Temple Sholom Selma Maisel Nursery School

Temple Sholom is a vibrant, egalitarian synagogue in Greenwich, Connecticut, home to the Selma Maisel Nursery School (SMNS), a year-round early childhood program serving infants through Pre-K. The school welcomes families of all faiths and is grounded in Jewish values, community, and a deeply held belief that play is the work of children. As the school looked toward its next chapter, Temple Sholom sought leadership that could honor its culture while helping the community grow and thrive.

Temple Sholom was at a moment of opportunity and evolution. They needed an Early Childhood Director who could:

The role demanded rare alignment across educational philosophy, leadership style, operational rigor, and cultural fit. Compounding the challenge, a leading finalist withdrew late in the process, requiring the search to be recalibrated without losing momentum or compromising standards.

Merraine partnered closely with Temple Sholom through a highly collaborative, relationship-driven search process led by Dina Ufberg, who served as the primary point of contact and strategic advisor throughout the engagement. Dina worked directly with Temple leadership to understand not only the responsibilities of the role but also the values, ethos, and heart of the Selma Maisel Nursery School.

Given the community-centered, non-corporate nature of early childhood education, communication was frequent, conversational, and personal. Early discussions focused less on rigid criteria and more on identifying the core attributes the school was seeking: warmth, resilience, presence, and a genuine passion for building community through education.

Rebecca David, a senior member of the Merraine team with over 13 years of experience and a master’s degree in education, led the execution of the search. Known for her persistence and willingness to ask deeper, more probing questions, Rebecca worked closely with Dina to source, assess, and refine the candidate pool. When the search faced setbacks, Dina and Rebecca functioned as an extension of Temple Sholom’s internal team — recalibrating quickly while keeping the focus on long-term fit rather than a short-term solution.

Merraine successfully placed Susie Weiner as Director of Early Childhood Education.

Susie brought more than 30 years of experience as an educator and administrator, most recently serving as Director of the Early Childhood Center at a large synagogue in Michigan. Her leadership philosophy, rooted in Reggio Emilia principles, project-based learning, and the belief that play is central to childhood development, aligned seamlessly with SMNS’s vision.

Although the role required relocation, the move brought Susie closer to family in Connecticut, making the transition both personal and sustainable. Despite logistical challenges — including an interview that had to be rescheduled due to a major snowstorm — when Susie ultimately walked through the doors of Temple Sholom, the connection was immediate. It felt like home for her, and the school felt the same.

In approximately two and a half months, Merraine helped Temple Sholom secure a leader who brought both vision and heart to the role. Beyond credentials, Susie embodied the values, philosophy, and long-term commitment the community was seeking.

Today, Temple Sholom has an Early Childhood Director positioned to: