Executive Leadership

Adam Lehman was named president and CEO of Hillel International in January 2020, after serving as Hillel International’s interim CEO and chief operating officer.

As COO, Adam was Hillel International’s day-to-day organizational director for four years, managing Hillel International’s staff, finances and programs to deliver on the ambitious goals of Hillel’s Drive to Excellence strategic plan. During this period, Hillel International significantly grew its financial, programmatic and operating support for Hillels on 550 campuses across 18 countries, resulting in corresponding growth in the scope and impact of Hillel’s student engagement activities. Adam has also worked closely with field colleagues, community partners, strategic funders and lay leaders in order to elevate Hillel’s brand and maximize funding and partnership opportunities across the Hillel movement.

Adam previously served as president and COO of the venture-backed software and data analytics company Lotame Solutions and in the same role with the crowdsourced creative platform GeniusRocket. He spent eight years with America Online, serving as senior vice president and group chief operating officer for the 150-person central business development unit, developing strategies, business plans and strategic partnerships to expand and solidify AOL’s global business presence across numerous international offices and joint ventures.

Adam also was a founder of the early-stage investment company Rock Ridge Ventures and an entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business. Adam graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and cum laude with a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He was also a Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Read his full bio.

Jamie Schiffman has been on the Schusterman International Center team for the past 10 years. Her current role as vice president and managing director of the Schusterman International Center includes oversight of three core administrative teams: Building Operations and Administration, Meetings, Conferences and Events and Schusterman International Center Human Resources. Prior to this role, she focused on creating and implementing all aspects of professional development to support campus professionals around the world. Prior to her tenure at the Schusterman International Center, she spent seven years as a campus professional at the Hillels at the University of Wisconsin Madison, the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University. Jamie lives in Northern Virginia with her husband Andrew and their daughters Madeline and Naomi.

Sarah is responsible for engaging lay leaders of local, national and global Hillel affiliates. She formerly served as vice president for institutional giving and senior advisor for planning at Hillel International, where she oversaw movement wide fundraising efforts for key initiatives across the organization and worked closely with institutional donors to align interests with areas of need. Before joining Hillel, she was vice president for leadership giving at The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, where she oversaw leadership giving for the annual campaign and lead efforts in resource development. Previous roles include development director at Krieger Schechter Day School and Johns Hopkins Hillel in Baltimore. Sarah received a M.S.W. from The University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in Jewish communal service from Gratz College.

As the vice president of finance, Sam leads the fiscal unit of Hillel. This includes accounting, financial planning and analysis, reporting and financial compliance. He also serves as a resource for local Hillels. He came to this role after serving 12 years with Johns Hopkins University in varying financial and accounting capacities. Sam has an MBA in finance from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and a bachelor's degree in finance and marketing from Syracuse University. 

Jennifer joined Hillel in 2004 and is responsible for planning and implementing key initiatives to advance Hillel’s strategic priorities and to develop a model for excellence in service delivery. She is currently supporting the development of Hillel’s Strategic Implementation Plan, leading the Measuring Excellence Pilot and the Comprehensive Excellence initiative, and manages relationships with many Hillel partners. Among her achievements is leading Hillel’s five-year senior Jewish educator and peer engagement pilot, which pioneered innovative methods to engage more Jewish students. 

Tim joined Hillel in 2005 as vice president of development. He is currently responsible for developing strategic and philanthropic relationships with key community, business and university leaders to sustain and enhance Hillel’s mission. This includes identifying and cultivating prospective members for Hillel’s International Board of Governors. 

Rabbi Benjamin Berger oversees the Center for Jewish and Israel Education, one of the three pillars of Hillel U. The CJIE is focused on providing the tools for every Hillel professional to be capable and confident Jewish educators so they can create meaningful Jewish experiences for the students whom they engage. Ben was formerly the director of the Wexner Heritage Program, whose mission is to expand the vision, deepen the knowledge and build the confidence of Jewish volunteer leaders throughout the North American Jewish Community. Prior to his work at The Wexner Foundation, Ben was the senior Jewish educator at The Ohio State University Hillel. Additionally, he was Berman fellow and program director at University of Michigan and JCSC fellow at Cornell University. Ben was ordained by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School. He, his wife Rachel, also a Hillel professional, and their four daughters will be relocating to Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2019.

Matthew E. Berger oversees programs addressing anti-Semitic incidents, anti-Israel activity and security concerns on college campuses around the world. He works with teams focused on educating and engaging Jewish students and broader campus communities on Israel, anti-Semitism and responding to incidents targeting the Jewish and pro-Israel community. He also oversees all aspects of Hillel’s communications and media strategy, including media relations, and serves as Hillel’s chief spokesman.

He comes to the position with nearly two decades of experience as a journalist and communications professional. Before joining Hillel International, he served as senior director of communications for a Middle East policy think tank, placing scholarly research in the media and managing communication products and social media. Berger also spent five years as vice president of Dezenhall Resources, a Washington-based crisis communications firm. He advised clients on a wide range of media strategy, provided litigation support and trained corporate executives and spokespeople for media appearances, including on “60 Minutes.”

During the 2008 presidential campaign cycle, Berger was a political reporter for NBC News and National Journal. He traveled with several candidates on their planes and buses, shooting video, reporting for blogs and appearing on NBC News and MSNBC. He was also a former correspondent for Congressional Quarterly and a national political correspondent for JTA. 

Berger holds a master’s degree in national security policy and a bachelor’s degree in political communications, both from the George Washington University. He is a former board member of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and resides in Washington with his husband, Jeff.

Andrew oversees the digital strategy and information technology teams in support of Hillel professionals across the movement. Previously, he served 10 years as managing director of digital strategy at Forum One, a digital agency in Washington D.C., where he provided technical strategy, digital design and online community consulting to major nonprofit organizations. His clients included American Red Cross, Consumer Reports, Energy Star, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Population Services International, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Equally adept in technology platforms and design thinking approaches, he has nearly 20 years of experience balancing business considerations with user needs.

As the vice president of talent acquisition for Hillel International, Carrie and her team are responsible for the strategy, recruitment, hiring, best practices and onboarding of Hillel professionals. She has spent her 20-year career developing talent, supervising staff, engaging stakeholders and building community. Carrie began her career at the 92nd Street Y, which led to roles in senior and executive leadership at JCCs in Florida and New Jersey as well as Columbia/Barnard Hillel. She is an alumna of Accelerate: Hillel's Executive Advancement Program and a recipient of the prestigious Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award. Carrie graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and has a master's degree in social work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. A licensed social worker, Carrie is a board member of JPRO and JCC of Central New Jersey. She also serves as a lead standards visitor for the American Camp Association. Carrie lives in the Greater MetroWest Area of New Jersey with her husband Adam and their kids, Gabrielle and Jacob.

Adina came to Hillel International in 2015, where she works to operationalize our vision for making Hillel a great place to work and to support the success of campus professionals at every stage of their tenure. Adina led Hillel at Stanford for 10 years, including serving as executive director, during which time Stanford Hillel received a "Great Place to Work Award." Adina has served as a consultant to numerous Bay Area Hillels, providing services in executive coaching, board development and program evaluation. Adina was a co-founder of New York University’s dual master’s program in non-profit management and Judaic studies and is a Wexner Graduate Fellow. She is based in the San Francisco WeWork Office. 

Batya Kopelowitz is the associate vice president for measurement at Hillel International, helping to build a data-informed culture throughout the organization. In that capacity, she leads a team managing Measuring Excellence (supporting Hillels to collect and make meaning of their data), HEART: Hillel's Engagement and Relationship Tracking System (supporting Hillels to track their data), as well as Campus Data Services (supporting Hillels in understanding their donor management data). Prior to joining Hillel, Batya worked as a financial auditor, a human resources professional and a program evaluation consultant, accumulating a diverse skill set which fits neatly into her current role. Batya holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The Ohio State University. Batya lives in Alexandria, Va. with her husband, Mike Freed, her daughter, Leora and her corgi, Mira.

Amy leads Hillel International’s field-facing human resources team and strategy, providing HR support and resources to Hillel professionals across North America on topics like performance management, compensation, employee engagement and safety, respect and equity. Prior to joining Hillel, she spent 11 years working in HR for a large, publicly traded pawnshop chain, most recently as a senior HR business partner, helping to create and implement HR best practices across 500+ stores in the U.S. Amy received a master's degree in human resource management from St. Edwards University and a bachelor's degree in communication studies from the University of Texas at Austin and holds both Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certifications. She lives in Austin, TX with her husband, two children and Goldendoodle.

Mark oversees Hillel's Campus Climate Initiative, working across the U.S. with Hillel professionals and higher education leaders to ensure a campus environment in which every student can feel comfortable learning about and identifying with Judaism and Israel. He also oversees the Israel Fellows Program and the Building Israel Connections Engagement Project (BICEP). Mark has spent most of his professional career on university campuses, serving for many years as the general counsel of the University of Minnesota and of Johns Hopkins University. In those positions he provided strategic counsel and policy advice to university boards, presidents, chancellors, and other senior officers. A seasoned university educator, Mark currently is an adjunct professor of law at American University, has taught at the University of Minnesota for over 20 years in both the Law School and the College of Liberal Arts, and was a visiting professor of law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Before coming to Hillel, Mark was special counsel at WilmerHale in Washington, D.C., focusing on higher education issues including free speech, campus protests and academic boycotts. Mark has long been passionately engaged with the Jewish community serving in many leadership positions, and has lived in and visited Israel on numerous occasions. Mark received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Brandeis University, and J.D., M. Phil., and M.A. from Columbia Law School and the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. 

Sara provides management oversight for designated operating programs, beginning with Immersive Israel Experiences (IIE). She focuses on formulating future IIE growth strategies, managing the financial trajectory of IIE (which represents more than $7 million in revenue and expense) and stewarding and growing our key partnerships in this area of work. As a second initial area of programmatic responsibility, Sara also serves as the interim lead in working with the Hillel International Student Cabinet.

Sara also leads and coordinates other cross-organizational operating initiatives designed to increase value and efficiency in supporting the Hillel movement, beginning with an effort to better catalog, measure, market and expand the operating services we offer to the field.

Sara formerly oversaw recruitment, marketing, training and administration for Hillel programs that send thousands of students to Israel, including Birthright Israel, Onward Israel and Masa programming. Sara’s background has primarily been in international higher education and college admissions. Previously, Sara worked with young adults at The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and spent four years at The George Washington University as assistant director of admissions, working in both primary recruitment markets and with international students.

Rachel implements fundraising strategies and processes that maximize development effectiveness, efficiencies and overall workflow at the SIC and in the field. She leads Hillel’s Global Leadership’s Campaign Services team, overseeing all aspects of development-focused operations and prospect development, including data analysis and revenue forecasting, donor and gift-related data processing, fundraising research, and varied internal and external reporting activities.

After a long hiatus, Rachel returned to Hillel with more than 17 years of experience in the fundraising field. She has worked at top academic fundraising institutions, including University of Michigan, specializing in stewardship and donor relations, and Columbia University, focusing on training and gift planning. She most recently worked at The Ohio State University, creating the fundraising infrastructure for the Wexner Medical Center and then serving as senior strategic adviser for development, where she enabled senior leadership to make strategic data driven decisions across their 31 fundraising units. 

Rachel was the first director of the Global Day of Jewish Learning, a day to engage Jewish communities throughout the world in Jewish learning. She began her career at the Schusterman International Center as a Tzedek Fellow. Rachel lives in Columbus, Ohio and will relocate to the D.C. over the summer with her husband Rabbi Benjamin Berger and their four daughters, Tovah, Avital, Eliana and Nili.

Esther began her Hillel career at the University of Maryland, then at Hillels in Philadelphia before moving to Israel. She has spent the past 23 years in a variety of roles for Hillel in Israel, including as a program professional for the overseas students studying at Hebrew University; mentor and coach for Israeli Hillel professionals; staffing trips to Poland and Eastern Europe, and as a representative of Hillel International in Israel. She has worked with Birthright Israel from its inception. Esther currently works with colleagues, students and educators from all over the Hillel world. She loves to host friends and visitors in her apartment in Jerusalem.

 Andrea joined Hillel International in 2019 with over 30 years of experience, including as a consultant providing managed accounting services to non-profit organizations. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Virginia and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Hindy oversees technical systems, network support, vendor relationships and data systems to assist professionals across the Hillel movement. In 1997, she began her career with Hillel, serving as the first member of the Information Technology/ Tech Services Department. Hindy, who lives in Cleveland Park area of Washington, D.C., enjoys spoiling her wonderful grandchildren, and playing with her “grandpuppy,” Maggie.

Rachel oversees Hillel’s Conferences and Events Department, which plans hundreds of meetings and events for Hillel International over the course of any given year. These programs range from small meetings to 1200 person conferences and everything in between. She joined Hillel in 2014 after spending 10 years at BBYO, focused on professional development and human resources management. However, this is her second time working for Hillel International, having served at the Bittker Fellow and student leadership development associate after college.

Rachel holds a bachelor's degree in Judaic studies and American history from Brown University and an MBA with a concentration in organizational leadership from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a Zumba instructor and an avid volunteer at her children’s school. Rachel lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband, Scott, and three children, Hannah, Josh and Emma.

Michelle is the central shlicha to Hillel International and director of the Israel Fellows Program. In this role, she directs the 76 Jewish Agency Israel Fellows who serve at Hillels on more than 100 campuses. She also plays a key role in the overall Israel education and engagement strategy at Hillel International. Growing up, Michelle, the daughter of a Jewish mother and a Hispanic father, had very little connection to the Jewish world. After the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, she felt a greater need to understand Israel and began devoting her life to Israel and the Jewish people. Michelle previously worked for StandWithUs, serving as the community outreach liaison for two years before becoming the diaspora education director on the organization’s international team. While there, she established the department for diaspora education and traveled to numerous countries, including Switzerland and Hong Kong, to speak at conferences and forums. In 2013, Michelle was featured as part of The Jerusalem Post's List of Influential Jews, being included as part of the 6 "Women to Watch" in the Jewish world. She is also a proud member of the Schusterman Foundation’s ROI community for global Jewish leaders. Michelle lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two daughters.

A Cleveland native, Jen received a bachelor of science in advertising from Syracuse University with a minor in Jewish studies. She earned a master of nonprofit organizations from Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations. Prior to joining Hillel International, she spent 16 years as the executive director of Kent State Hillel. Jen lives in Ohio with her husband and children.

Rabbi Danielle joined the Campus Support Directors team after a dual role at Hillel International, serving as a senior educator for the Ezra Fellowship and as a consultant to solo professionals and small campuses in the Hillel network.

Danielle served as executive director for Hillel at Ohio University in Athens from 2002-2016, where she transformed Jewish life on campus by piloting the first campus engagement internship team on a solo professional campus, developing a joint Hillel/study abroad program at Tel Aviv University and reconstituting the Board of Directors to include national representation.

Danielle has a keen understanding of how to successfully lead and build a small Hillel, and over the past year of working with the solo professional cohort, has strengthened this unique network of practitioners, and Hillel’s relationships with university chaplains and rabbis.

Danielle also writes Torah commentary and Jewish fiction. She is the recipient of the 2012 and 2014 Ohio Arts Council Prize for Fiction, the leading state grant for writers, and is a Pushcart Prize nominee. She graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2002. A recent transplant to Pittsburgh, she lives in Squirrel Hill with her two children, Zev and Ruthie.

Jay is one of Hillel International’s campus support directors. He partners with local Hillels to help them achieve excellence in all facets of their work and serves as a liaison between them and Hillel’s Schusterman International Center. Prior to this role, he spent 15 years as the executive director at Kansas University Hillel. Under his leadership, KU Hillel emerged as one of the most successful Jewish campus organizations in the country and KU became a destination school for Jewish students. Jay is a recipient of Hillel International’s prestigious Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award. A lifelong Jewish educator and leader, he has a bachelor’s degree in political science from KU and a master’s degree in Jewish communal service from the Hornstein Program at Brandeis University. Jay is passionate about basketball, golf, the Royals and the Jayhawks and owns and performs at Comedy City, an improvisational comedy club in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rabbi Debbie is returning to Hillel after two years as the vice president of strategic philanthropy at the Associated, Baltimore’s community Federation. Debbie served as executive director of Hopkins Hillel from 2009-2017 and New Orleans Hillel from 2006-2008.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Debbie initiated a capital campaign and a strong partnership with Tulane, leading the university to accept gifts on Hillel's behalf while financially supporting a new facility. Debbie was recognized as a Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence and known for her mentorship and empowerment of staff.

Under Debbie's leadership, Hopkins Hillel received the Philip H. and Susan Rudd Cohen Campus of Excellence Award for dedication to student engagement and Jewish learning in 2012 and achieved the threshold of Excellence as a part of Hillel International’s Measuring Excellence program in both depth and impact in 2016 and 2017. Debbie has led many Birthright Israel trips and served as staff and faculty at several Reform-affiliated camps.

Before Hillel, Debbie served congregations as a pulpit rabbi and director of education.

Debbie was ordained from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati in 1992. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1987 and lives in Baltimore with her husband Rabbi Andrew Busch. They have three grown children. 

Michael Rabkin is campus support director for Hillel International. He has had a long career at Hillel – most recently as the executive director of San Diego Hillel. He formerly served as the director of Emory Hillel and helped lead the campaign and development of the Marcus Hillel Center at Emory University. Michael began his career as a Steinhardt JCSC Fellow at UC San Diego, where he later served as program director and was recognized as a Hillel Exemplar of Excellence. He also worked at Hillel’s Schusterman International Center as a campus strategic services associate. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from CU Boulder and his master's degree in public administration from New York University. He spent a year volunteering with Project OTZMA in Israel and a summer studying at Pardes in Jerusalem. He was also a participant in the Hillel Fellowship at the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Susannah Sagan began her career at Ohio State University Hillel 18 years ago as the director of development and marketing. Over the years, she has expanded her fundraising and external relations portfolio to include staff supervision, day-to-day operations, programming and student engagement as the assistant director.  She has served as the associate executive director for the past two years.
 
Susannah is a Hillel Exemplar of Excellence who has mentored and coached scores of Hillel professionals, and is a frequent trainer at Hillel conferences. Over the past several years, Susannah has also taken on a variety of consulting roles at Hillel International, supporting Hillels in the arenas of student engagement, Israel education and advocacy and fundraising.  

Susannah has a BA from Brandeis University and has spent her career working for a wide range of non-profit organizations. Susannah and her husband live in Columbus, Ohio along with their two adult sons.
 

Ronit graduated from the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in education, with certifications in both Spanish and ESL (English as a Second Language) K-12. After graduation, she spent a year in Israel on Project Otzma, a volunteer and service program for young Jewish adults. The experience heightened her passion for Jewish life and sealed her commitment to a career in Jewish communal service. After two years as an educator at the Jewish Community Center in Columbus, Ohio, she went on to complete a master’s degree in theological studies at Harvard Divinity School. She later completed a graduate fellowship at Pardes in Jerusalem.

Following graduate school, Ronit served as the assistant director of Jewish life at the Jewish Community Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Inspired by the power of women’s leadership and a desire to build the next generation of strong, Jewish women, in 2005 Ronit co-founded Nishmah: The St. Louis Jewish Women’s Project, an independent non-profit, and served as the first executive director for six years.

Ronit first joined the Hillel world in 2011 as the executive director of the Kristol Center for Jewish Life at the University of Delaware. In 2014, she relocated to San Antonio, Texas and began her tenure as the CEO of the Jewish Federation. Ronit resides in Canton, Ohio with her husband Rabbi David Komerofsky, a former Hillel director. Their blended family includes two sets of twins, Lainey and Gabe Komerofsky (age 20) and Batya and Natan Sherwin (age 10), as well as a mini-goldendoodle and a guinea pig. 

Rebecca is one of Hillel International’s campus support directors. She works in partnerships with Hillels across the U.S. to help them maximize their impact and achieve excellence in their work. Rebecca brings with her 15 years of Hillel campus experience, most recently serving as the director for Jewish life at Duke University. While at Duke, she worked collaboratively to raise the profile of the university in the Jewish community, increase the Jewish student population and grow the endowment in support of Jewish life on campus.

Rebecca has previously served as a member of Hillel International’s Board of Directors and the Field Advisory Committee for Hillel U as well as the chair of the Directors’ Cabinet. She earned a bachelor of arts in biology and Jewish and near eastern studies and a master of science in physical therapy from Washington University in St Louis.

After working as a pediatric physical therapist, she continued her education by receiving her masters in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. She is currently a member of the North Carolina State University Professional Coaching Certificate program. Rebecca lives in Durham, North Carolina with her husband Jason, son Jake and dog Sophie.

Aviva is one of Hillel International’s campus support directors, helping a portfolio of 15 campuses in the Northeast and New England drive excellence on campus. Aviva began her career at Hillel in 2002, serving her alma mater, University of Albany, first as its Jewish student life coordinator, and eventually executive director. During her tenure there, she grew the Hillel from a small program to engagement of approximately 2,000 students and a new board of directors. In 2009, she became the director for talent acquisition at Hillel International, where she has guided Hillel directors, local boards and universities through the process of selection and placement of senior leaders. She has been instrumental in revamping the recruitment strategy and process with new tools, resources and training for hiring managers. She has served as faculty for New Professionals Institute as a field professional and served as team leader for New Directors Institute to train professionals for the field. In addition to her degree in Jewish studies and archeology, Aviva spent a year in Israel as part of Young Judea Year Course. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley, where you will catch her running marathons, half marathons and chasing after her daughter, Noa.