Ken Kaus was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He grew up in Linden, attending Catholic school through the 12th grade. Ken is the second of four children, uncle to two nieces and two nephews. He has been employed at the JCC since August 15, 2005, first as the Sports Director and now as the Web/Social Media Manager and After School Program Director. According to Ken, “The JCC has given me the opportunity to touch hundreds of lives and I hope that I’m providing a positive example to each one. I hope that example extends to this event. It is important to stand up for causes you believe in deeply and do what you can to support those causes.” Ken says he has no prior dance experience, with the exception of watching “many dance recitals by my two younger sisters as we were growing up.” He adds, “In fact, I have trouble clapping to the beat of the music.” Ken added… “In spite of my limited coordination and lack of rhythm, I decided to participate as a dancer at Dancing with the JCC Stars so that I can raise some money to help provide school and camp scholarships, Senior lunches and other assistance for people who rely on the community programs that the JCC provides.” “If I had to pick a favorite dance, I would probably choose something like a waltz or a tango. I could see myself pulling off an Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman).”
Josh Leibner was born in Cleveland but moved to Los Angeles when he was only a few months old. His family lived on a kibbutz in Israel for one year, when he was three years old, before moving back to LA where he grew up. He’s lived in San Francisco, Toronto, London, Dublin, Atlanta and the Washington, DC area, and has traveled or done business in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa. Josh says he has an amazing 12-year old who is a great athlete, student, musician and friend. After working in sales in the printing and computer industries, he entered the management consulting industry as a trainee. Thirty years later he developed an approach to the development of organizational strategy - and published a business bestseller - on Strategic Commitment, a proprietary methodology that helps executives build high levels of alignment and engagement to their strategic initiatives. His clients include many blue chip companies, and Josh takes pride in having long-term clients who consider him a confidant, advisor and good friend. According to Josh, a JCC Board Member, “We have been active members of the JCC since we first moved to Bridgewater in 1998.” His son attended the JCC’s pre-school and kindergarten and currently enjoys the swim club in the summer. It took Josh until last year to make ten free throws in a row. His son has bested him by more than 40 years in that achievement thanks to the time they get to spend together on the basketball court! Josh says his dance career began…“Well, never!” He enjoys dancing at parties, weddings and B’nai Mitzvahs, but until he started his lessons for this event he never knew any steps or moves. He adds that his primary aim when he dances is to “have some fun without embarrassing myself - or my dance partner. I guess my favorite form of dance is ‘feel-the-beat-and-don't-look-too-foolish’ - not sure if there's a more formal name for that.” One of his favorite quotes is…”Dance like nobody's watching.”- Satchel Paige