Following a milestone year for the Jews of Color Initiative, we are thrilled to announce the addition of three incredible leaders to our team! Jade Groobman is joining as Program Associate and will work with our Senior Director of Programs, Arya Marvazy, to create a dynamic and engaging programmatic year. Sarah Starks and Jordan Daniels are joining as Junior Program Officers. Sarah and Jordan will work with our Senior Program Officer, Gabi Kuhn, to expand our grantmaking capacity while developing their own skills and leadership to make a lasting impact on the Jewish ecosystem.
Jade Groobman (she/her) is a Program Associate at the Jews of Color Initiative. She was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado before heading to the University of Kansas where she received her B.A. in Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies with a triple minor in American studies, Political Science, and Jewish studies. There, she wrote her senior thesis, “Jews of Color: Experiences of Inclusion and Exclusion,” an examination into the experiences of Jews of Color, racism in Jewish spaces, and how to best create actively anti-racist Jewish spaces. After graduating in May of 2021, she moved to New York City to begin her career in the Jewish professional world. Jade’s personal passions include transformative justice, intersectional anti-racist work, her house plant collection, and creating hand-thrown pottery.
Sarah Starks (she/her) is a Junior Program Officers at the Jews of Color Initiative. She has experience as a Jewish educator, focusing on diversity, community building and environmentalism. Sarah has a background working in Black organizations as a student and is eager to support communities of color on a larger scale. Empowerment, liberation, community and cultivating meaningful relationships with the environment lie at the epicenter of Sarah’s approach to justice. Sarah’s work is grounded by her multicultural identity, which fuels her passion and commitment to social justice movements globally.
Sarah holds a B.A. from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Political Science and Africana Studies as well as a minor in history.
Jordan Daniels (he/him) is a Junior Program Officer of the Jews of Color Initiative. He is equipped with a decade of storytelling experience through an intersectional lens, and four years as a Jewish communal professional. His lived experience as a fat, queer, Afro-Jew deepens his commitment to cultivating diverse and inclusive leadership in the Jewish community and inspires his work centering on justice and liberation. He previously served as the Communications and Creative Specialist at the Leichtag Foundation. He is a writer, photographer, speaker, and podcaster, focusing on LGBTQ+ experiences, anti-racism, belonging, and fat liberation. Jordan particularly strives to create a pathway to collective liberation through joy. Jordan has expanded his leadership in the Jewish community by participating in programs such as Bend the Arc’s Selah, Upstart’s Change Accelerator, Uri L’Tzedek’s Torah and Social Justice, and Schusterman’s ROI. He holds a BA in Journalism from CSU Long Beach.
View our Who We Are page to see the full list of staff and Board members.