David Shmidt Chapman's first love was making theater as a catalyst for social change. He received a Fulbright grant to study post-Cold War drama in Hungary and a Henry Luce Scholarship to teach drama at an arts college in Vietnam. After a successful career as a theater director, David found his new vocation in the Jewish social justice world. David's first "Jewish job" was with the grantmaking team of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, helping strengthen its Jewish Life & Values, Israel, Climate Change, and Inequality programs. In 2014, David created and produced PEW-ish, an evening of short plays inspired by the (in)famous Pew Study. He later joined the New Israel Fund, serving as Associate Director for NY/Tri-State. David was Vice President of Cong. Beit Simchat Torah, the country's largest LGBTQ synagogue. He holds a B.A. with Highest Honors from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master's in Nonprofit Leadership from Fordham. A member of the ROI Community, David was named to the Jewish Week's 2017 "36 Under 36" list. A rabbinical student at JTS, David is the student rabbi of Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation. He lives in New York with his husband Jonathan and their son Elior.