Meet Our Staff

David joined Repair the World in January, 2013, and set about building the flagship Communities program, through which Repair the World pursues its mission to "Make service a defining element of Jewish life" by working to accomplish that mission in individual communities. Eight months later, Repair the World Communities were launched in Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In 2015, Repair the World launched New York City's Community in Brooklyn. At the same time, David has continued to expand Repair the World's national programming, ensuring that Jewish young adults in any city in America can engage in Repair's service programming, through campaigns, training, Alternative Breaks and online resources. Before coming to Repair, David built a 25-year career as a leader in the nonprofit, for-profit, government and grant-making sectors. In 2009, he was appointed by former President Bill Clinton to serve as the President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a museum, education hub and civic venue in Philadelphia. In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed, and the Senate confirmed, David to be CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) which oversees AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Corps and the rest of America's national service programming. Previously an executive at AOL Time Warner and America Online, David led the AOL Foundation, where he founded NetworkforGood.org, among other initiatives to build philanthropy and volunteering communities. David has served on many national nonprofit boards including Independent Sector, the National 4-H Council, Public Allies and Points of Light. He received his B.A. degree from Stanford University and his J.D. from Georgetown Law.[email protected]

Elizabeth (Liz) Fisher is the Chief Operating Officer at Repair the World, where she is responsible for overseeing all of the organization's development, communications, finance, operations, and human resources.  Prior to Repair the World, Liz was Managing Director at NEXT: A Division of Birthright Israel Foundation, where she led the organization in strategy, operations, and talent management. Liz began her career in grassroots community development in rural Missouri. She moved into working in the Jewish community with roles at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, UJA-Federation of New York, and The Jewish Education Project. Liz's passion is the role of people in organizational life. She loves working with partners, lay leaders, and professional staff. Liz has a Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis with a focus in community development and management. She is a fan of Brooklyn (where she lives with her husband and two children), an amateur runner and bread baker, and an avid reader of periodicals.[email protected]

Mark has long been passionate concerning issues of economic and social justice, recognizing that education and the arts offer vital pathways to advance these goals. After earning a B.A. in Music at Texas Wesleyan University, Mark moved to the Northeast to pursue graduate degrees in music at New England Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music. As a musician and educator, Mark has seen firsthand the immense power of the arts as a socially unifying force. Mark is beyond excited to join the Repair the World team. A Crown Heights resident, Mark enjoys traveling, hiking, and taking long walks around the neighborhood with his Cocker Spaniel, Kennedy.[email protected]

Jenni is excited to join Repair the World as a Development Manager with responsibility for individual donors, database management, cultivation and fundraising events. Jenni worked previously at Brooklyn Community Services where she served as Marketing & Events Manager and Donor Relations Associate. Prior to that she was a Development Assistant at the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. Jenni received a B.A. from Rutgers University in Religion, with a minor in Psychology. Jenni lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two adorable cats. She enjoys spending her free time painting and seeing live music.[email protected]

Ariel Bailey is a native of Jerusalem, Israel, and currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife. Ariel graduated from the Kibbutzim Seminar and the Institute of Democratic Education (Tel Aviv) and worked as an educator in Israel and in New York for the past 6 years. While in Israel, Ariel was introduced to volunteer work both through coexistence initiatives and mentoring High Risk youth. These experience in schools and out have led him to currently pursue a masters in Counseling, in an attempt to combine social justice and the development of personal growth through kindness and service. He is excited to have found it in Repair the World.[email protected]

Originally from California, Laura began her career as a Product Manager at a technology startup creating new business platforms on the research and development team. Prior to joining Repair, Laura worked at the National Ramah Commission where she launched exciting digital programs for the organization and their alumni community. Laura holds a B.A. from University of California, Santa Barbara, in Anthropology, Global Peace and Security, with a focus on Technology and Entrepreneurship. Laura currently lives on the Upper West Side and enjoys traveling, cooking, and designing websites.[email protected]

Kate focuses on expanding Repair’s programming to new markets and partnerships across the country. Prior to joining Repair the World, Kate worked at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, where she supported the Foundation’s efforts to connect and support global networks of young Jewish adults, including their REALITY program and partnerships in Europe. She started her career by completing a year of service as a JDC Global Service Corps Fellow in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Kate holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia in Religious Studies and a minor in Leadership. Kate currently serves on the JDC Board of Directors. She is beyond excited to join the Repair team to fuse her passions for tikkun olam and Judaism with other passionate leaders. Kate is an avid traveler, can usually be found sipping on green tea, and enjoys trying out the latest fitness trends.[email protected]

Zack is a born-and-bred Pittsburgher, who grew up watching the Pittsburgh Pirates of the 1990s, and bleeds black and gold.  He is ecstatic that the team is a contender again. Zack spent many years working for large public accounting firms assisting Fortune 500 companies reduce their state tax exposure.  During that time, he dedicated much of his free time to volunteering for countless non-profit organizations, including Hillel Jewish University Center (“JUC”) and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh (“Federation”).  It was during this “free time” that he found out how meaningful his impact could be for the organizations where he served. Zack wanted to focus on that service and is thrilled to now be pursuing his passions for volunteerism, community activism and philanthropy in his day job by engaging and inspiring young people to join him in these important efforts. As a long-time board member of the Hillel JUC in Pittsburgh, Zack was instrumental in building and sustaining J’Burgh, Pittsburgh’s social and professional network for Jewish graduate students and young professionals.  Zack also served as Young Adult Campaign Chair at the Federation, which raised over $450,000 in young adult donations for its annual campaign. Zack received his B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin in 2000, and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2005. When he’s not watching the Pirate’s win, Zack enjoys drinking Zeke’s Repair the World Reserve coffee and taking walks on Forbes and Murray in Squirrel Hill with his wife and three kids.[email protected]

A South Florida native and competitive swimmer for nine years, Jonathan is a Florida State University graduate. While at FSU, where he studied Biology, Jonathan was the lesson plan coordinator for FSU Life Enrichment and Discovery, an organization that teaches science to underserved youth. He fused his passions for science and service as a Repair the World NYC Fellow where he partnered with a Brooklyn nonprofit, Digital Girl Inc, and taught computer coding and other science topics in Central Brooklyn public schools. After completion of the program, he returned to Miami to take on the role of the Program Associate for the Greater Miami Jewish Federations Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC). During his time at the JVC Jonathan planned and executed large days of service with over 1,000 volunteers and organized a young professional volunteer movement.[email protected]

Kari has been Repair Philadelphia's Workshop Coordinator since 2014. He's a graduate of Iliff School of Theology and Hampshire College. She's passionate about how faith can forge community outside of worship, so Repair the World is a perfect fit. In the other half of his work-time, she's the Building Administrator for the interfaith Calvary Center for Community and Culture, also in West Philadelphia. Outside of work, he can mostly be found on her back deck, trying to stop his cat from climbing trees.[email protected]

After participating in the Repair the World Fellowship in 2014-15 and 2015-16, it was only natural for Rachel to step into a position coordinating PeerCorps, the program she helped develop during her time as a fellow. Rachel specializes in teen programming, an area of expertise stemming from her time as a Repair the World fellow and her eight years of leadership experience at Jewish wilderness camp. Previously, Rachel studied Human Development and Social Relations as well as Political Science and Spanish at Kalamazoo College. One of her most formative life experiences was studying, working and living in San Jose, Costa Rica for a year. Since she moved to Southwest Detroit in Fall 2014, she has loved immersing herself in the community through her passion for food justice, education justice, and soccer![email protected]

Aiko was raised in Ann Arbor and has lived in Michigan since they were a kid. Since graduating from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in cultural anthropology, Aiko moved to Detroit and has been working on different social justice issues that impact both the city of Detroit and state of Michigan including worker's rights, anti-racist organizing, gender and transgender liberation, sexual assault prevention and awareness, environmental justice, and the intersections of these issues. Outside of working at Repair the World and community organizer, Aiko spends a lot of their time writing short stories, desperately trying to avoid killing their houseplants, and hanging out with their cat, Franklin. [email protected]

Danielle joined the Repair Team in 2013 after graduating from the University of Florida, where she received a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Psychology and Jewish Studies, a Minor in History, and a certificate in Holocaust Studies. At the University of Florida, Danielle was an avid water polo player. In New York, Danielle enjoys spending her free time wandering the city and eating the best food New York has to offer.[email protected]

Diana was born and raised in Baltimore and has been involved in the Jewish community since a young age. She has had a love for volunteering and service due largely to the volunteer opportunities she took part in as a child in Baltimore. She recently graduated from Towson University with BA degrees in International Studies and Acting. At Towson she was extremely active in the university’s chapter of Students Helping Honduras, as well as in the university’s Honors College, serving as a Student Director and founding the Kiva Initiative of Towson. While at Towson she studied abroad in Costa Rica at the International Center for Development Studies, on the Human Rights and Development track, followed by working at a microfinance corporation in Ecuador for a month. Through these experiences she became passionate about pursuing tzedek (justice) for all people, and serving in the most ethical and sustainable ways possible. She is excited to instill a love of Judaism and service in the Baltimore communities she will serve with Repair the World![email protected]

Jennie is a native New Yorker and community organizer with an MBA from Yale.  After graduating from Middlebury College, she spent two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Arab American Association of New York, then stayed for a third year as Associate Director. Jennie was a Dorot Fellow in Israel for 2012-2013, studying Talmud, conflict management and facilitation. Upon returning to New York she joined the Organization Design and Change Management team at AIG, the beleaguered insurance company, helping to restructure the firm's global operations after the repayment of its $182B federal bailout. After two years at AIG, Jennie began her MBA at the Yale School of Management, where she was the Tech and Ops Chair of the student government and worked closely with the facilities team on technology and operations within the school's $200M Norman Foster-designed building. She also volunteered as an intake coordinator with Yale's free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, helping over a thousand low income New Haven residents file tax returns with refunds of over $1.3M. Jennie is passionate about operational excellence and service design. She lives in Brooklyn, goes to lots of live music, and loves people and words.[email protected]

Seth grew up in the Philadelphia area, going to Quaker school by day and Hebrew school by night. His commitment to interfaith community, dialogue, and justice led him to Hebrew Union College-Jewish institute of Religion's rabbinical school as a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Since his ordination in 2007, he has worked mainly with undergraduate and graduate students, serving most recently as Lehigh University's first director of Jewish student life and associate chaplain and teaching courses on interfaith dialogue, racial privilege, and Jewish law. After earning a B.A. and M.A. in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and teaching English in the Czech Republic, Seth received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1998,  interned at the Israeli Ministry of Justice, and practiced human rights, commercial, and consumer protection law. He is a Bruce Springsteen aficionado and the proud father of Liana, age six.[email protected]

Cindy is the founding executive director of Repair the World NYC, where she has built a robust program focused on mobilizing the Jewish community to meet pressing local needs through service and learning in Central Brooklyn. She has a passion for launching and managing innovative initiatives in Jewish life. Previously, she worked for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life for fifteen years, including as the executive director of NYU's Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life. Cindy holds a masters degree in Non-Profit Management from NYU's Wagner School and is the recipient of the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence award, Hillel's highest honor for a professional. Cindy lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Dan, and their three children.[email protected]

Andrew Hanauer is the founder and director of the One America Movement and the Director of Faith-Based Partnerships at Repair the World. Andrew is a frequent public speaker at houses of worship of all kinds, and at venues including the United Nations, the National Press Club and Congressional briefings. Andrew serves on the steering committee of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition and on the board of directors of Bridges of Promise, a non-profit that funds school fees for children in East Africa. Prior to joining Repair the World, Andrew was the Campaigns Director at Jubilee USA, directed green job training programs in low-income communities in California and ran an after-school homework center at a public elementary school. Andrew has a BA in History from Dartmouth College and an MA in International Studies from the University of San Francisco. He lives in Maryland.[email protected]

Rebecca Katz recently joined Repair the World as their new Education and Training Manager. After six years away, Rebecca is excited to be back home in Brooklyn. Prior to Repair, Rebecca spent two years as the Director of Social Justice Initiatives at Texas Hillel in Austin, Texas, engaging UT students in different modes of social justice through a Jewish lens. However, before the heat of Austin, she learned to organize in the bitterly cold city of Chicago. Rebecca lead the Or Tzedek program at the Jewish Council in Urban Affairs, teaching Jewish teens to create systemic change in partnership with directly impacted communities.[email protected]

Sam is a New York native with a degree in International Relations and Cultural Anthropology from Boston University. After graduating, Sam was a 2010 Teach for America Corps Member, teaching high school economics in Memphis, TN. After completing his teaching commitment, he spent two years working for Teach for America as a Manager of Teacher Leadership Development- where he managed and coached a team of 25 new teachers. Most recently, Sam was living in Israel, first as a Dorot Fellow, and then as a New Israel Fund/Shatil Social Justice Fellow. Sam is excited to be back in his home state and ready to take on issues of social justice with other passionate leaders.[email protected]

Andrew is excited to be an integral contributor at an organization that gives back to the community. Most recently, while on vacation in Chicago, he volunteered with a local organization that serves minority, immigrant families and subsequently was interviewed about it for a Chicago news channel. Back in Brooklyn, where he lives, he volunteers with a local church organization at various soup kitchens in the area. Andrew received his Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Temple University, located in Philadelphia, where he was also born and raised. He's currently into learning mixed martial arts and rock climbing, and has been a fan of football for a long time (both kinds).[email protected]

Alli is a San Francisco Bay Area native who graduated in the spring of 2013 from UC Davis with a BA in Sociology. Her participation and leadership at URJ Camp Newman, Peninsula Temple Beth El, the Jewish Community Teen Foundations, the San Francisco Diller Teen Fellowship, North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY), Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, and Hillel sparked and expanded her passion for social action within a Jewish context. Her experience ranges from philanthropy and social organizations to youth leadership. As a Repair the World Baltimore fellow in 2013-14, Alli mentored elementary and middle school students who were at risk for being chronically absent in a Baltimore City Public Schools. In 2014-2015, she helped launch Repair the World local programming in NYC, focusing on education justice partnerships as one of two Repair the World NYC Site Development fellows. She has been working on staff ever since, first as an Engagement Associate and now as a Program Manager.[email protected]

Growing up in Detroit, the importance of giving back and community involvement was instilled in Briana from an early age. After finishing her undergraduate degree and working in a corporate setting, she decided to pivot and follow her passion for service by working at organizations that help improve the lives of others.  As a result, the majority of her career has been spent in the nonprofit sector at organizations such as Uncommon Schools, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and now, Repair the World.  Briana holds a BBA from the University of Michigan in Accounting and an MBA from Wayne State University.  Although she’s currently a Brooklynite, she’ll always consider herself a Detroiter.[email protected]

Janu was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica where he had his bar-mitzvah in a sand-floored synagogue and developed his life-long love of reggae music. He completed his B.Sc. in Political Science in 2005 at the University of the West Indies. He then moved to Miami, where he worked in corporate business for seven years. Seeking something more meaningful, he found his home in Miami’s Jewish community, and realized that this was where he belonged professionally. He was recruited as an Outreach Fellow for Temple Beth Am, Miami in 2013 and now manages their young adult engagement efforts. He joins Repair from his role as Director of Engagement at University of Miami Hillel. Janu has always had a passion for engaging in service, social justice and politics, which led to his election as Head Boy in high school (yes, like in Harry Potter). Having the opportunity to take a more active role in community building makes him truly excited to be joining the team at Repair.[email protected]

Alexa graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a B.A. in Philosophy, and comes to Repair the World with experience in data analysis and operations management.  She volunteers regularly with Cafeteria Culture, an organization that cultivates sustainable design and replicable models to promote eco-literacy and healthy communities in New York City.[email protected]

Based in Detroit, Stephanie serves as a Program Director for the Repair the World Detroit and National teams. Prior to joining Repair the World, Stephanie worked in the field of grassroots community development in northern Thailand, and was a Young Adult Librarian, organic farmer, and a community organizer in various parts of Michigan. Stephanie received a B.A. from Calvin College in International Development Studies and Asian Languages with a minor in Studio Art/Gender Studies. In her free time, Stephanie designs, builds, and restores custom stained glass windows, plays on the Grandmont Rosedale soccer team, and volunteers across Detroit alongside community-based arts projects, urban gardens, and the Brightmoor Community Kitchen. She lives with her husband Chad in the NW neighborhood of Rosedale Park.[email protected]

Rachel was raised in Arlington, Virginia before moving to New Orleans to complete her B.A. in Political Science from Tulane University. While at Tulane, Rachel experienced the stark differences between the public schools she grew up attending and the public schools she was volunteering at in the New Orleans Public School system. These experiences ignited Rachel’s passion of education justice, and her career path has since molded around pursuing this passion. Upon graduation, Rachel moved back to Arlington, Virginia to work for the nonprofit Playworks. There she worked to implement social-emotional learning into the daily lives of Washington, DC public school students. After a year of working with elementary school students through Playworks Rachel moved to Pittsburgh to tackle the new challenge of working with high school students. She served as the Program Coordinator for a College & Career Readiness Program made up of 180 low income Pittsburgh Public School students. Through this program she placed students into work-readiness internships and helped each student develop a post graduation education or work plan. In her free time, Rachel enjoys hiking, running, and camping, as well as sitting on her front porch and enjoying some quality relaxation time.[email protected]

Josh Sherman is a native of Baltimore and has a lifelong commitment to the city. After graduating from Baltimore City College High School he enrolled at Kenyon College where he completed his studies with a BA in Religious Studies and a concentration in Islamic Civilizations and Culture. After graduating, Josh spent 10 months on a MASA program in Israel. On the program, Tikkun Olam Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Josh taught English to students of both Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli backgrounds. As well as spending time in Israel, Josh has a strong commitment to interfaith dialogue and pluralism as shown by his internships with the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies as well as his participation in the Muslim Jewish Conference. In his free time you can find Josh hanging out at parks, eating his way through Baltimore, or at concerts of all varieties.[email protected]

Sam hails from the Western suburbs of Philadelphia. After serving as a Repair the World Fellow in Pittsburgh and Team Leader Fellow in NYC, he joined Repair's national staff as a Program Associate. Sam's work focuses on national programming and supporting the communities program through with database management and training. He studied Psychology and Judaic Studies at Tufts University, although he was more easily recognized as a member of the Jewish a cappella group on campus as he beatboxed between classes.[email protected]

Noah Zaves is a Jewish educator with a passion for logistics and operations. Over the last 14 years, Noah has run operations for schools, congregations, and youth groups across every denomination, often with a focus on activism and justice. He refined his skills during 10 summers on staff at Camp Tawonga in California, where he eventually served as Program Director and Lead Jewish Educator. Noah graduated from the Hornstein Program at Brandeis University, with a Nonprofit MBA and a second Masters focusing on experiential Jewish education. He is a trained facilitator of the “Living the Legacy” curriculum from the Jewish Women’s Archive, and is currently a fellow with the iCenter’s Masters Concentration program.[email protected]