Ph.D., is Vice Provost for Educational Strategy, National Director of the School of Education, and Associate Professor at HUC-JIR. She is passionate about empowering Jewish educational leaders and teachers to engage in their work intentionally, skillfully, and creatively. Her graduate courses include Charting the Future of Jewish Education, Teaching for Our Times, and Understanding Learners. She is the founder of Beit HaYotzer/the Creativity Braintrust, an initiative based at HUC-JIR designed to catalyze creative thinking and artistic expression through Jewish education and leadership, funded by the Covenant Foundation. Stern is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mandel Senior Leadership Fellowship at the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University.

Dr. Stern’s current research and writing focuses on designing Jewish education as a tool for building a creative society and fostering creative thinking. Her peer-reviewed article, “Jewish Creative Sensibilities: Framing a New Aspiration for Jewish Education,” received the “Best Article of the Year Award” for 2019 from the Journal of Jewish Education. She co-edited “Revelation is Just the Beginning,” a collection of insights on navigating complexity, with the artists of Beit HaYotzer/the Creativity Braintrust. She has published widely in various academic and professional journals and popular media outlets and is a frequent presenter at academic and professional conferences, on webinars, and on podcasts. She is called upon as a strategic thinker on national task forces across the sectors of Jewish education, including Prizmah-the Center for Jewish Day Schools, the Jewish Education Project, UnitED, 18×18/M2, and early childhood initiatives. A coach, mentor, and advisor, she is committed to championing and elevating the work of Jewish educational leaders, institutions, and initiatives across North America and Israel.

In the community, Dr. Stern serves on the boards of Shalhevet High School, theatre dybbuk, and the Torah Studio. She is a leader in the field of Jewish educational research, serving on the board of the Network for Research in Jewish Education and the Journal of Jewish Education Editorial Board. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Sciences, Policy, and Educational Practice and her M.A. in history at Stanford University as a Wexner Graduate Fellow.