Announcing Repair’s Newest Board Members

Repair the World is excited to welcome Keith Forman (he/him), Connie Meltzer (she/her), Riki Robinson (she/her), and Amy Taxman (she/her) as its newest members of the national board of directors.  As we embark on 13 years of Repair the World and celebrate our B Mitzvah, a coming-of-age celebration most commonly celebrated at age 13, we are honored to have these passionate individuals join us as we mobilize Jews and their communities to serve at the intersection of Jewish engagement and social change. 

This past year has been one of change and growth. As we expand the Jewish service movement, show up for our communities, and build bridges across lines of difference, we are grateful for the Repair board of director’s wisdom and leadership, and welcome the perspectives and expertise these new board members bring to Repair and the Jewish service movement.

“We are extremely proud to be adding such phenomenal talent to our board, and excited for the enthusiasm, breadth, and depth of experience these four will bring to elevate Repair’s mission and strategy. This cohort of new board members includes a fellowship alum, a Baltimore Repair advisory council member, the founding chair of NY Repair’s advisory council, and a global HR leader. Now, they’ll combine their skills with a deep commitment to service as we grow, innovate, and expand our impact together,” said Robb Lippitt, Board Chair.

Learn more about them and all of our Board members here. 

Keith Forman (he/him)is the managing partner at Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman, LLC. Keith is active in his community and currently sits on the advisory council for Repair the World Baltimore. He is also on the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation Board.

• What motivates you to serve? Why are you in this work?
  • Tangibly seeing change/attempted change at a community level. 

• What’s your most memorable volunteering/service-related experience?
  • Spending all day at a food pantry in Baltimore City and talking to residents about their daily experiences and the importance of having the pantry as a resource.

• What’s something completely unrelated to Repair that people should ask you about
  • Where I went to college and why. 

• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  • I dreamed of being an astronaut.

Connie Meltzer (she/her)began her career as an AmeriCorps member with a college access and success organization. Currently, she is a Manager in BDO’s Nonprofit and Grantmaker Advisory practice. Connie has been involved with Repair the World as a volunteer since 2014. 

• What motivates you to serve? Why are you in this work?
  • I have been involved with Repair the World for nearly ten years as a volunteer and advisory board member. I am committed to social justice and know how meaningful participating in service can be having served as an AmeriCorps corps member early in my career. While my religious Jewish practice is sporadic, I am inspired by Repair’s mission to make service a defining element of Jewish life.

• What’s your most memorable volunteering/service-related experience?
  • Besides my two years as an AmeriCorps member, I was a volunteer with Reading Partners in 2019 working with elementary school students in a school in East New York. Besides being just fun to work with kids on reading, dedicating part of my week to this service while I was in business school, kept me grounded amidst peers with passions and values different from my own.

• What’s something completely unrelated to Repair that people should ask you about?
  • My dog Babs and my upcoming cross-country road trip.

• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  • Olympic swimmer

Riki Robinson (she/her) was a 2018-19 Fellow with Repair the World in Brooklyn. She has spearheaded programming designed especially for Jews of Color in New York City. Riki was a member of the inaugural board for Ammud: the Jews of Color Torah Academy.

• What motivates you to serve? Why are you in this work?
  • Service is a core element of creating the type of communities we yearn for – ones that support each other.

• What’s your most memorable volunteering/service-related experience?
  • It was most impactful to participate in regular citizenship and English Language literacy classes alongside Asian immigrants and refugees in Monterey Park, CA.

• What’s something completely unrelated to Repair that people should ask you about?
  • Ask me about houseplants, my newly adopted kitten, free things I’ve gotten from the streets of NYC and Facebook groups, and food!

• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  • Own a community-based bookstore + cafe 

Amy Taxman (she/her), for the past ten years, has worked as a global human resources business partner to senior leaders at Walgreens Boots Alliance. Prior, she held roles in human resources at several large companies including Fortune Brands, RR Donnelley, Solo Cup, and Zebra Technologies.

• What motivates you to serve? Why are you in this work?
  • I’ve always found volunteer work and giving back to others very enriching to my life. And now that I am retiring from my full-time job, I look to be spending more time supporting charitable endeavors. I find the Repair the World organization mission meaningful and look forward to getting involved in the work.

• What’s your most memorable volunteering/service-related experience?
  • I volunteered at Misericordia, an organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities in maximizing their level of independence and self-determination. They have a bakery work program where volunteers work side by side with individuals with developmental disabilities in preparing baked goods. I enjoyed serving directly with the people the organization helped.

• What’s something completely unrelated to Repair that people should ask you about?
  • Our dog Winnie. She’s a two-year yellow Labrador retriever. She’s not the best behaved but she is very loving and loves walking and swimming. I’ve always had a dog in my life (both as a child and adult) and hope to always have one (or two!).

• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  • Librarian. I loved going to the library and reading as a child. And I still love to read books (on my Kindle and hard-copy).