Meet Our Staff

Rendy Auguste is a Communications and Marketing professional who works with nonprofits to grow their brand and create mission and vision driven marketing content. After spending 6 years working with nonprofits in the Washington, DC area, Rendy is back in Brooklyn, her hometown. She is passionate about elevating an organization's voice, providing opportunities for enhanced visibility. Rendy wanted to continue working with a dynamic nonprofit that is making deeply meaningful impact in communities locally, nationally, and beyond. She is excited to instill her passion for effective communication as Communications and Marketing Manager at Repair the World. She is also excited to work with Repair the World communities to help them build connections with community members and partners. Rendy loves exploring wherever she calls home. So, you’ll find her at a museum, farmers market, coffee shop, or taking long walks through different neighborhoods. Rendy holds a Bachelors in Mass Communications from St. John’s University and a Masters in Strategic Communications from American University.

Originally from Connecticut, Juliana is a director, actor and producer with a passion for building and supporting community. Her search for every-day work of community-led activism got her excited about Repair the World. She was then better acquainted with the Crown Heights Workshop last year while producing and directing the world premiere of 123… a play about abandonment and ballroom dancing by Lila Rose Kaplan. She holds a B.F.A from University of Connecticut. Juli also loves swimming, traveling and crafting charcuterie boards with close friends.[email protected]

Originally from California, Laura is currently the Director of Digital Strategy at Repair the World, focusing on ways to grow and scale an audience of changemakers online. She is a passionate advocate for social justice, technology, and the forgotten histories of Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews. Prior to joining Repair the World, Laura was a Product Manager on the research and development team at a technology startup. She also worked at the National Ramah Commission where she launched digital initiatives for the organization and their alumni community. Laura is a KIVUNIM alumna, a member of Schusterman's ROI Community, and a graduate of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice's Grace Paley Organizing Fellowship. She has been featured for her work on eJewishPhilanthropy, Times of Israel, and JTA. Laura holds a B.A. from University of California, Santa Barbara, in Anthropology, Global Peace and Security, with a focus on Technology and Entrepreneurship.[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]

Tori Burstein (she/her) moved to Brooklyn to work as a Repair the World Fellow, where she collaborated with a variety of local partners to support schools, youth programs, and build community through volunteering. Since then she’s stayed connected to Repair the World as an alumni ambassador, where she led a giving circle for young people to redistribute their stimulus checks to bail funds and COVID19 mutual aid. After her year as a Fellow, Tori joined the team at ZogSports as their Customer Experience Associate. Her passion lies at the intersection of sports and social justice, so when she’s not watching live football games from her laptop or following athlete activists on Twitter, you can find her volunteering for PowerPlays, a newsletter about sexism in sports. Tori grew up in Miami, Florida and is a proud alumnus of the University of Florida. Go Gators!

Molly (she/her) has spent the last five years working in American Jewish community in Washington, DC, most recently with Moishe House as the Director of House Programs. Previously, Molly worked with a disability rights organization, organizing international women's leadership programs, lived in Guatemala learning Spanish and how to salsa dance, and spent time in an Ethiopian immigrant community in Israel. Molly enjoys making the perfect cup of tea, talking about Oregon, and dreams of one day owning her own dog.

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 Family Program Coordinator. When she's not working, Alix loves exploring her new city of Pittsburgh with her husband and their two boys.[email protected]

Danna Creager is a 2018-19 Repair the World Fellowship alumna who was stationed in Harlem to work with two anti-hunger community based organizations. She currently sits on the Associates Council of Hunger Free America, one of her partner organizations from the fellowship. Danna's background and passion is in the intersection of environmentalism, social, and racial justice. She received a B.A. Geography/Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 2018. While in her undergraduate experience, Danna participated in and then directed UCLA's only student-led on campus sustainability research group, SAR. She also worked for the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC). When Danna isn't working on issues of environmental and social justice, she participates in a non-professional dance company and cooks many new and delicious foods.Danna Creager is a 2018-19 Repair the World Fellowship alumna who was stationed in Harlem to work with two anti-hunger community based organizations. She currently sits on the Associates Council of Hunger Free America, one of her partner organizations from the fellowship. Danna's background and passion is in the intersection of environmentalism, social, and racial justice. She received a B.A. Geography/Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 2018. While in her undergraduate experience, Danna participated in and then directed UCLA's only student-led on campus sustainability research group, SAR. She also worked for the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC). When Danna isn't working on issues of environmental and social justice, she participates in a non-professional dance company and cooks many new and delicious foods.

Jessy Dressin grew up outside of Washington D.C. assuming that everyone went to lobby on Capital Hill with their youth group.  She has a B.A. in History and Jewish Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park (Go Terps!), and M.A. in both Hebrew Letters and Jewish Education and rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles, CA.  Since ordination in 2012, Jessy has worked as a community rabbi in Baltimore, MD, a city she cares deeply about and hopes to root in for a long time.  She was the Founder/Director of Charm City Tribe, a community initiative to engage young adults interested in Jewish culture and tradition who want to connect in creative and meaningful ways and was named as one of The Forward's 'Most Inspiring Rabbis" in 2016.  Jessy subscribes to the notion that Jewish tradition has three goals:  personal meaning making, the imperative to be part of a collective and the charge to help make the world a better place. She could not be more excited to work with Repair the World, an organization Jessy has followed since its earliest days and worked closely with during her time in Baltimore.  Jessy lives a few miles north of Baltimore Repair with her husband, Mark, and their 11 year old fur baby, Kofi.  She loves live music, nature, ritual, craft beer, street art and cooking.[email protected]

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Hannah is an alumni of the Urban Adamah Jewish farming fellowship, the Americorps VISTA year of national service, and a member of the Tzedek Lab, a multiracial network of Jewish professionals working toward ending antisemitism and racism. Hannah holds a masters degree in social justice education, and has spent much of her career empowering teens to build stronger community. When she’s not at work, Hannah loves to bike around town, host Jewish ritual and sing Jewish songs, and learn about somatics and other body-based healing modalities. Hannah is excited to be joining Repair because she loves working with young people at the intersection of Jewishness and justice.

Jordan Fruchtman has over 12 years of executive leadership experience and is honored to be the Senior Director of the Coalition for National Service. Jordan is a proud alumni of UC Santa Barbara where he founded BRIDGES, a program that connected college students with homeless families for mentorship, tutoring, and bridge building relationships. He spent two more years working alongside homeless families as the Youth Services and Development Manager at Transition House. He then moved into Jewish leadership, working for two years as the Regional Director of the Forest Foundation, giving college students an opportunity to turn their personal passions into local service projects. He went on to earn an MBA, and Masters in Jewish Professional Leadership from Brandeis University where he was a Professional Leader’s Project Academic Fellow and Hebrew Senior Life Leadership Intern. He used that experience to become the Executive Director of Orange County Hillel where he led the organization for three years. For the past nine years, Jordan had the privilege to serve as the Chief Program Officer for Moishe House, and led the organization through massive growth in breadth and depth.

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 graduated from Towson University in 2015, where her experiences leading in the Honors College, the university chapter of Students Helping Honduras, and the Kiva Initiative of Towson instilled in her a passion for community organizing and equitable development practices. Diana served as a 2018 Imagining Justice in Baltimore Fellow, analyzing racial inequities in Baltimore's policing through a religious lens. Diana participated in Jews United for Justice and Baltimore Racial Justice Action's Racial Justice for Jews training course. Diana is driven to pursue tzedek (justice) for all people, and to serve in the most ethical and sustainable ways possible. She loves instilling a love of Judaism and service in the Baltimore communities she serves with Repair the World![email protected]

LilyFish (she/they) grew up in Massachusetts, where they attended a Reconstructionist religious school, had a Bat Mitzvah, and solidified her Jewish identity. She is a last-semester student at Brandeis University studying Judaic studies, Sexuality studies, and History. The culture of social justice in both the Reconstructionist Movement and at Brandeis University have given LilyFish a deep passion for justice and service work. After their semester abroad volunteering in Latin America, she also realized the importance of learning about the histories and intricacies of oppression before engaging in community service work. LilyFish aspires to be a Reconstructionist rabbi. In their free time, she can be found painting and spending time with friends. LilyFish currently lives in Waltham, MA.

Hannah Grossman is an educator and curriculum designer who believes that experiential, values-based teaching has the power to change the world. Previously, Hannah spent four years at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn where she was the Assistant Director of the K-12 religious school. She has also worked as the Education Director at Young Judaea Camp Tel Yehudah, in the Alumni & Community Engagement department at Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, and as a curriculum writer in various capacities throughout NYC. Hannah has combined her passion for teaching and her thirst for travel by volunteering for a year with the Joint Distribution Committee in India and by participating in the rebirth of Jewish communal life in the Czech Republic. Hannah also spent a fabulous year studying at the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators in Israel! Hannah holds an M.A. in Experiential Jewish Education, an M.A. in Bible, and a certificate in Israel education from The Jewish Theological Seminary. She also holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature, a B.A. in Judaic & Near Eastern Studies, and a certificate in Coastal & Marine Sciences from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. You can regularly find Hannah swimming laps, studying marine biology, practicing improv, trying to learn the saxophone, or illustrating her children’s book!

Originally from California, Elaine moved to Pittsburgh after receiving her B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems from the University of California, Davis. Elaine is an alumna of the Repair the World Fellowship. After the fellowship, she worked at 412 Food Rescue, a Repair partner organization, as their Special Programs Coordinator. She is excited to be back at Repair the World! When she's not working, you can find Elaine drinking coffee with her cats, rock climbing, or planning her next trip.

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]

Anasazi is thrilled to join the Repair the World team as a Marketing & Recruitment Associate. A California native and UCLA alumna, Ana spent the past two years as the Springboard Fellowship Innovation Specialist for Hillel at the George Washington University. At Hillel, she crafted a new digital media strategy, piloted student initiatives, and mentored more than 360 Jewish GW students. Ana sees this opportunity with Repair the World as the perfect way to continue inspiring young adults to create meaningful change in their communities while connecting with their Jewish values. Ana lives in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Rachel comes to Repair the World with a variety of professional and academic experience centered around social justice and social change. 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, and spent time working on a community led agricultural development project in rural Tanzania. Inspired to support more systemic forms of change, Rachel pursued a Master's degree in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Before stepping into the Fellowship Director role, Rachel built and launched Repair's teen and family engagement programs in Pittsburgh.[email protected]

Julie Mallis is the City Director of social justice based service organization, Repair The World Pittsburgh. They have been organizing youth programs and creative endeavors for the past 12 years in Pittsburgh. Mallis is a multimedia artist, VJ, DJ and educator working with digital media, paint, installation, performance, sound and audience interaction. Their work focuses on building community, audio-visual experiences, speaking truth, and imagining new landscapes. Mallis has exhibited, performed and curated work across the United States including at The Andy Warhol Museum, The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Coaxial Arts Foundation, PhilaMOCA, MOCA Cleveland, Baby's All Right, The Silent Barn, Fringe Arts and more. Mallis has a joint degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Electronic Time-Based Media and in Cultural Anthropology from Carnegie Mellon University. Mallis was the Creative Director of art gallery and creative hub BOOM Concepts from 2014-2018, where they helped develop and carry out monthly artist exhibitions and programming. BOOM is dedicated to the advancement of POC and LGBTQIA creative entrepreneurs. BOOM Concepts serves as a space for field building, knowledge sharing, peer to peer mentorship, and storytelling. Mallis was recognized as Creator of the Year by the Pittsburgh Technology Council in 2016, alongside longtime collaborator DS Kinsel under their creative moniker "Magic Organs". In 2018, Mallis was commissioned to paint a 1000+ feet mural on the ground of Strawberry Way in Downtown Pittsburgh. It features colorful imagery interlaced within an interactive game asking bold questions about equity and justice to the audience. In addition to their work as an artist, they have built up and led the Positive Spin youth cycling program over the last decade. Across two different organizations in Pittsburgh (Bike Pittsburgh and MGR Youth Empowerment) they worked tirelessly with Pittsburgh public schools and area charter schools to ensure students in grades 4-12 had enriching and engaging after school and summer activities related to bike safety. Engaging with all people about bike safety became central to their work with Bike Pittsburgh for many years, resulting in them organizing and hosting Bike Pittsburgh’s 6th annual women and non-binary biking forum. This forum sought to add elements of solidarity, community, and understanding amongst women and non-binary people through the lens of biking and transportation accessibility. These same themes of community, mentorship, solidarity, personal enrichment, and accessibility run through all endeavors Mallis is involved with. Whether at work or in the artist’s studio, their vision is constantly aimed towards how to better the future for themselves and other people, one day at a time. [email protected]

Hailing from Harlem, New York, Saadiah holds a B.A. from Brandeis University in History and American Studies. An avid fan of music, he developed a passion for a number of progressive issues while growing up as a young Jewish man of color and over the course of his college years. Saadiah previously served as Operations Manager and Director of Operations at food services startup Sage Kitchen, where he worked to build the company's cultural infrastructure and systematically improve day to day operations. Before that, Saadiah completed work for organizations such as the Mashu Mashu Theater for Social Change in Jerusalem, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and a social impact strategic consultancy/creative agency called Purpose PBC. He currently lives in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City.

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]

Yolanda Savage-Narva has devoted her professional career to helping people live their best and most healthy lives.For a little over 20 years, Yolanda’s has collaborated with Tribal governments to strengthen public health systems, promoted pedestrian safety and advocacy and coining the phrase, “Walking is a Civil Right” and advancing health equity in states ad territories. Yolanda currently holds the position of Executive Director with Operation Understanding DC, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding, cooperation, and respect while fighting to eradicate racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination. She is also a member of the JewVNation cohort, a fellowship sponsored by the Union for Reform Judaism, a 2019 Schusterman Fellow, an at-large member of the Religious Action Center’s Commission on Social Action and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Yolanda has a MS in Education and a BA in Sociology, with a certification in Gerontology. Most notably, she is a wife and a mother of a 11-year old son and in her spare time loves being outdoors, bird-watching, playing sports and traveling. 

Shelly Nelson-Shore grew up in Massachusetts. She attended Brandeis University, where she studied Sociology, Creative Writing, and Women’s & Gender Studies, and picked up a passion for social justice. Shelly received an MSW from the University of Maine and worked as a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Therapist, using mindfulness practice and trauma-informed care with children and young adults. Most recently, she served as Communications & Development Manager at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, where she increased the use of digital marketing strategies and helped to build a warm and connective donor stewardship program. She credits her love of Jewish practice and community to a childhood at Eisner Camp, where she spent years as a camper and counselor. In all aspects of her work, Shelly believes deeply in the power of compassionate listening, individual narratives, and mindfully collected data to cultivate projects, stories, and spaces that are open-hearted, strategic, and connecting. When not working, Shelly volunteers as a reproductive justice advocate, reads an alarming number of books, writes fiction and essays, and attempts to single-handedly sustain the stationary industry with her pen pals. She lives in White Plains with her partner and two energetic and exceptionally silly dogs.[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]

Harriet is a British-American educator and administrator, always keeping the value of tikkun olam front and center. She has been a teacher and trip-leader at her synagogue for 10 years, worked in development at a community center for the elderly in London, and then spent 2 years as an AmeriCorps Member with City Year Detroit. She served in a fourth grade classroom and then became a Team Leader. Each of these experiences further instilled in her a passion for social justice, local community service, and education reform. Harriet has a BA in Arabic and French and a Master's in Public Administration and Management, both from University College London. Since completing her Master's, Harriet has combined her knack for creating systems with her dedication to social change as an Operations professional; first at an elementary school in Brooklyn, and now at Repair the World! In her free time, Harriet can be found baking banana bread, singing cheesy songs, registering voters, and discovering more of NYC![email protected]

Miranda Rosenblum (they/them) is a spirited advocate and change-maker. They are delighted to join the Repair the World team as the Virtual Service Manager to connect Jewish young adults to meaningful and impactful virtual volunteer opportunities. Miranda spent their last two years as the Volunteer Recruiter for The Trevor Project, growing a volunteer program that directly supports Trevor’s rapidly-expanding crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. They’ve previously worked at GLAAD, The LGBT Community Center of NYC, and Equality Virginia. Miranda currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with their girlfriend and jungle of thriving houseplants. They graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in American Studies and Gender & Sexuality Studies.

Melissa Schwarz is so excited to join the Repair team as the Program Coordinator for Chicago! She will be focusing on building Repair's presence across Chicago through programming and partnerships. In addition to this role, Melissa also serves in a part-time capacity as the Network & Communications Manager for the BHSI Fellowship at Chicago Ideas.

Prior to moving Chicago and joining these two teams, Melissa spent four years on the REALITY team at the Schusterman Family Foundation where she supported the Foundation’s efforts to identify, connect and support global networks of young change makers and enabled them to create meaningful experiences and communities for themselves and their peers.

Melissa holds a B.A. from the University of Maryland in Jewish Studies and a minor in International Development and Conflict Management. Outside of work, you can find Melissa exploring Chicago neighborhoods and local coffee shops or traveling with her husband!

[email protected]

Sam (he/him) 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]

Rebecca Steinman-DeGroot is a Michigan native and is currently serving as the Director of Education for Dor Hadash, a supplementary Jewish education program of the Detroit Jewish Coalition, for youth and families in the city of Detroit. Rebecca recently moved to Detroit from Los Angeles, where she served as the Associate Director of Education for Limudim, the religious school at IKAR, a progressive spiritual Jewish community in LA. Rebecca has worked in education for over 17 years, as a teacher in the classroom, a tutor, an administrator, a mentor, and as a consultant. Rebecca is also currently in the second cohort of The Jewish Women of Color Resilience Circle and Transformational Leadership Fellowship through Dimensions Inc., a part of the Detroit iEngage Community Educators Cohort through the Shalom Hartman Institute, and is incredibly excited to be working at Repair the World Detroit to create intersectional, inclusive, diverse, and embracing community.