Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City recently added two new employees to its team. Erin Heffernan Markowicz is the new director of strategic marketing and Sierra J. Debrow is the community planning associate.
Originally from Memphis, Markowicz has been a long-time member of the greater Kansas City community. Erin received her bachelor of arts from Washburn University in 2003 and a master’s in business administration from Baker University in 2009.
Prior to joining Federation, Markowicz was with Notre Dame de Sion (also her high school alma mater) as their alumnae and constituent relations manager for the past two years. She also spent 14 years with the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation and was focused on marketing, event planning and fundraising.
Over her tenure Markowicz has had the privilege of working with individual donors and corporate donors alike. In addition to her work at the AAFP Foundation, she had the privilege of working with the creation and management of several programs including one that allowed her to travel and focus on mission work in Haiti.
Markowicz has been an avid volunteer with the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, Belles of the American Royal (BOTAR) and Alpha Phi Fraternity for many years.
Markowicz said her time at Federation so far has been “amazing.”
“Federation has such a strong group of individuals working as a team. I have been so impressed with all of them,” she said. “I am truly excited about the collaborative approach to marketing and fundraising that occurs within Federation.”
Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Debrow (they/them) recently moved to Kansas City after receiving their master of social work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Debrow also graduated from the College of Charleston in 2017 with a bachelor of science in psychology, where they largely focused their studies on disability studies and advocacy.
Their passion for social work and working in the Jewish nonprofit world grew from their connection to their Jewish communities, where justice work is a core tenet. One of these communities was the URJ Kutz Camp, where Debrow worked to support disabled campers. They also served as a program associate with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, which helped them envision a future for Jewish spaces that are accessible and inclusive of individuals and their various needs.
Most recently, Debrow served as a practicum student at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, Central Reform Congregation, and the Missouri History Museum. They believe that interdisciplinary work is the future of the social work field, and that collaboration is an essential part of building people-centered communities.
Debrow’s position as community planning associate is new to Federation, which provides a lot of opportunities for them to learn and grow along with the other members of their department.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how my role evolves as well as how I’ll be able to interact and get to know other Jewish professionals who work with Federation,” Debrow said. “I’m also really excited to see the results of the community study and learn the story of the Kansas City Jewish community through that lens, too.”