Erica Cohen is a member of Cohort II of the Created Equal Educators Fellowship of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and the director of the Center for Youth Philanthropy and Leadership at UJA-Federation of NY. She has been at UJA-Federation of NY for over nine years, where she began as an intern while working towards her Masters in Community Organizing from Hunter College School of Social Work. Erica’s love of Jewish teen engagement began when she herself was a Jewish teen, active in her synagogue and local and regional NFTY chapters. Erica believes deeply in teens as leaders, and the ability to make an impact on the world from a young age. An alum of the inaugural cohort of the Ruskay Fellowship, the Paradigm Program at Padeia in Sweden, the UJA Intrapreneurship Fellowship, and most recently, Jewish Education Project’s Generation Now Fellowship, Erica enjoys the opportunity to learn from and with her peers, and to weave personal and professional networks. Erica is a New York native and spent her undergrad years studying Philosophy, active in Hillel and attending events as the NYU Bobcat (official mascot!). Erica lives in Manhattan with her husband and two small children, Benji and Margot.