Judith Talesnick

Founder and Education Director

Mission

We empower leaders to get curious about their teams and adapt new leadership strategies to their settings. Each leader will build their own toolbox that will expand as they address new challenges.

Empowering Educators

With years of professional leadership experience and deep content knowledge about the art and science of leadership, our coaches and facilitators are steeped in their craft and dedicated to creating responsive, professional learning experiences. You can choose from our list of topics, or we will collaborate with you to craft a plan that is tailored to your setting - for a group or individuals.

Raised in a family of educators committed to life-long learning, Judith is passionate about learning and growth. As a child, her parents would invite visiting scholars to stay with their family for weekends or months at a time. Some of these educators even crafted weekly lessons, in their areas of expertise, for Judith and her siblings. This constant exposure to diverse ways of thinking and learning have shaped Judith’s understanding of what it means to be a thoughtful teacher and leader. In her professional life, Judith has taken these lessons and adapted them to the field of adult learning, innovation, and the challenges of organizational change.

In her various roles in Jewish Day Schools - teacher, curriculum developer, teacher coach, and principal - Judith was fascinated by the relationship between implementation on the ground and the dynamics of formal leadership. As a reflective practitioner, Judith tracked patterns and tried to make sense of the tensions that surfaced. She used her instincts and advice from colleagues to address and resolve challenges. As Managing Director of Professional Learning and Growth at The Jewish Education Project, she was thrilled to delve deeply into leadership theories and frameworks like Adaptive Leadership and Design Thinking to construct a more systematic understanding of the complex worlds of organizational culture, Leadership vs leadership, effective levers of change, and the power of intentional communication.

Judith’s coaching and professional work are guided by her deep commitment to:

  • perspective taking

  • curiosity

  • crafting culture through intentional planning

Her collaborative nature and focus on curious, direct communication are well suited to a variety of coaching needs and settings.

  • It was a pleasure working with Judith throughout the entire process. She was inquisitive, an excellent listener, and a dynamic facilitator. Her goal-oriented approach was on target and helped our team grow.

  • Through our thought partnership, I am able to zoom out and understand both myself as a leader and my team with greater clarity. I also have a greater appreciation for the power of curiosity. As a result, I ask more questions and communicate more effectively with my team.

  • Both our strategic and tactical planning have great impact on my work. I now implement the process independently and have a deeper sense of calm.

    Ronit W.

  • Our leadership team now meets weekly to share challenges, successes and strategies. We have a shared language to plan more effectively.

    Shuly Z.