Terry Cooke is the past President and CEO of Hamilton Community Foundation, Ontario’s oldest community foundation. He has played a leading role in mobilizing the community to address issues like increasing access to post-secondary education, strengthening neighbourhoods, and reducing poverty. He served as Chairman of the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth from 1994 to 2000. He has served extensively as a community volunteer with a number of charitable and other organizations. Terry is a past Chair of the Canadian Urban Institute and serves on the board of Community Foundations of Canada. In recognition of his community service, Terry has been a Paul Harris Fellow and a two-time recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal.

Hadassa Halpern relocated with her family from Berlin to New York in August 2022 to launch the Ronald S. Lauder Impact Initiative, bringing her experience and curiosity from 12 years of working for the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation across Germany and Europe. She played a central role in founding Educating For Impact, leading impactful change in 20 European Jewish Day schools and their communities. Hadassa is a passionate leader who visualizes adaptive change leadership and collaborative efforts as keys to transforming Jewish life. In her quest to fuse business thinking and expertise into the non-profit space, Hadassa graduated with an executive MBA from Harvard Business School.

Daniel Held has an extensive background in Jewish education and has held various roles in different organizations. Currently serving as the Chief Program Officer at United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto and as the Executive Director of the Julia and Henry Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education, Daniel has also been involved in roles such as a columnist at Canadian Jewish News, a Doctoral Student in Jewish Education at The Jewish Theological Seminary, and a Senior Associate at Rosov Consulting. With a strong educational background, including an EdD in Jewish Education from JTS and an MA in Jewish Studies from York University, Daniel has a wealth of experience in the field of Jewish education and program development.

Romy Friedman is a distinguished and innovative educator with over 18 years of experience. She completed her B.Sc. from McGill University and holds a Master’s in Education from the University of British Columbia, where her thesis focused on science outreach as an instructional method. Romy was a consultant to the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s ‘Teaching for Understanding’ program, authored educational materials for Oxford University Press, and was a published scientific contributing researcher. Licensed through the Ontario College of Teachers, Romy has led science departments at various schools. She has taught diverse curricula at schools around the world, including Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). Committed to community service, Romy currently chairs the Education Committee for the Hamilton Jewish Federation. Her dedication to education and community advocacy was recognized with the 2024 Sharon Enkin Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education.

A long-time advocate for the Jewish community, Jaime Kirzner-Roberts has dedicated her career to combating antisemitism, promoting human rights, and advancing policies that foster a more just and inclusive society.

As Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, Jaime leads the organization’s policy initiatives and advocacy efforts, focusing on hate crimes, antisemitism, extremist movements, and the proliferation of hate propaganda—both online and offline. She also works to strengthen Canadian solidarity with Israel, advocating for fair and accurate discourse countering efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state.

Jaime is actively engaged in shaping public policy, working closely with government officials, lawmakers, and decision-makers to strengthen legislative measures that combat hate and safeguard the rights and security of Jewish communities. She also collaborates with law enforcement agencies, academic institutions, and civil society leaders to promote Holocaust and genocide awareness, combat racism and discrimination, and advance policies that protect human rights.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University and a Master’s degree from Princeton University.