Executive Staff

Dr. David Bryfman is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Jewish Education Project. After working in formal and informal Jewish educational institutions in Australia, Israel, and North America, David earned his Ph.D. in Education and Jewish Studies from NYU, focusing on the identity development of Jewish adolescents. David has authored several articles and presented broadly on topics ranging from the Jewish teenage experience, innovation and change in Jewish life, Israel education and more broadly about Jewish education. He is a founder of the annual Jewish Futures conference, helped direct the 2019 study  GenZ Now: Understanding and Connecting with Jewish Teens Today, and was the lead researcher of the groundbreaking 2016 study, “Generation Now: Understanding and Engaging Jewish Teenagers Today,” and editor of “Experience and Jewish Education,” a compendium of essays written by and for Jewish experiential educators. David is a member of Cohort Three of Leading Edge's CEO Onboarding Program. He is an alum of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program and the Schusterman Fellowship. 

Susan Holzman Wachsstock is Executive Director of The Jewish Education Project. Her prior roles at the agency include Chief Program Officer and Managing Director of Jewish Education and Engagement. In these roles, Susan supervised a team of several senior staff, and managed multi-year grants from major philanthropic partners, notably in the Jewish Teen engagement space through grants from UJA-Federation of New York, the Jim Joseph Foundation, and others in the Jewish Teen Education & Engagement Funder Collaborative.

Amy Amiel is the Chief Program Officer at The Jewish Education Project. An organizational strategist dedicated to the intersection of purpose, people, and program, Amy brings a deep understanding of the changing North American Jewish educational landscape. Amy spent more than a decade living in the Pacific Northwest where she served for 12 years as the Senior Program Officer of the Samis Foundation, a Seattle-based funder committed to Jewish day school education, overnight camping and the State of Israel. In addition, Amy brings organizational leadership experience in philanthropic-community partnership, new business and new model development and the evolving integration of digital Jewish education into existing institutions. Amy is a graduate of Columbia University, M.A. Organizational Psychology and Barnard College and a member of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship.

Steve Goldberg is Chief Operating Officer (COO) of The Jewish Education Project. He most recently worked as a consultant at the executive search firm DRG Search. Prior to that, Steve held senior leadership roles at Hadassah, and served as Executive Director of B’nai Jeshurun, one of the nation’s leading progressive synagogues.

Nessa Liben is Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) of The Jewish Education Project. She joins The Jewish Education Project from UJA-Federation of New York, where she has worked in development for over a decade, including as a part of UJA's Senior Financial Resource Development team. Most recently, Nessa served as the Director of Community Outreach and Engagement where she oversaw a team of fundraisers and major gift portfolios, community-wide speaker events, and partnerships with local institutions. Prior to UJA, Nessa worked at The Jewish Teen Funders Network and The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She earned graduate degrees from New York University in Nonprofit Management and Judaic Studies, and is an alum of both the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholarship and the FEREP Graduate Program.

Rabbi Dena Klein is the Chief Jewish Education Officer at The Jewish Education Project, assisting educators in creating ground-breaking approaches to offer relevant, meaningful Jewish learning. Rabbi Klein is a sought-after change consultant for congregations and other institutions interested in thinking differently about Jewish life. She has served as a presenter in a variety of settings and has advised congregations in leadership and curriculum development. Rabbi Klein is a recipient of the prestigious Mandel Fellowship for Executive Leadership. She serves as a board member of Moving Traditions.  Rabbi Klein has served as a rabbi of Chavurat Tikvah, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City, and Temple Sinai of Roslyn. Rabbi Klein received her Rabbinic Ordination and Masters of Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, where she has also served as an adjunct faculty member.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.