Staff
Repair The World has assembled an all-star group from across the land. Our staff, board and leadership council are all united in their passion for repairing the world.
Jon Rosenberg, CEO
Jon has a 20-year background in public education reform, civil rights, criminal justice, and related fields. He was the founding Executive Director of Roads to Success, a college and career readiness program for low-income youth. He has held senior positions at Edison Schools, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, and The Children’s Aid Society. Jon has served as an adjunct faculty member at Teachers College and Columbia Law School, where he taught Children and the Law and Education Law. He is the former Chair of the NYC Bar Association’s Education Law Committee. Jon graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received his J.D. from Columbia School of Law. His recent volunteer activities include co‐chairing the Montclair, New Jersey School Integration Task Force, serving as an I-Mentor, serving as a college application advisor in the REACH:Stretch program, developing a curriculum framework for the Montclair Jewish Workshop, and serving on the boards of Roads to Success and the Brooklyn Ascend Charter School.
Ilana Aisen, Sr. Director of Jewish Service-Learning
Ilana leads Repair the Worldʼs work with the immersive Jewish service-learning field. Repair the World’s efforts to build a strong program field include grant-making, technical assistance and research on the impacts of Jewish service-learning programs. From 2002-2009, Ilana worked at American Jewish World Service, where she developed and coordinated service programs, trained educators, wrote service-learning curricula and led many service programs in Central America and West Africa. As a Wexner Fellow/Davidson Scholar, Ilana earned an MPA in management and an MA in Hebrew and Judaic studies at NYU. Originally from Toronto, Ilana completed undergraduate studies at York University with certification to teach high school English and history. Her current and recent service includes committee work for a colleague organization, tutoring adults in functional math and serving on the leadership team of an independent minyan.
Moira Ariev, Vice President of Development & Government Relations
Moira previously served as Vice President for External Affairs at Learning Leaders, New York City’s pre-eminent school volunteer program, and as Director of Development for Publicolor, a New York City youth development nonprofit. She also built and directed the Special Events Department of NYU Medical Center, serving as Director of Special Events and Stewardship and managing literally hundreds of benefits and cultivation events annually. Earlier she was Manager of Special Events at ABC Television Network. Moira graduated from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges magna cum laude and received an M.A. in Art History from Columbia University. Moira has volunteered in the New York City public schools and advocates on behalf of the schools and special education services.
Aria Auerbach, Development Assistant
Aria Auerbach is originally from San Francisco. She joins Repair the World with a strong passion for Judaism and community service. Prior to joining the Repair the World team, Aria worked as a Client Services Administrator for the Hebrew Free Loan Association of San Francisco as well as a Marketing and Communications Assistant for the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco. During her semester abroad, Aria spent six months in South Africa; touring and learning about the different cultures, studying multiculturalism and human rights, and researching the psychological effects of post-apartheid on adolescents. She recently graduated from Wheaton College in Massachusetts with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. Aside from traveling, writing, and playing soccer, Aria loves burritos and sushi. Aria’s past and present volunteer activities include (but are not limited to) tutoring and mentoring adolescents and young adults. She has tutored middle schoolers in reading and math throughout a variety of San Francisco schools. She has created self-development, leadership workshops for underprivileged students in rural South Africa and she was a peer advisor for her Global Education Center at Wheaton. Aria is currently involved in Best Buddies International, where she serves as a paired buddy and mentor.
Will Berkovitz, Vice President of Partnerships
& Rabbi in Residence
As Vice President of Partnerships and Rabbi in Residence, Will is developing innovative partnership initiatives with organizations across the United States. Endeavoring to cultivate dedication to service through a Jewish lens, he works with and teaches at a variety of educational institutions from universities to synagogues as well as student organizations and experiential programs. Will is also a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post and serves on the ethics committee for the Everett Clinic one of the largest medical groups in Washington State. Will has lived in Israel, England and in several cities around the United States and has lead immersive service experiences around the world. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife Lelach and their children Nativ, Idan and Ma’ayan.
Ben Falik, Manager of Detroit Service Initiatives
Ben is the co-founder of Summer in the City, a Detroit nonprofit that mobilized over 100,000 hours of service in Detroit since 2002. Ben graduated with a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a Masters of Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. In 2004, Ben graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Urban Studies. He is an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State (Service Learning: Living Detroit) and the University of Michigan (Topics in Public Policy: Volunteerism). Ben is a columnist for Red Thread Magazine and community correspondent for Street Beat on the CW50.
Kate Forester, Sr. Director of Finance & Operations
Kate has spent the last 15 years managing aspects of non-‐profit operations in both professional and volunteer capacities. Before receiving an MBA from Yale School of Management, Kate lived in Seattle and worked in resource development at Solid Ground, a broad-‐based anti-‐poverty agency. In Seattle, she led Jconnect Seattle’s first Seattle Works monthly volunteering team, was awarded “star volunteer” by the Northwest Development Officers Association, and registered voters with the Statewide Poverty Action Network. She currently serves on the board of Challah for Hunger. Kate is a graduate of Cornell University and a native of Ithaca, NY.
Talya Gillman, Partnerships Associate
As Partnerships Associate, Talya works to coordinate partnerships with a range of organizations that engage Jewish young adults in local service-learning. Talya joined Repair the World in June 2010 after returning from India, where she spent fourteen months as a World Partners Fellow through American Jewish World Service. Living in Mumbai, Talya worked with an organization that provides treatment and care to street-based drug users and HIV-carriers, coordinating an income generation program for clients and developing a manual for the organization’s drug rehabilitation camp. Prior to her time in India, she worked for Seattle Children’s Hospital in the marketing/communications department, interned with an Israeli organization that combats sex trafficking into the country, taught at a local supplementary school for several years and volunteered as a parent-teen mediator. Talya currently volunteers as a mentor to teens developing social ventures through Ashoka Youth Venture, and with families recently resettled to the United States, through Jewish Family Service.
Jillian Kornsweig, Digital Media Associate
As Digital Media Associate, Jillian works with the Marketing Department to promote engagement in service and service-learning. Prior to joining Repair the World in October 2010, Jillian spent over three years working as the Director of Operations and Senior Graphic Designer for Roads to Success. Jillian also worked as a Research Assistant for Britain’s Overseas Development Institute, as well as a Project Coordinator for the Massachusetts’s chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. When she’s not making things look pretty for Repair, she’s making things look pretty for her own clients as a freelance designer based in Brooklyn. Jillian received her undergraduate degree in sociology from Boston University and studied graphic design at Parsons-The New School for Design. Jillian volunteers as an after-school art instructor with New York Cares, provides pro-bono design services to small, budding nonprofits, and helps register voters in her local community and across the states.
Dara Lehon, Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Dara Lehon has nearly 15 years of diverse marketing and communications experience in the private and nonprofit sectors. Most recently, she served as the VP for Communications at Brooklyn Community Foundation, the borough’s largest philanthropic institution, where she managed the Foundation’s re-launch as a public charity and created the award-winning Brooklyn Do Gooder Awards. Previously, Dara held positions for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Lower East Side Business Improvement District, BSMG Worldwide, Channel One Network, and Smith Barney. Dara has also worked as a consultant to small businesses at such organizations as the historic Sixth Street Community Synagogue, where she helped develop and promote programs for young adults. A graduate of Ramaz school, Dara earned her B.A. in Literature and Rhetoric from Binghamton University and her M.S. in Strategic Communications from Columbia University. Dara strongly believes in two-wheeled commutes, wearing bike helmets, and takes pride in her deep New York City roots.
Anya Manning, Jewish Service-Learning Manager
Prior to beginning work as the Jewish Service-Learning Manager in November 2009, Anya was an Insight Fellow, through which she also worked at Dor Chadash and The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). At JDC Anya developed multimedia curriculum and staffed a short-term service trip to Kharkov, Ukraine. Prior to the Insight Fellowship, Anya worked as a Resident Advisor and educator for Kivunim, a one-year pre-college program in Israel for Jews from around the world. In 2010, Anya was named a Nahum Goldmann Fellow and traveled to Croatia to meet with the other fellows from around the world. In 2007, Anya earned a B.A. in Environmental Science from Barnard College and a B.A. In Midrash from The Jewish Theological Seminary. For fun Anya loves to run, bike, travel (the city and the world) and picnic in Central Park. Anya lives in Manhattan with her husband. Anya currently serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of the Bronfman Youth Fellowship in Israel and is a member of the Alumni Venture Fund. For the past eight years Anya has been a monthly overnight volunteer at a local men’s homeless shelter. Additionally, Anya is a Team for Kids marathon mentor and a mentor with iMentor.
Aaron Miner, Director of Volunteer Initiatives
Prior to joining the Repair staff, Aaron served as one of the founding staff members of NYC Service, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s initiative to increase service and volunteerism throughout the City of New York. In his role as Portfolio Manager, he oversaw the program development and implementation of 11 initiatives that dealt with education and skills-based volunteerism. Prior to his work at NYC Service, Aaron served at City Year Boston, first as an AmeriCorps member and then as a member of the staff, developing and implementing organization-wide programs as well as managing community and local government partnerships and project teams. Aaron holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University and a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Bowling Green State University (OH). In his spare time, he volunteers weekly for God’s Love We Deliver and spends a week each summer directing a music camp for youth in his native Ohio.
Siobhan Neitzel, Operations Assistant
Prior to her work with Repair the World, Siobhan gained experience with various non-profits and for profit companies such as Abingdon Theatre Company and BlackRock, Inc. She grew up in St. James, NY and graduated from Haverford College with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Educational Studies. Siobhan now lives in Manhattan and volunteers with New York Cares as a SAT tutor at the Academy of Finance and Enterprise in Queens.
Jamie Silverstein, Special Projects Associate
As the Special Projects Associate, Jamie manages the functions of the Executive Department, including working with Repair’s many stakeholders and partners to advance the organization’s mission. Jamie joined the Repair the World team in June 2010 after two years with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life serving as the Bronfman Fellow in the Office of the President at their International Headquarters and then as the Director of Engagement at The George Washington University. She has a passion for young adult leadership development and engagement and volunteers as a Membership Specialist for Alpha Epsilon Phi Sorority. In this capacity, she sits on a regional team, advising and training five schools in the areas of chapter growth and retention, recruitment and new member education. Jamie grew up in South Florida and earned a B.S. in Recreation and Event Management and a minor in Business from the University of Florida. She currently lives in New York City.
Part-time Staff and Volunteers
Leah Koenig, Contributing Editor, weRepair.org
Leah Koenig is a freelance writer and editor who’s work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Saveur, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Hadassah Magazine, Lilith, Edible Brooklyn and Beliefnet. She contributes a monthly column on food to The Forward and a bi-weekly column to Saveur.com. She is also the former editor of Hazon’s award-winning blog, The Jew & The Carrot.
Ruthie Warshenbrot, Jewish Service-Learning Manager
Ruthie is a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar pursuing a dual degree at NYU, a Masters in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management as the Lisa Goldberg Fellow in Jewish Leadership, and a Masters in Hebrew and Judaic Studies and is a Program Leader for Jewish Funds for Justice’s Service-Learning trips. Prior to graduate school, Ruthie was the Executive Director of Limmud NY, a role she held for two years, after serving as Limmud NY’s Program Manager for three years. She grew up in Charlotte, NC and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Jewish Studies. Ruthie is the recipient of the 2009 Jewish Communal Service Association’s Young Professional Award.
Consultants
Charles Lenchner, Editor of RepairLabs.org
Charles Lenchner is a veteran of the nonprofit world, having worked in human rights, the environment, the Jewish community, the arts, labor and social justice for 25 years. He trains in digital strategy, blogs on movement building and online organizing, and produces conferences for organizers. Charles lives in Brooklyn with his partner and three cats.
