From left to right: ADL Austin’s new Regional Director, Jackie Nirenberg. ADL Austin’s new Education Director, Danielle Bryant. Courtesy: ADL Austin. 

By: Dulce Castañeda, ADL Austin Associate Regional Director 

This summer, ADL Austin welcomed two new staff members to its team. After a rigorous search process, Jackie Nirenberg has joined as the Regional Director and Danielle Bryant as the Education Director. Former Education Director Jillian Bontke was promoted to a new role as Director of Educational Programs for ADL’s Central Division. 

Jackie Nirenberg comes to ADL with over 20 years of experience in communications and community engagement. Prior to joining ADL, Jackie was the Director of Community Engagement for Capital Metro, where she spearheaded a community engagement effort that led to the city’s first successful light rail referendum in 2020. Her work was recognized in 2021 when she was honored with the Rosa Parks Diversity Award and named Woman of the Year by Women in Transportation Seminar International. Previous to that, she was a lecturer in communications at the University of Texas Pan American and a restaurant reviewer for Texas Monthly. 

Jackie is a member of the Austin Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women and served on the NCJW Austin board from 2005-2011. She is also a member of the Leadership Circle for The New Philanthropists, a local organization working to diversify non-profit and government boards by matching them with prospective candidates of color. Jackie is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a Master’s degree in journalism. A first-generation American, she was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas to a mother from Argentina with roots in Poland and a father from Poland who survived the Holocaust. That personal connection compelled her to join the fight against antisemitism and hate with ADL. Jackie made Austin her permanent home in 2003 and has two children – Zach, age 27 and Abby, age 25. 

Danielle Bryant has joined the ADL Austin team as the new education director. She has spent the entirety of her career in education. Danielle is a fourth-generation Arizona native and relocated to Texas to begin her teaching career. She spent her first year teaching third grade in Dallas ISD and moved to Austin ISD where she has taught fifth grade, worked as a community school facilitator, and was most recently as an elementary assistant principal. 

Following her first year in Austin, she began her Master’s in Educational Leadership and continued on to doctoral work at the university where she is currently working on her dissertation. On campus, she co-facilitated one of the largest No Place for Hate coalitions in Austin and led countless professional development sessions focused on relationship development, culturally proficient teaching practices, and identifying bias. 

In collaboration with former education director, Jillian Bontke, Danielle will continue the central Texas legacy of being a national leader in No Place for Hate. The Austin team is excited to continue their community partnerships and work to dismantle hate in the region. 

To learn more or contact any ADL staff member, email [email protected].