Abby Strunk Saloma—Program Officer

Abby Strunk Saloma is a program office in the Foundation’s national office, responsible for developing and implementing initiatives to engage, train and support young Jewish adults as they explore Jewish life and take on leadership roles within the Jewish community. In particular, Abby is focused on creating a suite of training experiences and opportunities to enhance the skills of young Jewish service leaders and professionals.

Abby brings to the Foundation a breadth and depth of experience from the for-profit, non-profit, Jewish and secular sectors. Most notably, Abby was the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for BBYO, the world’s leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement, aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences. During Abby’s five-year tenure with BBYO, she led an effort to re-brand the 85-year-old organization, making it relevant to today’s teens and resulting in a near doubling of teen involvement.

Following BBYO, Abby assumed the Executive Director role at Street Sense, a DC-based non-profit organization which works to empower the homeless through a newspaper that educates the public about issues of homelessness and poverty. Most recently, Abby has led the development efforts for The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, a non-profit organization which trains health and mental health professionals, educators and community leaders in areas of war and natural disaster to use mind-body techniques to heal stress and trauma.

She brings extensive experience managing and coaching young and emerging professionals. Abby holds a bachelor’s degree in Advertising from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in Media and Public Affairs from The George Washington University. Abby’s husband, Taisto, is a high school teacher, athletic director and coach of several sports. In her free time, Abby enjoys teaching and practicing yoga, reading and traveling.