Baltimore’s Diana Solomon expands Jewish teen leadership initiatives through 4Front programs and community partnerships
A long-running local initiative for Jewish teen engagement
Diana Solomon, a Baltimore native and senior director at 4Front, has been part of the organization’s leadership since its early years and has worked on programming that positions teenagers for leadership roles across Baltimore’s Jewish communal ecosystem.
4Front is a Baltimore-area teen initiative housed and managed by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore. The initiative launched in 2015 as part of a national cohort of experimental teen engagement efforts supported by philanthropic funding, and it has continued as a locally supported platform that coordinates teen programming, training and partnerships across multiple institutions.
Program portfolio emphasizes governance, entrepreneurship, and networks
Solomon joined the founding team of 4Front in 2016 after working in Israel travel and engagement connected to Taglit-Birthright Israel trip operations. Since then, 4Front has developed a set of structured programs and short-format opportunities aimed at leadership development, civic engagement, and skills-building for Jewish teens.
Gesher Teen Board Members: a yearlong initiative that places selected high school seniors on governing boards of Jewish nonprofit organizations. The program is designed to add teen perspectives to community decision-making while providing participants exposure to budgeting, governance structures, and organizational leadership.
Social Innovation Fellowship: an entrepreneurship-focused cohort model built around developing and pitching ideas for community benefit, culminating in an annual “Demo Day” pitch-style event.
E3 Teen Professionals Network: a program track described by 4Front as part of its broader effort to connect teens with professional skills development and community networks.
Board participation as leadership training
The Gesher Teen Board Members program illustrates how 4Front blends experiential learning with institutional partnership. The program runs on an annual calendar (September through June) and includes a retreat and workshops, alongside regular participation on a partner organization’s board. Past partner organizations listed by 4Front include a range of congregations and community nonprofits, reflecting a model that distributes teen leadership across multiple institutions rather than concentrating it in one program site.
Gesher is framed as a “bridge” between current leadership and the next generation, using board service as both skills training and civic participation.
Partnership approach and recent curriculum localization
Partnerships are built into 4Front’s operating model, which describes itself as a connector among organizations, families, and youth-serving professionals. In 2024, the Social Innovation Fellowship shifted its curriculum partnership model, localizing entrepreneurship content through a collaboration with Towson University after several years working with a California-based entrepreneurship curriculum partner.
Local roots and role within the JCC structure
Solomon’s professional profile within the JCC of Greater Baltimore describes her as living in Baltimore City and working in the Youth & Family department structure where 4Front is managed. Within that framework, the initiative’s programming spans cohort-based leadership development, community service activities, and collaborations with other organizations offering teen opportunities throughout the Baltimore region.