Elana MacGilpin of West Hartford is one of 20 Jewish Community Center (JCC) professionals selected to receive a Jewish Experiential Leadership Institute (JELI) fellowship by the Jewish Community Center Association (JCCA) and The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS).
A new 15-month in-service program for emerging JCC professionals, the goal of JELI is to enhance the personal growth, Jewish leadership abilities, and skill sets of participants who are involved with Jewish experiential education programs. Fellowship recipients will be taught by JTS faculty, JCCA professionals, and educators. They will work with program mentors and senior Jewish educational leaders to identify personal areas of professional growth.
Named a 2011 Mover and Shaker by the Connecticut Jewish Ledger, MacGilpin is currently the adult director of the Mandell JCC, as well as director of its Jewish Book Festival. She is also director of Chai: The Center for Jewish Life in Avon, a JCC-without-walls funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and the Jewish Community Foundation.