Rabbi Deborah Newbrun’s career as a Jewish leader spans more than 30 years. She is a gifted, creative, innovative teacher. She designed and led Tawonga’s award winning staff training and oversaw all camper programs for 24 years as Camp Director. Deborah also created Tawonga’s Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, which she co-leads annually.

Deborah is a nationally recognized and award-winning Jewish educator. Her groundbreaking book: Spirit In Nature/Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail, connected Jewish values with environmental values. Twenty years ago, she started the first Jewish LGBTQ Family Weekend in the country at Camp Tawonga, which she co-directs every year.

In 2018, Deborah received the prestigious Covenant Award in Jewish Education, and in 2021, Deborah completed her rabbinic training through the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary.

As Tawonga’s Director Emeritus, Deborah provides guidance and support in many program and staffing areas, including our b’nai mitzvah program and other Jewish offerings as well as weekend programs. Deborah also leads services for our high holiday celebrations and at family camps and co-directs Keshet. Lastly, Deborah is the founder of the country’s first Divorce & Discovery Jewish Healing Retreat, offered at Tawonga October 27-30, 2022.

Deborah is most proud of developing programs and best practices that have become industry standards and of building radically inclusive programs that are a model for Jewish resident camps all over the country. She has coached and mentored Jewish resident camp directors across the country since 2013. Deborah has also mentored JOFEE Fellows, working with the Jewish Learning Works’ Mentorship Program.

Deborah also works with innovative Jewish organizations around the country, including SVARA, Hazon, Shalom Bayit, Jewish Learning Works, New Lerhaus, HaMaqom, Hineni and Keshet.

Deborah has raised four Tawongans – her two sons and two step kids – and lives in Berkeley, California with her wife, Rabbi Sue Reinhold (also a Tawongan) and their dog Noodle.

Kiyomi has over 15 years of youth work, youth empowerment and equity building experience. Before joining Camp Tawonga’s year-round team, Kiyomi worked as a facilitator at the Mosaic Project, leading experiential education programs for diverse groups of 4th and 5th graders, teaching about diversity, social justice and skills for peace building. She has honed her adult leadership philosophy through participation in the Dorot Fellowship in Israel and through her recent participation in a JOC Selah Fellowship cohort (a partnership between Bend the Arc and the Rockwood Institute).

Kiyomi earned her B.A. from Pomona College in Environmental Analysis: Race, Class, Gender and the Environment and holds a masters in education from Harvard where she studied Human Development and Psychology. She is a certified yoga instructor and amateur watercolor painter and cookie baker.

Myla comes to Tawonga Institute with over 15 years of experience in programmatic and nonprofit leadership. Prior to joining Camp Tawonga’s year-round team in her current role as Associate Director, Myla was the Director of Training at Playworks, a national youth development nonprofit. She also worked with Sierra Club’s Inspiring Connections Outdoors to lead risk management and program growth and guided youth on outdoor trips across the country.

Myla learned her supervision and coaching technique early in her career supervising wilderness programs at Tawonga and regularly coaches colleagues in and beyond the Tawonga community. Myla earned her B.A. in environmental studies from Vassar College and a Masters in Public Administration with a focus in nonprofit management from the University of Oregon. She loves walking in Oakland’s redwood forests with her husband and fellow Tawongan, Wes, and their daughters Ariela and Nava.

Aaron has worked in a variety of roles with Tawonga for the past 13 years, developing programs, training and managing staff and working as an experiential educator. Aaron’s resonant approach to growing talent and keen ability to build outcomes-based programming make him an exceptional, seasoned leader and supervisor.

In addition to his work at Tawonga, Aaron has worked for American Jewish World Service and obtained his Jewish Service Learning Certificate from San Francisco State University. One of Aaron’s hobbies is Improv Comedy which he works in to many of his training and team-building strategies. When he’s not at Tawonga, Aaron can be found playing Frisbee, running, hiking, birdwatching and more with his wife Charley, daughter Meadow and dog Ty Ty.

With over 15 years of experience crafting strategic communications for nonprofits, Casey loves helping individuals and organizations tell their stories. Casey advises communications professionals to focus their goals, streamline their systems and find the authentic voice of their agency. At Tawonga, Casey has created the organization’s award winning impact report, led a website and video rebranding and created the agency’s first style guide. Casey has also served as Tawonga’s Public Information Officer and placed stories about Tawonga in dozens of publications, including The New York Times.

Casey earned a Masters in Public Administration with a focus in nonprofit management from USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy and a B.A. in history from Claremont McKenna College. She has also led programmatic and communications work at the USC Shoah Foundation Institute and the San Francisco Jewish Community Relations Council. Casey lives in Lafayette with her husband and fellow Tawongan, Matt, and their daughters, Sadie and Maya.

Jamie brings 17 years of leadership, training facilitation and management expertise to Tawonga Institute. A nationally recognized leader and educator in her field, Jamie has led the agency to become a leader in the field on gender inclusion as well as justice and equity work. 

An expert in women’s empowerment, career coaching, emergency preparedness and women’s health education, Jamie is an inspiring facilitator and teaches nationally on many topics. In 2020, Jamie was selected as an Emerge California Fellow for rising female leaders. She also serves on the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s NextGen Leadership Council and participated in the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Executive Leadership Institute.

Jamie currently serves as the Chief Program Officer for The Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC). Prior to joining FJC, for nearly two decades, Jamie worked with Tawonga in various capacities. In 2017, she became Tawonga’s  youngest executive director. In her role at Tawonga, she has also mentored hundreds of emerging professionals.

Prior to Tawonga, Jamie worked as the prevention education director at United Against Sexual Assault in Sonoma County. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies from Sonoma State University. She loves working with youth and is passionate about politics and the San Jose Sharks. Jamie lives in Oakland with her husband and fellow Tawongan, Dan, and their sons, Ezra and Eli.