April N. Baskin, Founder & CEO, she/her
To see April’s extended bio and professional background including awards, images, awards, and press kit, click here.
April N. Baskin is an award-winning multi-heritage Black Jewish woman who has been a core organizer and movement leader within the Jewish community for 20 years. She’s helped shift institutions toward more equitable outcomes within and outside of the Jewish world and is a faithful advocate of building just, diverse, and inclusive spaces that cultivate belonging and empowerment.
April is the Founder & CEO of Joyous Justice (and a host of The Joyous Justice Podcast with her beloved co-host Tracie Guy-Decker, see below!) and serves as the Racial Justice Director of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable. Previously, she served as the inaugural Vice President of Audacious Hospitality at the Union for Reform Judaism. During her URJ tenure, among a number of exciting accomplishments, she conceived of and hosted the first season of the Wholly Jewish podcast, conceived of Intro to Judaism Online, and brought the renowned LGBTQ+ Leadership Project to 80% of the URJ’s expansive Youth Department, for which Keshet honored her visionary leadership with the Landres Courage for Dignity Award in 2019.
Previously, she was a Schusterman Insight Fellow, on the steering committee and a featured speaker at the National 2019 Women's March, and the designer and facilitator of the URJ’s JewVNation Fellowship, a leadership program of action and healing for Jews of Color and Jews committed to advancing inclusion. In May of 2020, she launched the #JOCsCount social media campaign rooted in her years of advocacy and foundational research. To see April’s extended bio and professional background including awards, images, awards, and press kit, click here.
Tracie Guy-Decker, Senior Partner, she/her
Please note, after Mar 3, 2023, Tracie is on leave.
Tracie is a writer and consultant based in Baltimore, Maryland. Until November 2020, she was the Deputy Director at the Jewish Museum of Maryland (JMM). In that role, she oversaw all of the operations for a museum that aims to be a convener and connector for all of its communities: the Jewish community, the city of Baltimore, and the national Museum community.
She is a leader for Jewish social justice efforts in her roles as chair of the social justice committee at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation and as co-chair of the Baltimore leadership council of Jews United for Justice.
Prior to serving at the JMM, Tracie worked for Johns Hopkins University (twice, in different departments), the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater (Virginia), and The College of William & Mary. She also worked as a freelance and pro-bono marketing and fundraising copywriter through a private practice serving non-profit clients between 2010 and 2018.
Tracie has a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. After completing the degree, she began the work of pursuing a PhD in Modern Jewish Thought from the same institution, but left the program, choosing to apply her time and energy to making change outside of academia. She completed her undergraduate work in Religion and English at Oberlin College.
Tracie is (once again) in Baltimore, the city of her birth (this time since 2013). She lives on the city’s west side with her retired Navy Chief spouse, their elementary-aged daughter, two poorly behaved dogs, and a long-suffering cat. To learn more about Tracie, visit www.tracieguydecker.com.