Amy Berger

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Driven by Rabbi Hillel's words, "If I am not for me, who will be? If I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when?" Amy Berger has devoted her life's work to the social sector.

The decision came after a Birthright Israel trip that inspired Amy to pivot from public relations and sales to community development. She got involved with the ADL and took a job at JUF, where she was introduced to Working in the Schools (WITS), a volunteer literacy mentorship that helps public school students gain better access to literary materials. Amy eventually joined the WITS team and has increased the organization's donor base by over 300 percent as well as revitalized its Associate Board.

Amy has always found new ways to enhance her Jewish experiences, whether by leading Birthright trips, serving the past eight years on the ADL Associate Board or completing Spertus Institute's M.A. in Jewish Professional Studies.

AGE:
36

PRIMARY GIG:
Senior Development Manager, WITS (Working in the Schools)

ON THE SIDE:
Dog mom to best PAWS rescue ever and amateur baker

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
Married

CELEBRITY DOPPELGANGER:
If I were in charge of casting, Reese Witherspoon

IF TIME AND MONEY WERE LIMITLESS, I WOULD:
Create my own foundation to support issues I am passionate about, buy a home with a yard for my dog, spend summers at Camp Thunderbird in Bemidji, Minn., and travel with my friends.

CHICAGO'S JEWISH COMMUNITY IN 10 YEARS:
Thriving and more inclusive. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to living Jewishly and I think Chicago will be leading the charge in fitting the population’s growing and diversifying needs. A lot of resources have been invested in new Jewish young family and teen programming, it will be exciting to see what comes to fruition from those investments.