Last month, for the first time, the Ma’ayanot and TABC Alumni Associations jointly hosted a young professionals networking event for alumni and spouses working in the fields of law, accounting and finance. Ma’ayanot parent Dov Adler, an audit partner at PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC), hosted the event at PwC’s Manhattan location on Madison Avenue, and a committee comprised of two Ma’ayanot alumnae, Rachel Katz (’06) and Naama Leven (’04), and two TABC alumni, Noah Goldberg (’04) and EZ Shaffran (’01), worked with Ma’ayanot and TABC faculty members to plan the event.
A highlight of the evening was a presentation by Mr. Jeff Cohen, Managing Partner at Bold Road, a consulting firm that provides personalized, innovative business solutions for Human Resources departments and organizations. In his presentation, “Successful Career Pathing: Taking Charge of Your Career,” Mr. Cohen showcased strategies and tools young professionals can use to ensure that their careers do not stall in a safe place but instead continue to rise, in terms of personal satisfaction, stature, and earning potential.
Attendees enjoyed the presentation, which one alumna commented was “perfect in tone, content, and length.” Mr. Goldberg concurred and commented, “the evening provided a great opportunity to stop and think about where I am professionally, where I’d like to be, and how I can get there.”
Not only did Mr. Cohen give an excellent presentation, but everyone who attended received a complimentary copy of one of his books, Recession Proof Careers or Working Less, Earning More, and two raffle winners, Tiffy Unterman (’03) and Sam Schwartz (’11), each won a complimentary career counseling session with Mr. Cohen.
Actual networking among the attendees took place during the buffet dinner before Mr. Cohen’s presentation and during dessert after the presentation. Ms. Katz liked that “the event provided an opportunity for alumni to use an already formed network of people to make professional connections and share experiences and advice.” Happily, networking success stories were evident even before the evening ended as at least one college-age participant reported leaving the event with a potential interview for a promising internship.
An aspect of the evening that was appreciated by all was the opportunity to reconnect, both with old friends and with the schools. In this regard, Ma’ayanot alumna Tiffy Unterman (’03) commented, “The networking event was a very positive experience. I reconnected with high school friends while advancing my professional network. Ma’ayanot’s continued interest in the success and betterment of it graduates demonstrates Ma’ayanot’s dedication to its students well beyond the high school years.”
From the point of view of the two Alumni Associations, the event was highly successful and accomplished its goals. Rabbi Howard Jachter, TABC Alumni Coordinator, noted that, “It is outstanding to see Ma’ayanot and TABC collaborate to provide excellence services for their alumni. We look forward to continuing to partner to provide venues for professional growth that are specifically tailored to satisfy the unique needs of young Orthodox professionals.”
Mrs. Rivka Kahan, Ma’ayanot’s principal, concurred and further explained, “We hope to be able to find many more opportunities to help our graduates.”
