Former Chief of Staff to Reuven Rivlin, the 10th Israeli president, government administrator and advisor, researcher and author

Ms. Rivka Ravitz served as Chief of Staff to the 10th President of the State of Israel, Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin. In 1999 she began working as Reuven Rivlin’s parliamentary assistant. She became head of his office and ran many of his campaigns, including successful campaigns for his election as Speaker of the Knesset in 2003 and 2009, and his election as President of the State of Israel in 2014. Ms. Ravitz studied business administration and computer science at the Open University of Israel where she received her MBA in Information Systems. She is working on a doctorate in public policy at the University of Haifa. Ms. Ravitz wrote a book about her Charedi childhood and the behind the scenes of the president’s office. She also lectures on these topics. 

Ms. Ravitz is married to Yitzchak Ravitz, the mayor of Kiryat Yearim, where they live with their 12 children. During Mr. Rivlin’s July 2021 visit to the United States, President Biden’s awed reaction to learning of Ms. Ravitz’s family was reported in many news outlets.

Leslie Ginsparg Klein is the Academic Dean of Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary & College, an Orthodox Jewish college for women. A scholar and author, Dr. Klein speaks on Jewish history, Tanach, leadership, and communication skills across the United States and internationally. Dr. Klein received her Ph.D. from New York University, where she researched the history of Orthodox girls’ education in America and the Bais Yaakov movement. She is an alumna of Michlalah, Stern College for Women and the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, and a recipient of the New York Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36” award (2009). Dr. Klein lives in Baltimore with her husband and children.

Deena K. Fuchs is the inaugural Executive Director of Micah Philanthropies. A seasoned philanthropic and non-profit professional, Deena works in partnership with Ann and Jeremy Pava, Trustees of Micah Philanthropies, to develop and implement the foundation’s grantmaking and field-building strategies. 

Deena takes an adaptive, collaborative and solutions-oriented approach to her work, joining grantee-partners in crafting organizational strategy, program design, and knowledge sharing. Her commitments to Jewish wisdom, tradition, and innovation, along with her devotion to the Jewish people, guide her as she seeks out authentic and creative frameworks, strategies, and partners to help shape the Jewish future. 

Deena comes to Micah with more than 20 years of experience working in the Jewish philanthropic community, most recently as Executive Vice President at the Jewish Funders Network where she worked to grow and transform the organization into a catalyst for partnerships and coalitions in the Jewish world. Prior to her work at JFN, Deena served as Senior Director of Strategy and Partnerships for The AVI CHAI Foundation, leading the Foundation’s partnership strategy, thought leadership program, and the Foundation’s strategy related to its 2020 sunset. 

Deena enjoys spending as much time as possible with her husband Robert and their four children. She thrives on daily walks, culinary adventures, and good books. 

Mrs. Chana Siff, Executive Director of The Neuberger Family Foundation  

Chana Siff has enjoyed working in the Jewish nonprofit sector over the last 13 years, including at The Baltimore Jewish Council, The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, and most recently, serving as the director for family foundations. In her current role, she enjoys using her expertise in organizational management, community planning, grantmaking, advocacy, strategic planning, leadership training, and communications to help strengthen organizations and develop communal initiatives.

Chana received her MBA, with a focus in Leadership & Management Development, and her B.S. in Corporate Communications both from the University of Baltimore. In 2016, Chana received the Outstanding Jewish Communal Professional Award from The Darrell D. Friedman Institute for Professional Development (DFI).

Chana personally enjoys applying her professional experience to her work with community organizations and projects, including in her current role as PTA co-president and on the Executive Board of Talmudical Academy of Baltimore. She lives in Baltimore with her husband and children.

Amy Herskowitz Katz is a leadership coach and organizational consultant who has devoted her extensive professional career to building community and enhancing Jewish life and learning. As a non-profit executive Amy held senior leadership positions at PEJE, the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education, Boston’s Jewish Federation- Combined Jewish Philanthropies, The Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston, and The Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Institute. As a volunteer leader she continues to commit time and energy to her local day school and area synagogues. Amy is a certified co-active coach through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI), the oldest and largest coach training school in the world. Utilizing well-honed and newly acquired skills, she focuses on coaching professional women who want to lead with power, strengthen their presence, and successfully move themselves and their careers forward with clarity, confidence and courage. At the OU, Amy has consulted and provided guidance for leadership development programming and has presented sessions at OU Women’s Initiative Lay Leadership Summits.  Amy holds a master’s degree from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work and a BA from Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University. 

Prior to founding RAISE, Rachel was partner at ALTRUICITY, where she developed a pioneering approach to fundraising consulting, combining data analysis and project management to set strategy and accomplish goals.

Before she began her consulting career, Rachel spent a decade in leadership positions at Yeshiva University and UJA-Federation of New York. She established the funding model at the YU School Partnership and ran three community campaigns for UJA-Federation of New York, where she raised and stewarded millions of dollars in grants and private support from national foundations and individual donors.

Rachel is an expert in philanthropic trends, a frequent contributor in publications such as The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Pro, and a sought-after presenter in the nonprofit community. She serves on the advisory board of Nonprofit Pro and on the Professional Advancement Committee of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, NYC and is an Orthodox Leadership Project fellow. Rachel serves on the National Yachad Commission for Special Needs inclusion and was the first recipient of the Yachad Women’s Leadership Award.

Rachel graduated from Yeshiva University summa cum laude with a BA in Journalism and earned her MPA, with honors, from New York University, where she studied Nonprofit Management. Her interests include music, travel, and fitness.

As an executive, leadership, and speaker coach, former attorney, published author, and motivational speaker, Barbara Gottesman gets what it takes to drive her clients to be their best, both professionally and personally. Her legal career spanned over ten years, in Toronto, New York, and the San Francisco Bay area, after which she turned her experience and expertise to coaching and consulting, and in particular to inspiring leaders to authentically grow in their roles in evolving situations. Barbara is also skilled at facilitating team building to strengthen collaboration and productivity. She is a sought-after TEDx speaker coach, regularly leads communications programs that grow executive presence and presentation skills, and works with emerging women leaders in empowerment and career transition groups. Her clients have included executives at Fortune 500 companies as well as emerging growth and early stage enterprises, throughout the United States as well as internationally. 

Most recently, Barbara worked with the OU Women’s Initiative team to develop The Art of Speaking Advanced Seminar, an intensive 3-month professional development seminar course tailored to Orthodox women educators and lay leaders. Close to 60 women from across North America participated in this program, a unique blend of workshops, peer coaching, small group professional-led coaching and final presentations. 

Barbara received her coaching training and certification from the internationally accredited Coaches Training Institute over 15 years ago, is a certified Myers Briggs facilitator as well as a Mussar instructor through the Mussar Institute. In addition to her private practice, Barbara also volunteers extensively in her community. She loves adventure travel, fitness and her work. 

Beginning in 2009, Barbara spent nearly two-and-a-half years sailing with her husband and two children aboard a 46-foot catamaran called Whatcha Gonna Do, throughout Mexico, the South Pacific, and Australia. She chronicled her adventures and lessons learned in her book, How to Slay a Pirate: Lessons on Success from Sailing the Pacific. Barbara’s children are both in college, while she lives on land in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and two large dogs. 

Cynthia Darrison is known for navigating the nexus between the nonprofit, political and corporate arenas. She’s able to strategically and deftly lead people, processes and organizations to bring about desired results. Currently, she serves as the Director of Organizational Advancement of HASC Center, Inc. She’s also the Founding Director of the Chesed Leadership Program, a fellowship for women in the Orthodox Jewish community designed to train them in nonprofit management, now in its 7^th year. Cindy started off her career in labor relations and went on to become a labor arbitrator. She shifted to political campaign work in 1989, working on campaigns on the national, federal, state and local levels –  rising to the rank of campaign manager and raising over $106M for candidates and party committees. She was an Adjunct Professor at New York University for 15 years, first in the graduate political science department and then in the Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising. Cindy studied Economics and English at Touro College in Manhattan and earned a Master of Science degree in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University. She and her daughter, a student at Touro College in Brooklyn, live in Brooklyn.

Rachel Levitt Klein Dratch, Director of Educational Innovation at Prizmah, is wholeheartedly invested in the Jewish world of education. She was a student teacher at Michlalah in Jerusalem before continuing her passion for teaching as a Hebrew school teacher and student leader at Stern College. Rachel has held meaningful roles at numerous day schools including: Frisch, Ramaz, Maimonides, Fuchs Mizrachi, Berman Academy and Beth Tfiloh. Rachel has also been director of SLED educational consulting.  She spends her summers at Camp Moshava IO running drama and special programming. Rachel has a master’s degree in Jewish education from Yeshiva University, is a Mandel Jerusalem Fellow, participated in the Mandel Teacher Education Program and has served as a scholar in residence in many communities.

Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph is the Orthodox Union’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since September of 2020.  He is the senior professional leader, responsible for all aspects of OU programs and operations, other than OU Kosher.  He joined the OU from Yeshiva University where he served in a variety of roles over 16 years, ultimately rising to senior vice president. In that role, he established and implemented strategic plans, managed the university’s operations, and played key roles on major initiatives such as the university’s response to the coronavirus. A native of Montreal, Josh received both his Ed.D. and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, as well as a Master of Arts in Jewish philosophy from their Bernard Revel Graduate School. He also completed fellowships and certificates at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Administration, as well as Harvard’s Institute of Higher Education. Josh previously worked at a hedge fund, as a community rabbi, served as the executive director of the Orthodox Caucus, and director of social entrepreneurialism at YU’s Center for the Jewish Future. He and his wife, Julie, live in Lawrence, New York and are the proud parents of Zach, Ozzie, and Marsha. 

Rivki Schwartz is the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Orthodox Union.  She is a marketing and communications professional with 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Over the course of her career, she has built organizational marketing and communications infrastructures as well as community outreach programs and a national volunteer network from the ground up. Rivki is responsible for overseeing the OU’s Marketing and Communications department and works directly with the organization’s executive and departmental leadership to raise awareness about the OU’s global impact on the Jewish community.

Josh Gottesman is the Associate Director of Human Resources and the Director of Talent Development for the Orthodox Union. He plays an integral role in all global recruitment and professional development activities across the organization. He has been a corporate trainer and facilitator for 7 years and is especially skilled at building effective, productive, and working relationships with client and staff. He holds an MBA in Industrial Organizational Psychology and HR Management and is a Senior Certified Professional in the Society for Human Resources Management.

As the Director of Donor Services at the Orthodox Union (OU), Becca is responsible for managing and constantly developing a development operations team that supports fundraisers across the OU. Prior to this role, Becca worked for Yachad for over 9 years where she held roles in both operations and development. During her time at Yachad, Becca spearheaded Yachad’s giving day campaigns, established and edited the annual report, developed and instituted several systems and processes, and directed the Joel Daner Fellowship. Prior to her work in the Jewish non-profit space, she held roles at the City of Bowie, MD’s grants office and the City of College Park, MD’s City Council, Becca received her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland where she also earned her master’s in public policy. She holds a Certificate in Fundraising from Boston University. Becca lives in White Plains with her husband Saul and 2 children. 

Julie Joseph, Ed.D. is the Educational Director for Project Inspire Long Island and an Educator at the Project Inspire retreats. She provides monthly Torah-related classes at the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach. Additionally, Julie is a fellow in Ohr Torah Stones’s Women’s International Halakha program. She is a popular educator and author, has taught at several high schools, and served as an adjunct professor at Stern College for Women, teaching medieval Jewish life in both Ashkenaz and Sefarad. Julie holds a master’s in medieval Jewish history from New York University and a master’s in Jewish studies from Touro Graduate School. She is also a recipient of a doctorate in Jewish education from Yeshiva University where she studied peer-victimization in Modern-Orthodox Middle School programs. Julie authored a memoir titled, Am I My Mother’s Daughter: A Search for Identity and Jewish Women’s Literacy in Eastern Europe During the 18th and 19th Centuries in Poland. She lives in Lawrence, NY.

Naami Schorr is a leadership coach and consultant who supports executives, leaders and their teams in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. For over a decade, Naami worked as a professional for non-profits in Los Angeles, New York, Israel, and Baltimore and most recently was the Program Director for Na’aleh: The Hub for Leadership Learning in Baltimore. There, she co-created and designed cohorts and leadership development opportunities for both top level and emerging, new lay leaders in the Baltimore Jewish community. 

Naami founded Overbrook Coaching & Consulting in 2022. Her focus is to bring organizational health to leaders and their teams by helping them build strong cultures and cohesive teams with engaged, productive, and fulfilled employees. Naami helps leaders acquire stronger communication skills, find their voice and leadership presence, learn the art of having difficult conversations, design better meetings, and create an environment of accountability and feedback. 

Naami’s greatest passion is helping individuals tap into their areas of genius – their natural gifts and skills that bring them the most energy and fulfillment. 

Naami holds an MA in Leadership and Certification in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. She lives in Baltimore with her husband and three daughters. 

PAINT WITH ME! was inspired by Nikki Fuchs Sausen’s desire to have everyone meet their inner artist. Nikki is an artist and an Art Therapist. She studied art at Stern College for Women and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT.) She received her master’s degree in creative arts therapy from Hofstra University. 

PAINT WITH ME! is Nikki’s way of sharing art with both beginners and more advanced artists. She aims to make painting fun and relaxing with step-by-step directions. 

No previous artistic ability is required to succeed at a PAINT WITH ME! event. Our painting choices have you in mind. The goal is for you to have fun, learn some painting techniques and laugh, socialize and relax along the way. It’s always a good time to paint! 

Rachel Sims, Esq., is the General Counsel of the OU where she manages the OU’s legal and compliance work and provides guidance to all departments within the organization.   Rachel joined the OU after spending five years as a senior litigator at Blank Rome LLP.  She has nearly two decades of legal experience, at some of the top law firms in New York.   Rachel incorporates her legal skills, knowledge and experience to help the OU continue to grow and to inspire the greater Jewish community.   Rachel graduated from Brooklyn Law School magna cum laude, where she was a member of the Brooklyn Law Review.