"This firm is so supportive," says Kriger, a manager with Grant Thorton, a consulting firm. "I don't know where else I could go and ask for $4,500 and just get it."

That $4,500 went to help the Arlington resident create Put Your Best Foot Forward, which, with a consortium of nonprofits and corporations, just held its second job workshop designed "to help folks remove the barriers to finding a job," says Kriger.

Last year's workshop, aimed to help the unemployed, underemployed and homeless, drew 45 participants, this year's about 70. The focus is fourfold: how to find a job, develop a resume, interview and be successful once placed in a position. The day includes a fashion show of do's and don'ts.

Kriger describes himself as "really passionate about community activism," and credits his mother for inspiring his do-good nature.

"My mom has always had a heart of gold," he says. "She's always thinking of others."

As for specifically initiating Put Your Best Foot Forward and the fund raising that goes with it, Kriger credits his career and his bachelor's degree in business administration.

"I like solving complex programs and creating new things," he says.

And his work certainly gives him that opportunity. His current project is managing a geospacial information program, set up by the federal Office of Management and Budget, to facilitate the sharing, purchasing and using of geospacial information across 28 federal agencies.

Geospacial? "Think of it as Google Earth," he says, noting he's worked on nearly a dozen projects since joining Grant Thorton in January 2004.

"It keeps life from being boring," Kriger says about the project work. "It's also cool, because you're helping the government improve its performance."

Kriger, who grew up in Peabody, Mass., didn't have a strong Jewish identity when he went off to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

"I didn't formulate my Jewish identity until college when I realized there were a lot of Jews on campus and no real way for them to come together," he says.

"There were groups for everything," the 29-year-old says, but when it came to the Jewish community, "it seemed like there was a void."

By his second year on campus, he was involved in Hillel, which he ended up leading as president. During his tenure, he raised $60,000 for the Jewish campus group, which he says had an annual budget of approximately $200 and saw membership increased from about 50 to more than 200.

"We called it a renaissance of Jewish life on campus," says Kriger, who remains on the campus Hillel board and proudly notes that an active Jewish fraternity has since started at William and Mary, as well.

After college, he returned to Massachussetts, and worked for a time as a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in Boston.

He soon made a discovery: After four years in Williamsburg, he had gotten used to the warmer weather. "My body never reacclimated to Boston winters," he says.

So, he decided to make a move to the D.C. area.

But, he says, "I'll still always be a Red Sox fan." ‹ Debra Rubin

Suggestions for profiles may be sent to infocus@washingtonjewishweek.com.

Name: Josh Kriger

Hebrew name: Yehoshua

Lives in: Arlington

Birthday: July 2, 1979

Favorite Jewish holiday: Purim

Favorite Jewish food: kugel and rugelach