Our 2018 Fellows were officially introduced to the community on Monday evening at our Welcome the Fellows Happy Hour! After a few words from our Founder & CEO, Ross Berkowitz, the 2018 Fellows met the rest of the Tribe 12 Fellowship community.
And now, after a very competitive application process, we’re ready to introduce the new cohort. Get to know each Fellow below and keep an eye out for them at future Tribe 12 events!
Jess Bird
Jessica is a fun-loving entrepreneur with a dedication and passion to her family and career. She runs a third-generation window blinds business called 3rdGenBlinds. Jessica is passionate about giving back and wants people to think of that when they learn about her business.
Katie Gould
Katie is the owner of KG Strong, a female powered Kettlebell studio in South Philly. She is a hard-working, caring and enthusiastic woman who loves to help others meet and exceed their goals. Her hope is that with the help of this fellowship, she will learn new strategies for bringing in and retaining new students.
Koty Marine
Koty is a hard worker, a devoted friend, and a leader in the Jewish world that lives and breathes the city of Philadelphia. Her product, the foldable, packable leather jacket bag is the perfect solution for those chilly summer evenings when you are indecisive about bringing a jacket.
Jake Markovitz
Jake grew up in Philly, sells houses for a living, and is very active in the Jewish community as the chair of the Young Friends Board of NMAJH and an active participant with the Chevra, Tribe 12 and NextGen. Jake would like to start a Jewish based network and support group for people with family members and loved ones experiencing drug and alcohol abuse and/or going through recovery.
Dave Martell
Dave is a jack of all trades with backgrounds in law, engineering, and physics which have allowed him to develop insight into the functioning of systems and how to best optimize them. His venture, Jew Jitsu Worldwide, is a project designed to promote jiujitsu as a fun and safe option for Jewish children and communities of all sizes.
Davinica Nemtzow
Davinica is a graphic designer who is incredibly passionate about her community (especially her Jewish one), social justice, the arts, her holistic lifestyle, and her career. Her venture Creating United Empowerment is a platform for artists and designers to sell their work as a way to donate to nonprofit organizations who empower women to thrive in the face of oppression.
Alanna Raffel
Alanna is a pediatric occupational therapist working in charter schools in Philadelphia with elementary and middle school students. She is currently in the preliminary stage of developing a consulting business to promote accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in the city of Philadelphia and beyond.
Serena Shapero
Serena is an artist, creative, educator, social activist, and entrepreneur. For the Anti-Defamation League, Serena oversees all of ADL’s young leadership activities and online outreach efforts. Her project is to start a non-profit organization called HOME with the mission to give tangible support to anyone who has experienced divorce by helping children and adults find “home” within themselves.
Josh Silverbauer
Josh is co-founder and CEO of Grue & Bleen Agency — a digital “everything” agency. His project, A Very Awesome Purim Series, is an annual theatrical extravaganza and after-party based in Philadelphia. Every year, the group recreates songs of a certain genre or theme into an original musical inspired by the story of the Jewish holiday Purim.
Michelle Sloan
Michelle is a self-motivated, hardworking architect excited by design, problem solving, crafting, and travel. Her business Craft & Chestnut is modeled off Paint Nights and provides the tools and instructions for a one-of-a-kind craft for participants to make.
Rory Michelle Sullivan
Rory Michelle is a singer-songwriter and composer who has recorded four studio albums and performed her songs internationally. Using skills and support from the Fellowship, she would like to determine the best course for her business and start offering more specifically themed programs to the Jewish community.
Lindsay Tabas
In the Fall of ’02, Lindsay designed her first user interface while studying engineering at the University of Virginia. Since then, she has been passionate about designing technology for people. Her current venture is to develop a micro-course that connects the Kabbalah’s approach to awakening spiritual insights to how entrepreneurs can build empathy.
Taryn Wyron
Taryn loves poetry, people, and building community to transform power. She is new to Philadelphia, where she facilitates Tikkun Olam initiatives at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Her goal for the Fellowship is to complete rehearsal of her performance piece rooted in Jewish themes and imagery entitled “be_longing”.
Right now we are in the process of pairing the Fellows with coaches: volunteers who work one-on-one to help them build their businesses over the next few months. If you see someone you’d like to help, email our Fellowship Coordinator, Adam!
