Naomi Ackerman

Naomi Ackerman is the Founder and Executive Director of Advot, a California-based nonprofit that uses theatre and the arts to teach communication skills, healthy relationships, and self-advocacy. Working primarily with incarcerated and system-impacted youth, Advot empowers participants to find their voice and use it to shape their own lives and communities, imagining a world where everyone knows they matter; where young people, especially those who have been marginalized, are met with dignity, invited into possibility, and trusted to shape their own paths. Through Home Shalom, a program of Advot, Naomi also engages Jewish teens in exploring healthy relationships through a Jewish lens, blending creativity, values, and real-world learning.

For more than three decades, Naomi has used art as a tool for peacebuilding, education, and social transformation. Her workshops and performances grounded in empathy, humor, and honesty invite people from all walks of life to connect, reflect, and act. An actress, educator, and facilitator, Naomi wrote, directed, and performs the acclaimed one-woman show Flowers Aren’t Enough, which has been presented more than 2,500 times worldwide, including at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. The play has been translated into four languages and continues to spark dialogue around gender-based violence and empowerment.

Naomi has been recognized with numerous honors, including the KCET & Union Bank Local Heroes Award, AJWS Global Justice Fellowship, International Women Achievers Award for Community Leadership, Lincoln City Fellowship, and the Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. She has a BA in Theater and Education from Hebrew University.