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Our Board

Irina Kovriga is passionate about Jewish education. She currently serves on the Executive Grant Making Committee and Teen Initiative Advisory Committee of the Jewish Community Federation. Irina also serves on the Helen Diller Education Award Committee and was its past chair. Her prior work included a term on the board of Kevah, now part of Hamaqom. She is interested in organizational sustainability and non-profit finance and is currently taking accounting and nonprofit finance related courses at the Harvard Business School.

Irina immigrated to the United States from the former Soviet Union at the age of sixteen. She has spent her professional career working with hearing impaired children and adults in the greater Boston area. Irina holds a BA in Biology from University of Illinois, and a Doctorate in Audiology from A.T. Still School of Health Sciences.

Irina lives in Mill Valley with her husband Sasha and their two youngest daughters, 15 and 8. Her eldest daughter is a college junior. In her free time Irina enjoys using her training as a professional chef to create elaborate dinners for family and friends.

Joel Abramovitz is a Jewish educator with deep personal and professional roots in the Bay Area. He has served as the Senior Family Educator at The Kitchen in San Francisco and the Judaic Studies Principal and the Middle School Principal at the Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City, where he also taught Judaic Studies. Joel loves to teach and study Bible, analyze Jewish comedy, and think about how his work as a Jew and Jewish educator intersects with social change. A proud third generation Bay Arean, Joel also worked as an intern at Jewish Learning Works while in college! When not teaching, Joel can be found in his kitchen, baking or studying cookbooks as if they were sacred texts.

Nicole Cruz is a Southern California native currently residing in the Bay Area. She currently works as the Salesforce Administrator/Developer at Elation Health in San Francisco. She has previously worked and volunteered with Peninsula Jewish Community Center, Peninsula Temple Beth El, and Jewish Family & Children Services. Nicole received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Italian from the University of Southern California, and her graduate degree from Vanderbilt University. She’s participated in several Jewish professional development opportunities including Hazon’s Jewish Outdoor Food Farm Environmental Education (JOFEE) Fellowship and the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation’s Fed Fellows program. In her free time she enjoys reading, traveling, outdoor activities, and participating in Jewish community events in the Bay Area.

Adam Jakubowitz is a Bay Area native currently living in San Francisco. Adam works in wealth management at JPMorgan, working with families and foundations. Growing up in the East Bay, he was an active member of Temple Isaiah in Lafayette and is excited to continue to deepen his engagement with the Bay Area Jewish community as part of the Federation Fellowship 2021 cohort. Adam went to the University of Miami and is a CFA charter holder. When he is not working, Adam enjoys hiking and playing golf.

Cindy Schlesinger has spent the last 30+ years devoted to Jewish education. From teaching, to being an administrator, to supporting students as a learning specialist, she has seen the value of providing a Jewish education. Most recently, Cindy was the Head of School at Yavneh Day School where she helped the school navigate the many challenges of COVID. Prior to that, she spent 18 years at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School where she taught in the math and science programs, bolstered the school’s capacity to address individual needs for both gifted students and those with learning challenges, and was the Head of Middle School. Cindy is a Bay Area native and met her husband, Jon, working as a camp counselor at the Palo Alto JCC. Their son is a graduate of Hausner and Kehillah and is currently in graduate school at UCSD. Cindy served on the Board of Directors at Congregation Beth Am as well as on their senior rabbi search committee.

Geoff Piller is the managing partner of Beeson, Tayer & Bodine, a law firm representing unions with offices in Oakland and Sacramento. He is a longtime member of Temple Sinai in Oakland, where he has served on the Board of Trustees executive committee and many other committees. From 2009-2013 he was the Board president of Bay Area Midrasha. Geoff recently – albeit briefly – became a Jewish educator, teaching a six week course for Temple Sinai’s adult education program entitled “The Invention of Reform Judaism,” an experience that has him wondering what to teach next. He lives in Albany.

Eileen Boussina and her husband, Nersi, have 3 children and reside in San Francisco. Eileen has a double major in Political Science and Mass Communications from UC Berkeley, and a Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University. She was a judicial clerk and worked in Entertainment Litigation prior to becoming a practicing attorney in the area of Civil Litigation. After her first child was born with special needs, she devoted her time to nurturing her child’s development. Eileen is currently serving her 12th year on the Board of Directors of Support for Families of Children with Disabilities, and this past year joined the Boards of San Francisco Autism Society and the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education in SFUSD. She has also been active volunteering and being in leadership roles with Hadassah for over 20 years. Her family are active members of Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco where Nersi serves on the Board. They are devout SFJCC, Camp Newman (inclusion program) and Giants fans. Her interests outside of keeping up with her very active family are taking walks in the Presidio, event planning, cooking (mostly Persian food), flower arranging and hosting family and friends for gatherings.

Regina DeAngelis is a lawyer and Administrative Law Judge for the State of California and an enthusiastic participant in the Jewish community in the Bay Area, especially Marin County where she lives. She has served on the Board of the Kol Shofar Synagogue in Tiburon and the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center in San Rafael. Her volunteer work has included Brandeis Marin Day School, the Grove Preschool at Kol Shofar, Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Shalom Bayit, and the Ritter House. She is also a member of a task force that promotes employment opportunities in state government for people with disability. Regina participates in Jewish professional development opportunities and studied with the Shalom Hartman Institute. Regina graduated from Northwestern University and Boston University School of Law. She grew up in Kentucky, where her first job was on a tomato farm and where she learned to love horses and wide open spaces. In her spare time, she explores new bakeries, studies Jewish teachings, learns about native plants, and spends time outside and around the kitchen table with her family and friends.

Daniella Forney is currently the Assistant Director of Education and Teen/Youth Programs at Temple Isaiah of Lafayette, where she helps oversee the preschool-7th grade religious school

(JQuest), 8-12th grade teen school (Noar Night), and the madrachim (TA) program. Daniella graduated from Clark University with a degree in Economics and Business Management and is currently enrolled in the Executive Masters Program in Jewish Education at Hebrew Union College (HUC). After spending time traveling abroad and teaching high school English in China, Daniella worked as a Senior Business Consultant specializing in corporate bankruptcy management and organizational efficiency. Daniella has been an active volunteer in her local community, working with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Berkeley Food Network,

Winter Nights Family Shelter, and has held board positions at East Bay private and public schools. A native of Moraga, Daniella currently resides in Berkeley with her husband and 3 teens. In her free time, Daniella can often be found painting, cake decorating, or scrapbooking.

Donald E. Heller is the retired Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of San Francisco, where he was responsible for the university’s five schools, libraries, academic affairs, student life, enrollment management, online programs, branch campuses, and international relations for its 11,000 students.  Prior to USF, he served as Dean of the College of Education at Michigan State University and also held faculty positions at the University of Michigan and Penn State University.  He currently is working as a consultant in the areas of higher education economics, finance, policy, and governance.  He has served as a Trustee of DePaul University, the nation’s largest Catholic university, since 2012.  Don earned an Ed.D. in higher education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and holds an Ed.M. in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard and a B.A. in economics and political science from Tufts University.  He and his wife Anne Simon are members of The Kitchen.

Sasha Joseph is the Project Coordinator for The Jewish Women of Color Resilience Circle, at Dimensions Educational Consulting. Sasha is passionate about creating radically welcoming spaces. In her seven years as a Jewish professional, she has been dedicated to promoting the diversity of Jewish life in all the programming and experiences she creates. Living as an immigrant and a Jewish Woman of Color in Oklahoma sparked her passion for social justice, and living in the Bay Area transformed the way she approached her activism. She brings her experience as a Jewish Educator and trained facilitator to her work. As a fellow with Voices for Good, Sasha is excited to keep helping Jewish Learning Works support the broader Bay Area community. When not creating the next cool Jewish project, you can find Sasha podcasting about her favorite tv shows and on the hunt for her next travel adventure.

Anna Leemon is a 7th generation Californian, and was active in the Bay Area Jewish community growing up. She was lucky to attend Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School K-8, and was Bat Mitzvahed at Congregation Beth Jacob in Redwood City. She was a camper and songleader at URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa from 2003-2013, and participated in NFTY, as well. Anna earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at University of Michigan (Go Blue!) where she was also a service leader and Shabbat Coordinator at Michigan Hillel. During her time in Michigan, Anna led the Hebrew School music program for Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor and thrice attended the Hava Nashira Songleading Conference. Anna has her Master of Arts in Education from Stanford; She is now a chemistry and physics teacher at Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo, CA. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, knitting, and puzzles.

Steve Lipson has lived in the East Bay for the past 14 years. He has served as Treasurer and on the board of Temple Isaiah and of the Jewish Federation of the East Bay before it merged with the Jewish Community Federation. Steve graduated from UC Berkeley and earned a M.A. from the University of Chicago in political theory. Leaving academia, Steve has worked as a scrap metal trader for the past 45 years or so. Steve enjoys gardening, hiking in Tilden, and loves to cook. Steve and Judy enjoy the fine arts and are frequent attendees at the opera, symphony, recitals and theater events. Steve and Judy live in Berkeley and have three kids and five grandkids in Boston, Macau and Anchorage.

Emily Simons is a passionate storyteller who inspires others to engage with Jewish values through philanthropy. Emily is the Director of Development at San Franciso Hillel, where she began her professional career eight years ago staffing immersive experiences for college students. She holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership & Innovation from Hebrew Union College’s Zelikow School of Nonprofit Management and a Bachelor of Social Work from Temple University. Emily serves on the board of Jewish LearningWorks, is a JCRC Council member, and is a participant in the Voices For Good Fellowship through Jewish LearningWorks. She is an alumnus of Federation Fellows, Jeremiah Fellows, Birthright-Israel Fellows, Brandeis Collegiate Institute, and Leadership 365. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA (go Steelers!), Emily moved to California eight years ago and now lives in Oakland (go Ballers!) with her partner, Michael, and their dogs, Pumpkin & Ruthie. In her free time, Emily can be found reading sci-fi novels, building Lego sets, or visiting the local dog park.

Robert Smith has been deeply involved in the educational world for over 20 years as an educator, entrepreneur, and board leader. He is currently the head of school of the East Bay School for Boys, a boys middle school in Berkeley providing an integrated program of academic, social, and emotional learning. Previously, he was the Director of Admissions at Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto, where he also taught courses in the Humanities and World Languages Departments. Prior to his work at Kehillah, Robert worked in the educational technology sector developing platforms to support students through the college exploration process.

Robert received his Bachelor of Science in Asian and Latin American Studies from Georgetown University and pursued doctoral studies in Modern Jewish Thought at Stanford University. He received a Fulbright Fellowship to research contemporary Jewish life and thought in Argentina, where he studied at the Marshall Meyer Latin American Rabbinical Seminary.

In addition to the Jewish LearningWorks board, Robert serves on the boards of Teach with Africa, an organization supporting education exchange between the US and African countries, and Key School, an independent K-8 school in Palo Alto.

In his spare time, Robert enjoys hiking, practicing the guitar, and following the latest trends in architecture and urban studies.

Diana Wilmot has been in the field of education for 30 years, dating back to her days as a Hebrew school and Sunday school teacher while enrolled as a college student at Northwestern University. Her passion for Jewish education has been woven throughout her educational career, most recently as the Chief Academic Officer and Principal at Yavneh Day School, where both of her children attended and graduated. She continues to be invested in education, particularly focused on evaluating programs and straddling research-based practices that demonstrate a child-centered approach and improve outcomes for students. Currently Diana serves as the Director, Program Evaluation and Research for the Sequoia Union High School District in Redwood City, overseeing all of the data and programming related to students success at Carlmont High, Menlo-Atherton High, Sequoia High, Woodside High, TIDE Academy, Redwood High and East Palo Alto Academy. In this effort, she works in coordination with Stanford University and California Education Partners to collaborate with all of the K-8 districts that feed into their high schools. Diana earned a Ph.D. from University of California at Berkeley in Policy, Organization, Measurement and Evaluation and her research emphasized the importance of understanding learning trajectories and designing instruments to better measure the development of students. She lives in San Jose with her husband, Dewey, an independent college-admissions counselor, her son and daughter who are both in high school and her dog, Sunny. She is excited to join the Board of Jewish Learning Works and looking forward to getting to know the rest of the board. In her spare time, she likes to hike, kayak and go on adventures. Diana is a congregant at Congregation Sinai in San Jose.