Dr. Susanna Garfein is the Executive Director of Na’aleh: The Hub for Leadership Learning, where she brings deep expertise in leadership development, organizational strategy, and community engagement. A longtime leader in the Baltimore Jewish community, she previously served as Assistant Vice President for Leadership Engagement at The Associated, where she led the design and implementation of initiatives to cultivate and support current and future volunteer leaders across the Federation system.

 

Earlier in her career, Susanna was a professor and academic director in Jewish Studies at Towson University and Dean of Students at Baltimore Hebrew University, where she played a key role in a successful academic merger and taught courses in Hebrew Bible and Hebrew language.

 

She holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from The Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Religion from the University of Georgia. She is also an alum of national leadership programs through Leading Edge, Jewish Women International, and the Shalom Hartman Institute. Known for her warmth, humor, and strategic insight, Susanna is passionate about cultivating strong, value-driven leaders.