About Deborah
Deborah Grayson Riegel, MSW, PCC, is a coach, trainer and speaker who helps Jewish organizations, corporations and individuals achieve personal and professional “Success without the Tsuris.”
Deborah’s energetic workshops and speaking programs are in high demand with North American Jewish organizations, Fortune 500 companies, national and local government agencies, and small start-ups, and her one-on-one coaching has propelled Jewish professionals across industries and interests to get farther, faster. Deborah is a visiting Professor of Executive Communications, Presentation Skills and Business Writing at the Beijing International MBA Program at Peking University, China.
Deborah was the Director of Education and Training for the Mandel Center for Leadership Excellence at United Jewish Communities (UJC), where she developed innovative training programs for Federation professionals and lay-leaders, and co-authored an award-winning interactive solicitation training website. Deborah also worked at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA) as the Director of the only program in North America that trains senior citizens to be lobbyists. In addition, Deborah was a key player in the development of New York’s Makor/Steinhardt Center for young Jewish professionals.
Deborah has served on the faculty for both the Wexner Heritage Program and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical school. A popular conference speaker for both the American Society of Training and Development and Training Magazine’s Conference and Expo, Deborah was awarded membership into the National Speakers Association in 2005. She is also a member of the Association of Jewish Community Organization Professionals, the Jewish Communal Service Association, and a credentialed member of the International Coach Federation. Deborah is a graduate of Coach U. and is a Certified DiSC® Practitioner.
Deborah’s expertise in developing training and coaching for professionals and lay leaders in the Jewish communal world was highlighted when she authored “Corporate Universities in the Non-Profit Sector”, a chapter in the book The Next Generation of Corporate Universities (Allen, Ed, Wiley 2007).
Deborah is a columnist for the Jewish Week, where her “Success without the Tsuris” coaching column reaches over 160,000 readers each month.
Deborah earned a B.A. in Psychology at the University of Michigan, and her M.S.W. at Columbia University, supporting her expensive school habit by performing improvisational and stand-up comedy.
She and her husband Michael are the proud parents of twins, Jacob and Sophie, who inspire her to choose naches over tsuris everyday.
