marlee Ribnick		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2013-2014 Andrew Keene
Morgan Weidner
Gordon Kaye
Micah Friedman
Aaron Heft		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MCVP
2014-2015 Debbie Rabinovich
Scott Rubenstein
Olivia Kessler
Max Spivak
Talia Capozzoli
Jacob Maier		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MVP
CVP
2015-2016 Jeremy Cronig
Lexi Chavin
Taylor Gleeson
Celia Tedde
Joey Penn
Aly Silverberg		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MVP
CVP
2016-2017 Kathryn Fleisher
Jordan Iserson
Shelby Shoup
Matthew Sampson
Andrew Oestreicher
Deni Budman		 President
PVP
SAVP
RCVP
MVP
CVP

From the very beginning, the work of NFTY's Youth Leadership has been supported by the adult Professional Staff of NFTY and the Union for Reform Judaism. Below are the NFTY Directors, Associates and Assistants who have all helped to shape NFTY into what it is today:

NFTY's Past Professional Staff
Year Name Position
1939-41 Rabbi Arthur Lelyveld Director
1941-45 Rabbi Selwyn Ruslander Director
1945-67 Rabbi Samuel Cook Director
1948-49 Robert Herzog Assistant Director
1951-1959 Eleanor R. Schwartz Associate Director
1957-1958 Rabbi Erwin Herman Assistant Director
1959-1960 Sandra Benkoil Assistant to the Director
1960-1971 Carol Horn Assistant to the Director
1963-1971 Rabbi Henry Skirball Associate then Director
1967-1970 Rabbi David Davis Associate Director
1971-1985 Rabbi Stephen Schaffer Director then Director of
UAHC Youth Division
1971-2002 Rabbi Allan Smith Director Camp & Youth Programming
then Director of UAHC Youth Division
1971-1974 Linda Umansky Saiger Assistant Director
1974-1977 Susan Lippman Knobles Assistant Director
1975- Paul J. Reichenbach Co-Director URJ Kutz Camp
then Director URJ College Department
then Director of Israel Programs
then Director of Camping
and Israel Programs
1977-1983 Rabbi Leonard Troupp AAssociate then Director
1978-1987 Terry Goldstein Special Projects Coordinator
then Assistant Director
1978-1986 Rabbi Daniel Freelander Assistant then Associate Director
1982-1989 Rabbi Ramie Arian Director
1982-1984 Carol Siegel Assistant Director
1986-1989 Ruth Bloomfield Margolin Assistant then Associate Director
1989-1991 Debbie Fliegelman Assistant Director
1989-1992 Beth Shanus Assistant Director
1990-1995 David Frank Director
1990-1991 Rabbi Mark Glickman Director, Camp & Youth Leadership
1994-2008 Rabbi Eve Rudin Asst Director of NFTY,
then Dir. of Jr. & Sr. H.S. Programs
then Dir. of NFTY
then Director of URJ Kutz Camp
1995-1996 Rabbi Michael Matuson Assistant Director
1995-1999 Jonathan Cohen Associate Director of Jr. &
Sr. H.S. Programs
1994-199 Julie Fleisher NFTY-GER Director
then Associate Director of NFTY
1998-1999 Dennis Eisner Director of Jr. & Sr. H.S. Programs
1999-2007 Hope Chernak NFTY-SER Advisor
then Southest Regional Director of
Youth & Informal Ed.
then Director of NFTY Regions
then Managing Director, NFTY
1999- Melissa Anton Frey NFTY-TOR Regional Advisor
then NFTY-NEL Regional Advisor
then Assistant Director of NFTY,
then NFTY Director of Operations
& Special Projects
then Director, NFTY Leadership Experience
at the Kutz Camp
then Director, URJ Kutz Camp &
Associate Director, NFTY
then Director, URJ Kutz Camp
1999-2003 Rachel Mersky Woda Assist. Director
then Director of NFTY Education
1999-2004 Rabbi Andrew Davids Associate Director, URJ Youth Division
then Co-Director, URJ Youth Division
1999-2009 Shelley Schweitzer Interim NFTY-NEL Regional Advisor
then Regional Director of Youth
and Informal Education,
Northeast Lakes Council/Detroit Federation,
then Consultant to the
NFTY Leadership Team
2001-2012 Rabbi Laura Novak Winer URJ PCWC Director of Youth & Informal Ed,
then Director of URJ Youth Initiative,
then Youth Programs Director of Curriculum
& Congregational Support
then District Director of Youth
& Lifelong Learning and
NFTY Leadership Team
then Lead Congregational Consultant on Youth
then Director of Teen Engagement
2002- Scott Hertz Webmaster
then Manager of Web and Technology
then Director of Web and Technology
2003-2005 Matthew Soffer NFTY Program Assistant
and NFTY Board Advisor
2004-2006 Rabbi Michael Friedman Director of Jr. & Sr. H.S. Programs
2005-2006 Sara Reichenbach Manor NFTY Intern at 633
2005 Jesse Paikin NFTY Summer Intern at Kutz Camp
2005-2006 Julia Elmaleh-Sachs NFTY High School Intern at 633
2005-2011 Rabbi Michael Mellen Director of URJ Youth Programs
and Interim NFTY Director
then NFTY Director
2006-2011 Daniel Steiner NFTY Summer Intern at Kutz Camp
then NFTY Program Associate
then NFTY North American Coordinator
2007 Jordyn Jacobs NFTY Summer Intern at Kutz Camp
2006-2013 Subie Banaszynski Regional Director of Youth
and Informal Education
then NFTY Director of Program
then NFTY Director of Operations
then NFTY Director of Regions
then Interim NFTY Director
then NFTY Director
2007-2010 Miriam Fink NFTY Program Associate &
Mitzvah Corps Coordinator
2007- Michael Fuld NFTY Program Associate
& Kutz Camp Assistant Director
then NFTY-NAR Youth Programs Manager
& Kutz Camp Senior Asst. Director
2008 Benjamin Levine NFTY Spring Intern at 633
2008 Jessica Goodman NFTY High School Intern at 633
2008 Seth Adam Gordon Lipkin NFTY Summer Intern at Kutz
2008-2010 Caryn Roman NFTY & Kutz Manager of Development and Alumni
2009 David Fine Alpert NFTY Summer Intern at Kutz
2009- Daniel Garwood NFTY Senior Summer Intern at Kutz
then NFTY in Israel Registrar
2009-2015 Kelly Biedinger NFTY Senior Intern at 633
then Kutz Camp Assistant Director
and NFTY Program Associate
2010 Andrew M. Morstein NFTY Intern at Kutz Ca
2011- Beth Avner Rodin NFTY Director of Education and Special Projects
then NFTY Associate Director
2012-2013 Rebecca Wolchok NFTY/Kutz Program Associate
2012-2014 Alex Rogers NFTY Operations Manager
2014-2015 Micol Zimmerman Burkeman NFTY Director
2014-2015 Austin Zoot NFTY Communications Associate