Rabba Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez

Rabba Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez is a values-driven Jewish educator, relationship-focused community builder, and strategic visionary leader who brings her genuine joyful Judaism approach, based on her favorite verse “serve God with joy,” to all that she does to serve the community, both professionally and personally.

Rabba Melissa is a consultant focused on bringing her experience in experiential education, infusing Jewish wisdom, non-profit leadership, mentorship/coaching, and developing engagement strategies to organizations nationwide. She is also the Grants Manager for the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta where she has previously been an involved lay leader and was amongst the first cohort of women in their ACT: Agents of Change Training fellowship. Rabba Melissa is also a dedicated community leader, currently serving on National Council of Jewish Women’s (NCJW) Rabbi’s for Repro Advisory Board, Atlanta Rabbinical Associaton’s Executive Committee, and is the inaugural Advisory Chair for A Mitzvah to Eat. She is also learning in M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education’s Senior Educators Cohort 7. Rabba Melissa most recently served as the Director of Family Education and Engagement at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, where she oversaw PJ Library, the Jewish Camp Initiative, and a number of other Jewish engagement-related initiatives.

Rabba Melissa received semikha (rabbinic ordination) from Maharat and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Illinois. She has also learned intensively at Nishmat and Pardes in Jerusalem and worked for JEWISHcolorado, JCC Manhattan, Hillel International, and Global Day of Jewish Learning. Rabba Melissa enjoys writing in her “free time” and has been published in a number of print and digital forums.