Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner is the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. He also serves as senior vice president of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). Named one of the most influential rabbis in America by Newsweek magazine in 2012, he has been a leader, creative entrepreneur, and advocate for social justice. He has been a principal architect in transforming URJ and guiding the Reform Movement to greater impact as the largest Jewish denomination in the world. Among other initiatives, he is a founder of the Campaign for Youth Engagement. Pesner also encourages Jewish communities in interfaith efforts to reach across lines of race, class, and faith in campaigns for social justice. Ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1997, Pesner was a congregational rabbi at Temple Israel in Boston and at Temple Israel in Westport, Connecticut. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Bronx High School of Science.