NEW YORK, N.Y. – Lisa Kassow, director of Hillel at Trinity College, was among five campus Hillel professionals to be presented with awards at the organization’s fourth annual Global Assembly, held recently in Denver, Colorado.

The five professionals were recipients of the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award for their excellence in engaging students and building dynamic Jewish communities on campus.

More than 1,100 professionals, stakeholders and partners attended the conference, the organization’s largest gathering to date.

In addition to Kassow, the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award was presented to: Benjie Kaplan, director of the Minnesota Hillel, Jillian Juni, associate director of the Santa Barbara Hillel, Rabbi Josh Bolton, senior Jewish educator at Penn Hillel, and Simcha Masala, Jewish Agency Israel fellow at Northwestern Hillel. Milestone Awards were presented to: Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer, Jewish advisor and Hillel director at Amherst College; Cindy Spungin, associate director at Brandeis Hillel; and Nadya Drukker, executive director at Tanger Hillel at Brooklyn College.

Several longtime Hillel professionals were honored for serving campus Jewish communities from the United States to Russia, and 21 Hillels were recognized for a variety of achievements.