"Leora Isaacs has been a real blessing to those of us who are fortunate enough to know and work with her over the years. I know few people who bring, as she does to every discussion, such calm but penetrating insightfulness as well as a healthy dollop of humor to offset the ever-present threat of ‘group think’ and pretentiousness. I really enjoy working with her!"

Robert Sherman, Chief Executive Officer
The Jewish Education Project

"About a year ago, our advisory committee undertook the task of creating a strategic plan for our department in an effort to understand the needs of the community, measure the impact of our growth and programs over the last five years, and plot a course of action moving into the future. Initially the CJE staff was charged with completing this process on our own, but it soon became clear that if we wanted accurate and unbiased data, it was imperative that we seek out a nationally recognized consultant with the credibility and grasp of best practices around the country. After initial consultation, it became clear to all of us that we had made the right choice in Leora Isaacs. Although we had known each other informally for many years, it was my first opportunity to work with Leora directly in depth on a project. We knew that, based on the previous report and recommendations that Leora had generated for the Dallas community in 2006, we were able to achieve remarkable growth and success in many areas. We felt certain that Leora could help shepherd us through our next phase of growth. Leora’s guidance through every step of this process has been stellar, and her ability to envision and create a forum by which we gathered information, engaged our stakeholders, and brought forth solid and clear recommendations has been accurate and timely. We are grateful for Leora’s outstanding professional services and the continuity of the long-term friendship that the CJE has maintained with you. It is always great to work with friends! We look forward to continuing our partnership to improve Jewish education in Dallas and around the glove!"

Meyer Denn, Executive Director
Center for Jewish Education
Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas

"As chair of the Dallas Jewish Community Strategic Planning Retreat and the strategic planning process of the Center for Jewish Education in Dallas, I am grateful to Leora Isaacs for her expert guidance in the planning and facilitation of our retreat. I am especially appreciative of the way Leora guided us to think outside the box, to expand our understanding of what it means to generate conversation and energy and to see the power of doing things in a new way. Leora’s patience, guidance and expertise created an unforgettable conversation about Jewish education in the Dallas community that has moved our community forward by leaps and bounds in just one short day."

Deborah Niederman, RJE
Chair, Dallas Jewish Community Strategic Planning Retreat
President NATE (National Association of Temple Educators)

"Leora is the consummate professional. My husband Harold Grinspoon and I have used her expertise to guide our decision making in many situations, not least of all for our education resource center. As a lay leader, philanthropist, and former chair of JESNA, I have become much more astute as a strategic thinker, learning to evaluate the project at hand and assess its needs as a result of working with Leora. Whether on the local, national or international scene, when it comes to Jewish education, Leora has been my 'go-to' person."

Diane Troderman, Philanthropist
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation
Past Chair, JESNA

"The world of Jewish education is in the midst of a period of profound change as 20th century models are giving way to new approaches that respond to the needs and aspirations of 21st century Jewish learners and communities. This is a process filled with promise and pitfalls, and it will require incisive and insightful leadership and guidance to make the passage a smooth and productive one. I know of no one better suited to help educational leaders, institutions and communities navigate the transition to powerful 21st century Jewish education than Dr. Leora Isaacs. I had the privilege of working with Dr. Isaacs for 27 years as colleagues at JESNA. She knows Jewish education from every angle — as a practitioner, researcher, evaluator, consultant, program developer, and path-setting thinker — and in virtually every form and setting — synagogue, day school, camp, teen education, family education, adult Jewish learning. She was personally responsible for a host of JESNA’s achievements over several decades, including the establishment and development of the Berman Center as the first serious program evaluation center for Jewish education, the suite of resources that supported numerous community Jewish continuity endeavors during the 1990s, and, most recently, the WOW Project that is redrawing the landscape of complementary Jewish education in communities across North America. Dr. Isaacs is a superb facilitator of complex collaborative change processes — incredibly talented in walking the thin line between respecting and affirming all participants and positions and being enough of an 'agent provocateur' (as she calls herself) to get people to examine their assumptions and face difficult truths when necessary. At the same time, she is a generous coach and mentor for individuals, sharing her savvy with sensitivity and skill (she mentored dozens of JESNA interns over the years, many of whom have gone on to prominent roles in the field). She 'leads from the center,' as the current phrase goes, without self-aggrandizement, but with quiet strength. She’s thoroughly comfortable with lay people, indeed outstanding in working with them, and can present confidently to audiences in the hundreds. She’s a seasoned veteran with the vision, commitment to, and understanding of innovation and what makes it work that a young entrepreneur would aspire to."

Dr. Jonathan Woocher,
President, The Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

"Leora is a delight to work with. She is a partner in the deepest sense of the word. Within a few hours of collaborating, I had complete and total trust in her understanding of our project's vision and tasks, her ability to be organized and proactive, and her capacity to take the ball and run with it. Leora is an experienced professional with the highest standards for herself and her work, and one who takes true delight in her ability to have a positive impact on her fields of interest."

Lisa Colton
President, Darim Online and
Chief Learning Officer, See3 Communications

"Leora Isaacs worked with the Columbus community as we undertook piloting a major community change initiative for Jewish supplementary education. Leora’s breadth of knowledge and experience in a variety of facets Jewish education, change management and team work made her an invaluable asset to our community. Leora came with an extensive background in Jewish educational programs and change initiatives from around the country. She was able to help us sort through a variety of best practices to help our community determine what was most suited to us. She was also quick to help us network around the country with others with experience and those who could serve as thought partners for our work. Leora’s utilization of Appreciative Inquiry was well suited to her strength of a positive mission focus. Leora was able to manage both the day to day detailed work and keep our focus on the larger mission to bring projects to fruition. She facilitated focus groups for us that helped us gather needed information, garner trust, and build relationships with community leaders and professionals. She also assimilated new information quickly and was continually bringing new ideas and approaches into repertoire. She is relentless at solving problems while at the same time objective at evaluating situations. Leora was also a tremendous resource as a coach to sort through difficulties as they arose, regroup under changing circumstances, keep our work goal focused and help assess and evaluate our work. She is exceptionally competent advising in areas of organizational issues, managing change, and innovation in Jewish education. She is an excellent listener and is very constructive with her feedback. Without hesitation, I would recommend Leora to any person or organization that is looking for support with innovation and change; strategy development and implementation; or program or organizational evaluation in Jewish Education."

Idit Jacques Solomon
Vice President, Jewish Education and Identity
Jewish Federation of Columbus

"Leora Isaacs has been invaluable in moving our community forward with the WOW Initiative. She understands the intricate workings of the Jewish community, and has a unique ability to hear a variety of different voices and synthesize them into a coherent plan that allows for a group to effectively examine and act on key issues. She is savvy and quite capable of working with both high powered lay leaders and professionals in a variety of communal settings. Her ability to engage with community personalities has been a tremendous asset to our ability to build consensus and understanding. We couldn’t have gotten the WOW Initiative off the ground and running without her!"

Anna Elfenbaum
Associate Vice President
Jewish Education and Leadership
Commission on Jewish Education & Leadership
Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford

"Dr. Isaacs brings her personal brand of smarts, her practical knowledge based on a career of achievement, and her accumulated wisdom gained from professional practice throughout North America to help us identify and focus on our goals, how to succeed and what to learn along the way."

Robert Lichtman
The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life

"I have had the pleasure of working with Leora in a variety of different roles she has played - as client, partner and consultant. Whatever the role or topic, Leora brings a fierce commitment to getting it right and to making sure the outcome of individual and group efforts results in a high quality product and significant impact. And she brings the intelligence, knowledge, networks and relentless effort to make sure that this happens."

Michael Miloff
Consultant

"Although we retained Isaacs Consulting to provide program evaluation services for us, we soon discovered that we had actually found a full working partner who helped us not only to understand the opportunities and challenges at hand, but to bring about mid-course improvements that fundamentally enhanced our work. Leora is a consummate professional, dedicated educator and total mentch."

Dr. Marc N. Kramer
Co-Executive Director
RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network

"Leora Isaacs works with us evaluating Bring Israel Home and has added incredible value to our campaign over the last year. From her process to delivery, we have been delighted with all aspects of her work; Her framework and methodology is straight forward and intuitive, allowing us to simplify complex programs with relative ease. She is very insightful, getting to the heart of the matter quickly. She challenges us to put hard measurements to our goals, which is not an easy task, and her analysis of the results is excellent - she analyzes them from many different angles to give us a rounded picture of what our respondents have said. As well as being a top evaluator, she is a real pleasure to work with. We cannot recommend her highly enough."

Rabbi David Markowitz
Chief Operating Officer
AISH NY

"Leora Isaacs is a smart, energetic, creative professional who will stop at nothing to serve her clients until their needs are met. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Leora in several settings and each time I learn something new and valuable. Most recently, the Workmen’s Circle partnered with Isaacs Consulting to build a new logic model for the Education Department to guide its path toward deepening and expanding its network of Jewish cultural schools. Not only did Leora create a workable model for a complex endeavor, she went above and beyond by strategizing with us about how to implement that model on the ground with specific, measurable goals; achievable plans; and an aggressive, yet realistic timeline. Most importantly, Leora continues to make herself available to us as we progress to ensure we are on track and have a competent sounding board. I would recommend Leora without reservation to any organization seeking a top-notch professional and consummate educator steeped in her field and attuned to the individual needs of her clients."

Ann Toback, Executive Director
Kate O’Brien, Director of Education
The Workmen’s Circle