Melanie Edwards

she/her

City Director, Orange County

Melanie Edwards is passionate about bringing people together through meaningful service, authentic relationships, and Jewish community building. Before joining Repair, Melanie built her career in Jewish communal organizations and nonprofit leadership, creating programs that foster connection, leadership development, and belonging. Her experience includes roles with Hillel International, Jewish Long Beach, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, where she developed community partnerships, supervised teams, and led initiatives that connected people around a shared purpose.

Melanie earned her Master of Social Work from California State University, Long Beach, with a specialization in Integrated Health. Her clinical training in school and behavioral health settings strengthened her commitment to empathy, collaboration, and systems thinking—skills that continue to shape her approach to community leadership.

As Director of Orange County Repair, Melanie is excited to partner with local organizations, volunteers, and community members to expand opportunities for service and civic engagement across the region. She believes that service is a powerful way to build relationships, foster belonging, and strengthen communities.

In her free time, Melanie enjoys exploring new coffee shops, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and finding new ways to connect with her community.

Lou James

she/her

Senior Program Associate, Orange County

Lou is thrilled to be joining the Repair the World team to expand the mission of service in Orange County, CA. Service has always been the cornerstone of Lou’s work and life. From her early days as a hairdresser offering free haircuts to people in need, to creating service projects that bring holistic healing modalities into underserved spaces, Lou has always been drawn to work that uplifts and supports others.

Lou’s passion for service is deeply connected to her Jewish identity. She first connected to Judaism through liturgical music and ritual. Lou found that the more she leaned into her faith, the more meaningful her life became, and that meaning only deepened when it was passed forward through service to others. Since then, she has served the Jewish community as a Jewish educator, cantorial soloist, Tot Shabbat extraordinaire, and more! At the heart of everything Lou does is a desire to hold space for people exactly as they are, helping them navigate life’s existential challenges with greater clarity, connection, and lightness. She also believes deeply in the power of humor and will happily go to great lengths to make people laugh because she believes comedy makes the world feel safer and more joyful.

When she’s not working, because she is a happy homebody, Lou is most likely enjoying a cozy couch with a warm blanket, cuddling with her three perfect cats, watching a good show, tending to her indoor jungle of plants. She also enjoys strongman training and powerlifting, with a personal goal of one day becoming one the world’s strongest Jewish woman!

Talia Doninger

she/her

Repair the World Service Coordinator, Orange County Hillel

Talia recently joined Orange County Hillel as the embedded Repair the World Service Coordinator. Previously, she served as Hillel’s Engagement Coordinator, where she created engaging programs, supported student leadership development, managed communications, and led outreach initiatives.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Talia holds a BA in Global Journalism from the University of Arizona, with minors in Communication and Environmental Science. Before joining the nonprofit sector, Talia worked as a freelance writer for The Dayton Jewish Observer, an award-winning monthly publication. She currently writes for Cottages & Gardens, a luxury architecture and design magazine.

Outside of work, Talia enjoys rock climbing, reading, going to the movies, and exploring new coffee shops. At home, music is always playing, and something is always baking in the oven.


Lisa Bodziner

she/her

Senior Director, National Expansion Strategy

At Repair the World, Lisa enjoys wearing lots of hats in supporting the organization’s fundraising, programmatic and partnership expansion across the globe. Prior to her work at Repair, Lisa Bodziner grew up in Savannah, GA and graduated from the University of Wisconsin—Madison with a comparative religion major and Jewish studies minor. She then lived in Israel for four years where she attended the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and received a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. After leaving Israel, Lisa taught at the San Diego Jewish Academy then moved to Reisterstown, MD to work at the Pearlstone Center. Lisa became the Director of Educational Engagement at the Macks Center for Jewish Education and received certification in experiential Jewish education from Yeshiva University. Lisa was then the Executive Director of Towson University-Hillel from 2017-2022. Living in Savannah, GA now with her husband, two children, Dovi and Lila, and doggie, Opal, Lisa loves hosting folks for Shabbat. In her spare time, she runs a jewelry/accessory business and volunteers in her own hometown.

Sarah Cort

she/her

Senior Director of Community Impact

Prior to Repair The World, Sarah’s 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.

Skylar Johnson

she/her

Manager, Hub Expansion

Skylar Johnson is a connector at heart, drawn to the place where people, systems, and community meet. She started with Repair the World in 2026, bringing nearly a decade of experience in workforce development, program management, and partnership building.

Skylar’s career is rooted in sustainability and climate work. Skylar started career as an AmeriCorps member, and the experience of service launching a life’s work has never left her. She spent four years as a Sustainability Specialist at UC Davis Student Housing and Dining Services, where she designed and led sustainability education and outreach programs reaching more than 10,000 student residents. She went on to spend nearly five years as a Program Implementation Manager at CivicSpark, an AmeriCorps climate resilience fellowship, where she led implementation of a multi-state program supporting 135 fellows and community partners across California, Washington, and Colorado. She designed learning experiences, stewarded long-term partner relationships, and built the systems that held it all together.

Most recently, Skylar was working as an Operations and Development Manager with At The Well, a Jewish women’s wellness non-profit. Apart from supporting organizational operations, she supported monthly Global New Moon Circles rooted in the ritual of Rosh Chodesh, witnessing firsthand what Jewish community looks like when held with care and intention.

Skylar is based on the California Central Coast, where she spends her time volunteering with an adaptive horseback riding program with the nonprofit Jack’s Helping Hand. Outside of work, you’ll find her on the water kayaking with her husband or exploring the coast with their dog.