Meet Our Staff

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]

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]

Cindy was the founding executive director of Repair the World NYC, where she  built a robust program focused on mobilizing the Jewish community to meet pressing local needs through service and learning in Central Brooklyn and Harlem. In four years, Repair the World NYC engaged more than 30,000 New Yorkers, mostly young adults, in meaningful service and learning with more than a dozen community partners focused on education equity, hunger, violence mediation and housing justice. 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 Shirley Chisholm Women of Excellence Award, the Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger Harvest Heroes Award, and Hillel's Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence award. Cindy lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Dan, and their three children.[email protected]

Adina manages the Repair the World Communities, with a focus on growing and nurturing the robust team that currently spans six communities in five states and engages more than 20,000 individuals each year. She is a passionate advo­cate and veteran Jewish communal profes­sional with over a decade of expe­ri­ence in program devel­op­ment, facil­i­ta­tion, and strategic orga­nizing aimed at engaging and supporting leaders to take action consis­tent with their values. Most recently at Encounter, Adina created a new line of executive leadership programs to engage a cross-section of Jewish leadership on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Before that, Adina was a Senior Organizer at American Jewish World Service, where she trained and inspired Jewish leaders around the country to mobi­lize the American Jewish commu­nity around the human rights of margin­al­ized people in the devel­oping world. Through running fellow­ships, service-learning programs, alumni program­ming, Adina culti­vated a strong network of leaders committed to taking action on issues they care about- this all starts with getting close to the issues, through service, travel and education. Adina grad­u­ated from Boston University with degrees in psychology and Spanish, is a Selah Leadership Alumna and a Facilitation Fellow with Resetting the Table. She lives in White Plains with her husband Ari, daughter Amalya and son Yonah.[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]

Kate focuses on Repair's strategic growth (expanding Repair's programming to new markets and partnerships across the country), and working with Repair's Board of Directors and key stakeholders. She enjoys fusing her passions for tikkun olam, Judaism, and relationship building with other passionate leaders on the Repair team. 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. 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. Outside of work, she serves on the boards of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Hillel at the University of Virginia. Kate is a recipient of the JPRO Network Young Professional Award. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Clark, is an avid traveler, and can usually be found sipping on green tea and staying active through trying out the latest fitness trends, cooking, and volunteering.[email protected]

Leila grew up in the Downriver area of Metro-Detroit and graduated from Michigan State University in 2016 after studying in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and specializing in Nature and Culture. During her time at MSU Leila had the opportunity to work at Camp Walden as a counselor and help support their new camp garden program in partnership with the Amir Project. She was able to return to the project for three summers, working to expand the program to include multiple farmers, 10 chickens, and 2 pigs! After graduating, she decided to take her French language experience abroad to work and live in a rural French town as an au pair for a year. Once home she participate as a Food Justice Fellow in the 2017-18 cohort. When the Fellowship ended she was presented the opportunity to continue working with Repair as the Workshop Coordinator.[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]

Sacha is a grateful dad, husband, and licensed master social worker in Houston, TX. He was inspired to pursue his career after experiencing transformative alternative break trips in El Salvador, Mexico, Ukraine, and Ghana. With graduate degrees in Social Work as well as Law and Social Policy, he has dedicated his profession to advocating for vulnerable children and families across schools​,​ communities​, and cultures​. As a multidisciplinary counselor, educator, and facilitator, he has been recognized for his innovative programming, compassionate relationship development, and enthusiastic engagement. ​Creative in artistic ​pursuits of music, photography, and cooking, Sacha is passionate about building inclusive community and empowering individuals to maximize positive social progress.[email protected]

Born and raised on Long Island, Philippa is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Repair the World. At Repair, Philippa manages email communications, branding, social media, digital campaign communications, and more. She is focused on infusing Repair's values and mission into all parts of their marketing work. Philippa joined Repair after 2 years at Trinity Repertory Company, a regional non-profit theater in Providence, RI, where she focused on email marketing and content creation, helping to grow the subscriber base and reach new audiences. Philippa holds a B.S. in Communication from Cornell University with a focus on Social Influence and enjoys skiing, theater, and admiring the Victorian homes in her Brooklyn neighborhood in her free time.[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]

Alix was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada and it was there that she received her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba. After college, Alix moved to Tel Aviv where she worked in Marketing for Israeli start-ups in the high tech industry. Alix loved being immersed in Jewish culture every day, but really missed the feeling of being an involved member of a close-knit community and wanted to turn her passion for volunteerism and community engagement into a career. This led her to return to Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba to pursue an MBA and focus on non-profit management. Upon graduation, Alix moved to Tucson, AZ where she worked in Marketing for the Tucson Hebrew Academy. She loved being able to promote Jewish education and begin her career in the non-profit sector. Alix is thrilled to be a part of the Repair the World team and serve as Pittsburgh's Workshop Coordinator. When she's not working, Alix loves exploring her new city of Pittsburgh with her husband and their two boys.[email protected]

Life has come full circle for Andrew at Repair the World. After graduating from Binghamton University in 2015 with a B.A. in English and a Concentration in Rhetoric & Global Cultures, Andrew joined the 2015-16 Repair the World NYC cohort as a Food Justice Fellow. Following his Fellowship year, he moved into the Moishe House in Park Slope, where he currently resides, and has worked for Penguin Random House, Yelp, Brooklyn Grange, Amir, Congregation Beth Elohim, Union Temple and, possibly his favorite of all, families around Brooklyn as a babysitter. He is excited to be back at Repair the World NYC part-time as the Workshop Coordinator and assisting around the organization as a Fellow mentor and program associate. Andrew is planning on heading to graduate school in Fall 2020 to receive his MPA to manage institutions around environmental disasters. During his free time, you can catch him cooking at home, reading in Prospect Park or melting over cute Brooklyn dogs.[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]

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]

Danielle was born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia. She grew up attending Beth Sholom Congregation, being involved with United Synagogue Youth, and spent her summers at Ramah Poconos. Since 4th grade she has had a passion for education and went onto University of Maryland where she received her B.S. in Middle School Math and Science. Danielle was able to infuse both her interest in service and education through America Counts, TerpThon and UMD's Hillel. After graduation she wished to bring her love of education outside the classroom and served as an Education Justice Fellow in New York City. Danielle went on to become a Team Leader in Philadelphia and is thrilled to be staying on full time with Repair the World Philadelphia as first as a Program Associate, then Program Manager, and now Program Director. In her free time you can find Danielle exploring the city, eating delicious foods and running![email protected]

Annalisa was born and raised in Queens, New York and is a recent graduate of CUNY York College with her BS in Accounting. While in school, she was active with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, where her and fellow volunteers filed over 2,000 tax returns for low-income earners in the community. She is thrilled to be apart of a team that is passionate about social change and making a difference in the community. In her free time, she loves baking, fitness, makeup, and spending time with her family.[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]

Rachel comes to Repair the World with a variety of academic and professional experiences centered around social justice. Since obtaining her Bachelor's degree in Peace Studies at Goucher College in Baltimore, Rachel worked as a case manager at both a homeless shelter and a refugee resettlement agency, as well as spending a year working on a community based agricultural development project in rural Tanzania. Inspired to support  more systemic change, Rachel pursued a masters degree in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Through these experiences, Rachel has developed an appreciation for thoughtful service learning, and is thrilled to be directing her passion for social justice to launch the Teen and Family programs in Pittsburgh. Originally from Philadelphia, Rachel enjoys exploring Pittsburgh, hiking, and doing yoga.[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]

Rachel Figurasmith is and born and raised New Yorker. She has worked in education and non-profit spaces for over a decade and is passionate about increasing access to quality education for all young people. Rachel has worked as an after-school program director, synagogue education director, caseworker for Swahili-speaking refugee teens, and a summer camp director. Currently, Rachel is a college instructor for several courses on working with children with disabilities and is an education consultant in NYC schools and after-schools. Rachel holds a BA from Hampshire College and a Masters in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Rachel lives in Long Island with her husband, toddler, and two dogs.[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 is now a Program Manager at Repair's National Office in New York City. Sam's work focuses on national training and education: supporting both the larger field of Jewish service as well as Repair the World's Fellowship. 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]

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Lauren was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated with a B.A. with Honors from the University of Michigan, where she studied Cognitive Science and Organizational Studies. Lauren is passionate about interfaith cooperation and spent much of her time working with the Interfaith Youth Core, Hillel, St. Mary’s Student Parish, and various affinity groups on campus and in Ann Arbor. Lauren worked as a Resident Advisor at Michigan, and cares deeply about fostering positive community environments. Prior to joining Repair the World, Lauren worked with the Michigan Center for Positive Organizations and traveled to India to study gender and religion. She brings with her an enthusiasm for and commitment to the values and mission of Repair the World. Outside of work, Lauren loves to spend time with friends, perform music, and explore the city.[email protected]

As a tried and true Midwesterner, Shoshana has migrated to the East Coast in search of a better bagel. Shoshana graduated from Tufts University after double majoring in French and Geology. Always searching for adventure, Shoshana interned in Jerusalem, Israel at Tevel b’Tzedek, an Israeli NGO invested in tikkun olam. Shortly thereafter, Shoshana moved to Paris to pursue her love of all things French at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle where she studied French literature and Art History. Inspired by a Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) service trip to Haiti, Shoshana served for a year as the Jewish Service Corps fellow in Tallinn, Estonia. There, she brought her passions for Jewish culture, values, and practices to a community still feeling the effects of the Soviet Era and discovering how to make Judaism a meaningful part of life. Most recently,Shoshana focused on Jewish education and engagement and the Russian-Speaking Jewish community at the Jewish Education Project in NYC. You can reliably find Shoshana training for her next marathon, reading a mystery novel, or strolling through the streets of New York in search of the best borscht.[email protected]