Rabbi Amber Powers became executive vice president of Reconstructing Judaism in September 2016.  She also serves as a member of the regular faculty.  Powers served as a member of RRC’s academic administration from 2004-2016.  Her previous roles at RRC included dean of admissions and recruitment, assistant vice president for enrollment and rabbinic formation, acting vice president for academic affairs, and vice president for student development.  Before joining the RRC staff, she served as rabbi of Temple Menorah Keneseth Chai in Northeast Philadelphia and as the mid-atlantic regional director of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation.

Powers received a Bachelor of Arts in religion with a concentration in Jewish studies from Emory University and rabbinic ordination and a Master of Hebrew letters from RRC. She has been a guest contributing writer for MyJewishLearning.com and other Jewish Web sites, and is author of ”Commentary on Haftarat Vayechi” in The Women’s Haftarah Commentary, edited by Elyse Goldstein (Jewish Lights, 2004), and “Hearing Ancient, Courageous Voices for Justice and Change: Parashat Masei” in Torah Queeries, edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser and David Schneer (NYU Press, 2009). She was a participant in the Senior Executive Action Learning Team sponsored by Advancing Women Professionals in the Jewish Community (AWP).  She is an alumna of the Wexner Fellowship Program for Jewish Professionals.