Get to know Jewish professionals and JLink members in this month’s Feature Friday roundup!
David emerged from his successful 16 year career in Corporate Human Resources and Consulting in 1996 as one of three co-founders of Abeln, Magy, Underberg & Associates (AMUA). Over the ensuing 23 years, AMUA has become recognized as a highly ethical, results oriented provider of retained executive search and talent acquisition consulting services. This has been accomplished by maintaining a relentless focus on external clients and internal principles. The firm’s clients are located principally in the Midwest, but it regularly conducts searches on a local, regional, and national level. David’s firm has successfully recruited and placed hundreds of executives at various levels within a diverse list of organizations. These include Fortune 100 companies, family-owned businesses, start-up ventures, nonprofits, universities, healthcare providers, professional service providers, religious organizations and others, spanning a wide variety of industries. The firm is consistently rated as one of Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms, having achieved a rank of 37th in the nation among this prestigious group in 2019!
My name is Jared Zirkes and I am a 20 year-old from Mendota Heights. Currently, I am a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in Finance and Economics-Strategy, along with a minor in Analytics. I’ve particularly enjoyed learning about the dynamics of starting and growing small businesses, and am currently participating on a consulting project for a small home healthcare business in St. Louis.
I started juggling for study breaks in high school, but have made it my passion with the WashU juggling club. You can often find me practicing around campus, or on stage on a Saturday night, opening for one of the a cappella groups on campus.
I’m both a former Ramah camper and counselor, and am active in Hillel. I was fortunate last summer to have the opportunity to combine my academic and extracurricular passions, when I studied Venture Creation in Tel Aviv for 6 weeks. This summer, I look forward to building off that experience, and have plans to work on market research for TankU, a startup in Haifa working to redesign the gas station experience.
As I am new to the fields of finance and strategy, I’m interested in learning and gaining hands on experience. If anyone needs help on a short term project this summer, I would be happy to chat!
You can contact me on Facebook or at [email protected]
Hello! My name is Maddi Wittenberg, I’m 24 years old and I was born and raised in Minneapolis. I left the great state of MN to pursue a design career at Drake University. I graduated with a BA in graphic design and a minor in print making.
I moved back to the Twin Cities this past August and have settled in St. Paul with my cat Olive. I work at Eight Moon, a small design firm in the North Loop. We do everything from advertising, to branding, to websites.
My job is not only my living, but my passion as well. I can get lost in a design and end up on the computer for hours at a time. I’ve always been creative since I was little, so nobody was surprised when I chose design to study in school.
Aside from work, I enjoy nice weather (when I can get it), reading great books, listening to true crime podcasts,
and watching frivolous amounts of Netflix.
If you, or you know anyone, who needs an updated look, or just a whole entire rebrand… send them my way!
You can contact me at [email protected] or check out my website at madelinewittenberg.com
Jessica wears many hats in life, but first is mama to Nico, a spectacular (almost) 12 year old. Nico loves snowboarding, volleyball, animals, and building, growing and cooking things. Jessica has been a Montessori educator for almost 20 years, including two years in Kobe, Japan at Marist Brothers International school. She has spent the last six years at Sunny Hollow Montessori in Highland Park of St. Paul—where she spends her days with Upper Elementary students (4th-6th grade), and works on special projects like Equity and Inclusion initiatives, sustainability, and the sports program.
She holds a Master’s Degree and a “Think Globally, Teach Locally” award from Hamline University in Environmental Education. As an adjunct for Hamline, she teaches the course she developed—Equity and Inclusion in Environmental Education. Jessica has spoken on the topic of Equity and Inclusion in Green Spaces (the name of her Facebook page—request to join!) at Midwest Mountaineering, the Montessori for Social Justice Conference, and facilitated staff development at camps and school programs. She has served as a staff member and board member, as well as on various committees for YMCA Camp du Nord, most notably for many years on the Outreach and Inclusion committee. As well, she is a certified Racial Justice facilitator with the YWCA.
Growing up at Temple Israel in Duluth and attending Jewish summer camp as a child gave Jessica a strong foundation in her Jewish identity, one that brought her to Hillel at the University of Minnesota. It was there that she connected with other students that sprouted into a beautiful community of Jewish friends that are an important part of her life. Jessica went on her first trip to Israel during her time at the U, which led several more trips abroad and back to Israel, including living on Kibbutz Afikim in the Jordan Valley. She loves to spend the holidays with her family, especially Passover and Chanukah. Jessica and Nico belong to Mount Zion and are looking forward to next spring, when Nico will become a Bar Mitzvah.
