Lindsey Jeanniton’s Journey into Jewish Leadership

Lindsey Jeanniton with her husband and baby.

When Lindsey Jeanniton moved from Queens to Baltimore about a decade ago, she expected Johns Hopkins to be the next stop in her career. She didn’t necessarily know it would become home.

As a member of The Associated’s Young Leadership Council Class of 2027, Lindsey is spending this year learning more about Jewish communal leadership through her board placement with Na’aleh: The Hub for Leadership Learning.

Here are seven things to know about Lindsey:

She found her place in healthcare administration.

Lindsey is the director of operations for Ob/Gyn at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, where she oversees 11 clinical sites across Baltimore, Howard County and the National Capital Region. For Lindsey, healthcare administration offered the chance to focus on the people and systems behind the care.

“Operations is a little bit of everything and there’s never a dull moment,” she says.

Her leadership philosophy starts with other people.

Lindsey describes her leadership style as “servant leadership.” Rather than simply directing a team, she puts the needs of the team first and focuses on helping people grow and perform their best.

“I really enjoy growing my team into strong leaders, making sure they have the tools and resources they need to drive positive change and make an impact for our patients, while improving access and delivering quality care,” she says.

That interest in developing leaders is part of what attracted her to Na’aleh.

Her path to Judaism was her own.

Lindsey did not grow up Jewish. Although she encountered Jewish life through family connections and Jewish camps, her relationship with Judaism developed over time.

She eventually converted through an Orthodox process, but when asked about her journey, she puts it simply:

“I would say that Judaism chose me.”

After meeting her Israeli husband, she came to appreciate the rituals around the Shabbat table, lighting candles, spending time with family, telling stories and learning the meaning behind the traditions.

She believes there’s more than one right way to lead.

Lindsey sees a connection between the lessons she has learned in healthcare and the diversity of perspectives she encounters in Jewish life. In both settings, she says, people bring different experiences and ideas to the table, and good leadership requires being open to them.

Her own Jewish journey has reinforced another lesson she carries with her: Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions and challenge things too,” she says.” I do this for my job as well as around the Shabbat table.”

Her ideal Sunday.

When Lindsey has a Sunday with nowhere else to be, she likes to make it a family day. That might mean heading out for a hike, exploring a new city or simply finding somewhere they haven’t been before.

Once she’s back home, Lindsey likes to cook and experiment with new recipes. One favorite? Persian food.

She’ll never say no to an adventure.

Lindsey describes herself as a “social butterfly,” so an invitation to try something new is hard to turn down.

Whether it’s an adventure close to home or an international trip, she loves exploring new places and experiences. In fact, she and her family are looking forward to their upcoming trip to Asia.

She wants her impact to be measured by what she helps build.

Looking five or 10 years ahead, Lindsey hopes to be remembered not just for how she led, but for what she helped create.

She wants to be involved in developing programs that respond to the changing needs of the Pikesville community and to play a role in understanding those needs as they evolve.

She also hopes to deepen her involvement with The Associated, helping raise the resources needed to sustain programs that make a difference.

Lindsey Jeanniton’s Journey into Jewish Leadership

Lindsey Jeanniton’s Journey into Jewish Leadership

She found her place in healthcare administration.