Ilana Pond

she/her

Senior Program Associate, Chicago

Raised in Chicago’s north suburbs, Ilana moved to the city in 2020 to pursue her degree at DePaul University. There she obtained her bachelor’s in Business Management with a minor in Community Service. Ilana was a DePaul Community Service Scholar and had focused her studies on food justice, environmental justice, and housing insecurity. She has worked in different segments of nonprofits, ranging from curating curriculum for the Telpochcalli Community Education Project developing their STEM Social Justice program, to distributing groceries at Care for Real and Nourishing Hope.

Growing up in a Jewish home, attending shul, and baking traditional Ashkenazi foods with her Bubbe created a special appreciation for her Jewish roots at a young age and this has continued throughout her life. In August 2022, Ilana was part of an Interfaith Leadership Delegation Trip to Israel/Palestine with Metro Chicago. There, she had an immersive social justice experience where the focus was to learn from people on the ground in both Israeli and Palestinian communities. While on her trip, she expanded upon Judaism and social justice, connecting both her passion for non-profit work and her Jewish upbringing.

Ilana took part in the Fall 2022 Service Corps with Chicago Repair and is thrilled to fill the role of the Chicago Senior Program Associate. During Ilana’s free time, you will find her reading, at a hot pilates class, or spending time with family and friends!

Lauren Silverman

she/her

City Director, Chicago

Lauren Silverman is from Long Island. She received her undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College with a major in American Studies and a minor in Environmental Studies. She received her Masters in Jewish Professional Studies from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. Lauren worked for Vanderbilt Hillel in Nashville, Tennessee before moving to Chicago in 2017. She worked for the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago in the Young Leadership Division and the Jewish Federations of North America with the Jewish Changemakers Fellowship, where she focused on young adult engagement, programming, and leadership development. When she’s not working, she enjoys finding new coffee shops across Chicago, attending local Jewish programs, working out at Equinox, and planning her next trip.

Lisa Bodziner

she/her

Senior Director of Development

Sarah Cort

she/her

Regional Director

Sarah (she/her) is thrilled to join the team as the Midwest Regional Program Director. Prior to Repair The World, her passion for experiential education and relationship building led to a career as an overnight camp professional. She was the Summer Camps Director at McGaw YMCA Camp Echo for seven years. One highlight of Sarah’s tenure at Camp Echo is her work with families and staff to facilitate and implement the first all-gender cabins. While she spent her summers at camp, she led Taglit-Birthright Israel trips most winters, and was in the first cohort of Birthright Fellows. Prior to her role at Camp Echo, Sarah served as the Director of Education at KAM Isaiah Israel in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, where she ran the Religious and Nursery School programs. To better meet the needs of that community, she created Shoresh, a Shabbat-based experiential program, where children would attend Religious School on Friday afternoons, ending with family Shabbat services. Sarah has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Indiana University and volunteered for a year in Israel as an OTZMA Fellow, part of the Masa Israel Journey. Sarah is also on the board for Camp For All Kids, which facilitates racial diversity at overnight summer camps in the Midwest. Sarah is a St. Louis native and proud Cardinal’s baseball fan. She has been living in Chicago since 2012.