A true visionary’s journey is one of personal and professional evolution, rooted in a desire to create meaningful change and strengthen the bonds within the community. As the President, Editor & Managing Publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times (AJT), Kaylene Ladinsky has shaped the publication into a vital community resource, driven by her deep commitment to her family, her community, and her passion for rallying diverse Americans in support of Israel. Her journey to this role is not only marked by professional success but by a profound personal transformation, one that led her from the world of corporate mediation to a life centered on service, community engagement, and philanthropy.
With degrees in Business Administration from Northwestern University of Ohio and Criminology from Iowa Community College, Kaylene had a strong foundation for a successful career. She spent 17 years in corporate mediation, representing clients such as FEDEX, Muzak, and Citibank. While she excelled in the role, there came a point when she realized that the work, focused on business-to-business conflict resolution, no longer aligned with her values. Reflecting on her time in mediation, Kaylene acknowledged how her role sometimes involved manipulating situations to reach a resolution, leading her to step away from the corporate world.
Determined to find a more meaningful path, Kaylene transitioned into event management and launched a nonprofit, where she channeled her desire to bring people together and serve her community. This shift reflected a deeper personal journey of discovering her true purpose—uniting her community around common goals and building strong connections through shared values.
As a mother of three now-grown children, Kaylene has always prioritized being an active and present parent despite her professional commitments. Whether serving as a football team mom or volunteering at school functions, she found ways to balance work with her family life, instilling in her children the importance of community involvement. Her three children, step-twins Benjamin and daughter, Carlie, and her youngest son Bradley, have all pursued higher education and are excelling in their respective fields, a testament to the values of hard work and philanthropy that Kaylene has instilled in them.
Kaylene’s leadership at the Atlanta Jewish Times is marked by her dedication to both her professional and community families. She credits her success to the incredible team at AJT, whom she describes as her “professional family.” Together, they work passionately to deliver content that resonates with the community. Her excitement for the work is contagious, inspiring her team and the broader community to engage with and support the AJT’s mission.
Through her work, Kaylene has become a true servant to the community, driven by a desire to give back and support those around her. Although she earns a living from her work, Kaylene emphasizes that it’s not about the money; it’s about making a positive impact. Her commitment to philanthropy is deeply ingrained in her family life, as her children often join her at community events, helping out and learning firsthand the importance of giving back.
A New Era for Atlanta Jewish Times
Kaylene has been with the Atlanta Jewish Times (AJT) since January 2011 and has held numerous positions, including writer, Business Manager, Associate Publisher, and now Editor, Managing Publisher and became President last year. Under her leadership, the AJT has grown significantly, both in readership and engagement, with an audience that reaches over 150,000 readers and a digital presence that interacts with nearly 400,000 people. Kaylene attributes the AJT’s success to its diverse content, covering everything from community news and sports to global and Israeli news. This diversity in topics has earned the paper recognition, including the title of the best Jewish newspaper in America, and best Jewish website in America by the American Jewish Press Association.
Kaylene’s involvement with the AJT began during a challenging time for the paper, which was struggling with declining subscriptions and community support. She stepped in to help find a new owner, initially serving as Business Manager and Director of Operations. Since then, she has worn many hats and worked closely with different owners, including the current owner, Michael A. Morris, who is the son of late Bernie Marcus. Together, they have doubled the paper’s readership and significantly increased its visibility, both online and in print.
In addition to managing the paper, Kaylene has worked to keep the Atlanta Jewish community engaged through initiatives like the Atlanta Jewish Connector, an interactive calendar platform, and monthly podcasts. The AJT now also features breaking news, which has bolstered its national recognition.
Beyond her work with the AJT, Kaylene is deeply involved in philanthropy. She founded the Americans United with Israel, a pro-Israel nonprofit organization, and the Atlanta Jewish Life Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization aimed at connecting the Jewish community through events such as the annual Atlanta Jewish Life Festival and other community-driven programs. Her passion for connecting and supporting the Jewish community is evident in both her journalistic and philanthropic endeavors, making her a key figure in the region.
Shifting Publishing Landscape
Kaylene, a dynamic leader in the publishing industry, currently serves as Editor, a role that has evolved significantly under her leadership. With a dedicated full-time team of 12 in the office and a network of 31 to 35 freelancers—including photographers, writers, correspondents, and columnists—Kaylene oversees a vast array of creative and operational responsibilities.
One of the critical transitions in her role came with advice from her mentor, Michael A. Morris, who encouraged her to shift from hands-on supervision to leadership. Initially, Kaylene was heavily involved in every aspect of the operation, reacting to daily demands from her staff and staying on top of every detail. However, Morris’s guidance prompted her to trust her team’s expertise and allow them the autonomy to manage their own responsibilities. This hands-off approach has led to a smoother, self-sustaining workflow, where Kaylene now focuses on ensuring the pieces fit together seamlessly rather than micromanaging day-to-day tasks.
Her responsibilities include final approval of all publications before they go to press, but she also remains an active writer, currently preparing a story on the Young Thug RICO trial, for which she is in contact with key attorneys involved, such as Brian Steele and Doug Weinstein. Beyond editorial duties, Kaylene is deeply involved in motivating her staff, managing the financial health of the organization, and overseeing event planning. She maintains a big-picture view, ensuring that all operations—from content creation to budgeting—run efficiently.
Kaylene’s leadership extends beyond her own organization. As an executive board member for several publishing outlets, she collaborates with other newspapers, sharing best practices and strategies that have driven her company’s success. Notably, she finds humor and pride in seeing other publications adopting her ideas, down to the design and layout choices. For her, it’s not about competition but fostering a sense of collective growth within the industry.
Under Kaylene’s guidance, the company continues to thrive, embarking on new projects while maintaining a strong, cohesive team. Her ability to lead without over-supervising has allowed her to focus on strategic growth and creative innovation, all while keeping her finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving publishing landscape.
The Heart of Publishing
Reflecting on her 13-plus years with Atlanta Jewish Times, Kaylene shares what makes her journey with the publication so special. For her, it all comes down to the success and impact the paper has achieved over time. “Honestly, it’s the success that makes it really special for me,” she says. “It’s been a lot of hard work, but seeing the growth has been so rewarding.”
When Kaylene first became involved, the paper had a modest readership of around 700. Today, Atlanta Jewish Times boasts thousands of loyal readers, not just in Atlanta or the southeastern U.S., but globally. “That’s a big deal,” she says with pride. “To be part of something that reaches not only my local community but also touches people worldwide—it’s incredibly fulfilling.”
The recognition the paper has received through awards and the positive feedback from the community reinforces the value of their work. “Winning awards shows we’re doing a good job, and having the community react so positively, wanting to be part of what we’re doing, it’s exhilarating,” Kaylene explains. For her, the most special part is how Atlanta Jewish Times has brought people together, creating a platform that engages, informs, and inspires.
What truly sets this experience apart for Kaylene is her passion for the job. “I don’t come to work every day because I have to—I come to work because I love it,” she says. That sentiment resonates throughout her team, where, as she notes, everyone shares a love for what they do. “There’s no one in our office who doesn’t love their work.” It’s this collective passion that has driven the publication’s continued success and remains a source of pride for Kaylene in her long-standing career.
Secret to Balancing Leadership and Life
For Kaylene, time is by far the most valuable asset. “I’m not someone who places a lot of importance on money,” she says. “Money is a means to live and get by, but it’s not what drives me.” While financial success is essential for the sustainability of Atlanta Jewish Times and her other ventures, personal financial gain isn’t a motivator for her. Instead, she values time—specifically, the ability to manage it effectively.
Kaylene’s intense focus on time management stems from the sheer volume of responsibilities she juggles. Running three companies, organizing multiple events, publishing newspapers, and balancing family life requires a keen sense of organization and planning. “The more efficiently I can work and plan, the more I can accomplish,” she explains. “Time allows me to spread myself across all the different projects I’m passionate about.”
Her perspective on time aligns with her leadership style. For Kaylene, time isn’t just about squeezing more tasks into her day; it’s about making room for growth and creativity. “The more time we have, the more we can do, the more impact we can make,” she says. It’s this approach that has enabled her to oversee multiple ventures successfully, while ensuring that each one flourishes.
Kaylene’s respect for time is a reflection of her broader vision. She understands that the more efficiently she and her team operate, the more they can achieve—not just for the paper, but for the community they serve.
Print with Purpose
Kaylene shares her insights on the significant changes in the publishing industry, particularly with the shift toward online platforms. “A lot of newspapers are going online,” she says. However, Atlanta Jewish Times has taken a different approach, adapting in a way that resonates with its unique readership. One of the key changes was reducing the print frequency from weekly to bi-weekly. “We did that so we could put more content and more time into the paper,” Kaylene explains.
COVID-19 had a profound impact on how they operate, pushing the team to adapt and find new ways of working. Despite the industry’s broader trend toward digital publishing, Atlanta Jewish Times has maintained a strong print presence. “Our readers are different,” Kaylene notes. “We’re a niche paper, and people want their paper. Trust me, if they don’t get it, they’re calling us.” This strong connection with the community has been a cornerstone of the publication’s success.
The shift to a bi-weekly schedule allowed the paper to grow in size, now running between 60 to 76 pages per issue, compared to the previous 48. Surprisingly, readers were pleased with the change, as it gave them more time to fully engage with each edition. “They told me, ‘I wouldn’t even be able to get through the whole issue and then the next one would come,'” Kaylene recalls. “Now, they can read the paper cover to cover.”
Kaylene attributes part of this success to her focus on bringing the community into the paper. “People want to read it because they’re in it, or their family members are,” she says. This local engagement has been crucial in keeping readers invested and excited, even in a time when many publications are shifting exclusively online.
Reflecting on the broader industry, she acknowledges that Atlanta Jewish Times has managed to thrive by staying community-focused and adapting strategically, especially during the challenges brought by COVID-19. “The pandemic taught us to work in a different way,” she says, and this adaptability continues to drive the paper’s success in an evolving media landscape.
Keeping the Pulse
Kaylene has witnessed firsthand the challenges facing the publishing industry, with many publications either transitioning exclusively to online formats like flipbook technology or closing down entirely. “I’ve seen a lot of publications fold,” she remarks. The shift toward digital has left many struggling to maintain profitability, especially with declining advertising revenue.
As someone who closely monitors the state of the industry, Kaylene subscribes to various newspapers and consistently checks how much advertising space they feature. “One of the things I always look at is how much they have in advertising,” she says. What she often finds is troubling. “It’s disappointing when even larger papers only have five or six substantial ads. That’s a clear sign they’re not making money.”
Advertising, she acknowledges, remains the lifeblood of most publications, and a lack of it signals broader financial troubles for the industry. For many newspapers, the ability to attract advertisers directly correlates with their ability to stay afloat in a rapidly changing landscape. Kaylene’s keen awareness of this trend has helped shape her approach at Atlanta Jewish Times, ensuring the paper not only retains its community engagement but also remains commercially viable in a market where many others struggle. Her experience and vigilance about advertising trends allow her to navigate these challenges effectively, ensuring that her publication continues to thrive while others face the difficult reality of downsizing or going entirely digital.
Building a Winning Team Culture
Kaylene highlights creativity and adaptability as key factors in keeping Atlanta Jewish Times thriving while many other publications have struggled or folded. In her view, the lack of creativity is a significant issue in many publishing rooms, particularly those that continue to operate in the same ways they have for decades. “They’re just doing the same thing that they’ve been doing for the last, you know, 50 years,” she observes, stressing the importance of evolving with the times.
As a self-professed “techie person,” Kaylene’s love for technology has played a major role in her company’s success. She notes that her ability to create websites, apps, and other tech solutions has given the paper a competitive edge, allowing it to keep pace with the rapidly changing media landscape. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kaylene had her entire team working remotely by the next day, with all phone lines forwarded to their cell phones and a significant increase in content being published. “We tripled the amount of content that we were publishing,” she explains, adding that they were releasing new material daily through email blasts, far beyond the usual weekly schedule.
What made her approach stand out during the pandemic was the decision to expand beyond just Jewish content. Kaylene’s team included any information relevant to their community, such as updates from the governor or COVID-related news, turning the paper into a one-stop shop for readers seeking timely and crucial information.
Another crucial element in her company’s success has been maintaining an in-person, collaborative work environment. While many other companies allowed their staff to continue working remotely, Kaylene never let her team get too comfortable working from home. Once it was safe, she invested heavily in cleaning and safety measures at the office, even bringing in specialists to sanitize the space and ensure everyone was tested for COVID-19. “We all made an agreement that we were not only being responsible for ourselves and our families, but also to each other,” she says.
Kaylene also revamped the office environment to make it more enjoyable and conducive to creativity, adding features like treadmills with standing desks and creating open spaces for collaboration. Despite some initial pushback from her team about returning to the office, they soon recognized the value of working together in person. “In order for us to be creative, we’ve got to work together, and they know that,” she explains. This team cohesion, she believes, has been critical to their ability to win awards and succeed where others have struggled.
For Kaylene, staying up to date with technology and fostering a collaborative, creative environment are the twin pillars of success in the publishing world. “You can’t be creative if you don’t have everybody’s minds feeding off of each other,” she says, underscoring the importance of team dynamics in a fast-changing industry.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Kaylene offers insightful advice for someone stepping into a leadership position for the first time. One of the key points she emphasizes is that respect is not something you can demand from your team; it’s something you must earn through your actions and involvement. She believes in leading by example, saying, “You don’t ever demand respect from your staff; you command it by doing the work yourself and being part of the team.” This hands-on approach, where a leader shows they are willing to jump in and work alongside their team, fosters respect naturally.
Early in her career, Kaylene admits that she supervised rather than truly led her team, partially due to time constraints. But through the guidance of her mentor, Michael Morris, who was mentored by renowned business figure the late Bernie Marcus, she learned the difference between supervision and leadership. The most valuable lesson she took from her mentor was the importance of trusting her team, teaching them, and empowering them to make decisions—even if it means they might make mistakes along the way.
For Kaylene, this shift from simply managing people to truly leading them involved letting go of micromanagement tendencies and instead focusing on mentoring her team. She encourages new leaders to embrace this mindset: “Be there to coach your staff and mentor them, versus managing with an authority issue.” By giving people, the space to learn and grow through experience, leaders can cultivate a more capable, confident, and independent team. Her advice is grounded in fostering trust, collaboration, and mutual respect within a team, ensuring that leadership is a process of empowerment rather than control.
