Alexis Channin enjoys human connection and didn’t realize just how much she missed it over the past three years throughout her remote job with a startup philanthropic company.
She has found that connection as director of development at Washington Hebrew Congregation, a role she began in mid-April.
Channin brings prior experience in the philanthropic and Jewish professional worlds. Passionate for community impact, she has previously worked with The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore for more than three years — her first job out of graduate school — and the Community Foundation networks.
She holds a bachelor’s of science in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and certificate in Jewish communal service from Gratz College.
In 2015, Channin founded the nonprofit Stay Strong and Mahj On to raise awareness for breast cancer through mah-jongg fundraisers nationwide. She lives with her husband in the Washington, D.C., area.
Tell me about your Jewish upbringing and background.
I was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs called Highland Park, Illinois. I grew up going to a Reform temple there, [Makom Solel] Lakeside Congregation, but my family wasn’t really involved in the Jewish community. Highland Park is a very inherently Jewish community, so almost all of my friends were Jewish and had this culturally strong Jewish identity, but [my family] never participated in formal Jewish life. I was bat mitzvahed and that was basically it. But I always loved being Jewish, loved talking about being Jewish and, like so many others, didn’t have that kind of transformational Jewish experience until college.
I went to the University of Pittsburgh for undergrad, and my junior and senior year, I started getting involved in Jewish community. I interned at the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh in their volunteer center and volunteered at a nonprofit called Friendship Circle, a national organization that works with kids with disabilities. From there, I ended up doing birthright while I was in college, and the year after, I did a program called Onward Israel in 2014, which is a summer immersive program in Israel for college students. I was there during Operation Protective Edge, [the 2014 Gaza War], so for me, that was my turning point. I came back and was like, “I want to work in the Jewish community professionally.” It had been great growing up volunteering and doing all this work in the Jewish community, but I realized I can actually turn that into a professional career.
What do you enjoy about working with Washington Hebrew Congregation?
So far, the entire staff, clergy, lay leaders, everyone has just been absolutely incredible, so welcoming and so passionate. What’s interesting about Washington Hebrew is that we’ve been around for 173 years, the oldest synagogue in D.C. I think we’re in a really unique position where we’re this 173-year-old legacy institution and yet we’re doing things in such a modern way.
Something that drew me to Washington Hebrew was [that] it’s not this outdated temple struggling to bring in more members. We have a really rich, robust membership base who love Washington Hebrew, and many of them are third- or fourth-generation congregants. That, paired with bringing in this new wave of people moving to D.C. who are trying to build community, I think is special and unique that I haven’t seen at many other synagogues across the country.
How will you bring your philanthropic background to WHC?
[I try] to translate someone’s passion for Washington Hebrew and the community we built into action so we can continue doing this for the next 173 plus years. It’s about meeting people where they are and figuring out what within the Washington Hebrew community most resonates with that. Are there specific programs or projects or initiatives that speak to them and their family and their philanthropic goals? I try to make that happen and simultaneously raise critical dollars for our annual fund and unrestricted operating budget so we can continue [our programming]. I look forward to getting to know everyone in the community and being that matchmaker between the donor I’m working with and what’s meaningful and impactful for them to support in Washington.
How do you spend time outside of work?
Outside of work, I definitely like to try new D.C. restaurants; I always love seeing what’s new and going for lots of walks. I love spending time with family and friends as well.
What are some goals you have for the near future?
This is both professional and personal, but just immersing myself in the Jewish community. I’ve been working remotely for the past three years at a startup philanthropy company, and I didn’t realize how much I craved and needed that in-person, human interaction. I’m excited to get involved, volunteer at different organizations, and being in more proximity to our donors and to the WHC community will be really valuable.
