Ma’ayan Weinberg's father "taught me humility, a lifelong love of learning, to appreciate the differences in people and to never write an email that you don’t want someone to read." To subscribe, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here.
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Sign up for our daily newsletter here Rule No. 1 of the workplace at the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation: There shall be no unkind words spoken about others. “In Judaism, there is a term called lashon hara , which refers to negative speech or speaking ill of others,” Executive Director MA’AYAN WEINBERG says.
“We never fully know someone’s circumstances or what led to their actions. Even if something seems amiss, addressing it with positive intent and focusing on constructive solutions rather than negative remarks fosters inclusivity and builds trust. This approach is crucial for creating a strong and supportive community.
” It’s been her community for two years now, after the Urbana native and Uni High alumna moved back home to “have time with my mom before she passed.” Weinberg had spent the previous 11 years in Los Angeles, where she earned a graduate degree from Loyola Marymount, taught middle school math, helped a nonprofit build out sustainable computer science instruction for K-6 Title 1 schools and became a mom to “two incredible children.” But C-U is where she got her first taste of community service and advocacy, volunteering under Brooke Anderson’s supervision at Champaign County Health Care Consumers.
The Sarah Lawrence College grad took time out to answer questions from Editor Jeff D’Alessio in the 244th installment of our weekly speed read spotlighting leaders of organizations big and small. "I vividly remember the first time I had coffee with one of our longtime volunteers, Dr. William Gingold, at Panera.
After our conversation, I got in my car and was moved to tears, realizing just how lucky I am to have this job." My professional role model is ..
. my dad. He taught me humility, a lifelong love of learning, to appreciate the differences in people and to never write an email that you don’t want someone to read.
The hardest thing about being a leader is ...
not being able to make everyone happy. In a servant leadership role, where the aim is to balance the needs of a diverse community, it’s impossible to meet everyone’s expectations. I can’t be everywhere I wish I could be, and inevitably, some decisions will disappoint people.
However, I rely on the support of a diverse board and our clear mission. As long as I am serving to uplift the community, I have a guiding light to help navigate the challenges. My favorite moments in this job happen .
.. every time I sit down to have coffee with a community member and hear about their life.
We have such incredible people in our community with the most diverse and inspiring stories. It’s an honor to hold and share in their experiences. I vividly remember the first time I had coffee with one of our longtime volunteers, Dr.
William Gingold, at Panera. After our conversation, I got in my car and was moved to tears, realizing just how lucky I am to have this job. I can’t live without my .
.. kids.
Truly nothing else matters more than them. The three adjectives I hope my staff would use to describe me are ..
. supportive, balanced and mission-centered. My philosophy on meetings is .
.. know the objective of the meeting and then craft an agenda to meet that objective.
Set norms, use consensus-building tools, walk away with clear action items and assigned owners. I could go on. I am a fan of Elena Aguilar’s “Bright Morning” resources for designing effective meetings.
"Everything can be saved and turned into a potential crafting project to do with my kids." On my office walls, you’ll find ..
. three posters with Jewish quotes about peace and social justice, phone numbers to refer people to local social services organizations and coloring pages from my kids. I’m frugal in that .
.. everything can be saved and turned into a potential crafting project to do with my kids.
If I could trade places for a week with another business person in town, I wouldn’t mind switching with ...
the owner of Prairie Fruits Farm during the birthing season. The opportunity to be surrounded by baby goats and new mamas would just fill me. Alternatively, I’d also consider trading places with the owner of one of our local small bookstores.
Spending a week immersed in books and engaging with customers about their reading would be a dream. The single-most important question I ask job candidates during interviews is ..
. tell me about a time when you planned something and it either failed or went very differently from what you’d planned. You can tell so much from what a candidate perceives as failure and how they handled it.
It helps me understand their capacity for growth, adaptability and how they learn from their experiences. The first thing I do when I get to work most days is ..
. do a loop to say hi to anyone in the office, then sit down at my desk and make my priorities list — what are the non-negotiables that I have to get done that day? For lunch ..
. I make a salad with veggies from my garden and fresh eggs from my chickens in the spring and summer. I wind down after work by .
.. playing with my kids, throwing the frisbee with my dog and feeding my chickens.
The last luxury in which I indulged was ...
taking my kids to Hawaii for a week to meet up with a college friend and her kids. It was such a unique and beautiful experience. Plus, traveling with other moms is wonderful.
The most beneficial college class I took was ...
Intro to Computer Science with Mike Siff at Sarah Lawrence College. I thought I was pursuing an undergraduate degree in anthropology and just needed to fill a class. By the first semester, I was hooked and with his encouragement I ended up taking CS for the whole four years.
I graduated with a concentration in computer science and it has come back again and again to serve me. When it comes to the last good book I read ..
. just one? “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller, “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E.
Schwab and “The Air You Breathe” by Frances de Pontes Peebles are three of my most recent favorites. I’m up and at ’em every day by ..
. sunrise. I like to wake with the sun — both my dog and the six-year-old make sure of it.
For a first job ...
as a kid, I didn’t have a paid position, but I volunteered to feed the animals and clean their cages at the Anita Purves Nature Center. I loved wrapping the snake around my neck while cleaning its cage just to scare my mom. My first paid job was as a lifeguard in college.
As far as my exercise routine goes ...
does throwing my kids in the air and carrying them around count? We do regular dance parties and games of “airplane” where I balance them in the air on my feet. Little do they know it’s just my substitute for squats. I will do an occasional yoga class with a friend, but I am a swimmer at heart and if I can get myself to the pool for a swim, I am truly happy.
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