Our People

Team

Co-Founders & Consultants

Educators Cohort Coaches

Partners & Funders

Team

Rabbi Charles Savenor
Executive Director

Rabbi E. Charles Savenor

Executive Director

Rabbi Charles E. Savenor is the Executive Director of Civic Spirit. Founded in 2017, Civic Spirit provides training in civic education to Jewish, Catholic, and Christian day schools to prepare students to be informed and engaged members of American democracy.

Before Civic Spirit, he worked for as the Director of Congregational Education at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York.

In addition to his work with Civic Spirit, Charlie serves as the co-executive producer of “We Are Here – The Music of the Holocaust”, which has sold out New York’s Carnegie Hall, The Salt Shed in Chicago, and Vanderbilt’s Blair Hall.

He is a member of the International Board of Directors for Nefesh B’Nefesh and Friends of Leket Israel (Israel National Food Bank). Charlie also serves on the JNF Adult Education Committee.

Rabbi Savenor’s articles on Judaism, civic education, and parenting in the 21st century have appeared in The Jerusalem Post, eJewishPhilanthropy, The Jewish Week, The New York Observer, Kveller, Hadassah Magazine, The Fulcrum, The Religion News Service, and The Boston Jewish Advocate. He currently blogs for The Times of Israel and is writing a book called What My Father Couldn’t Tell Me.

He is the 2026 recipient of The Covenant Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.

Charlie, his wife, Julie Walpert, and their two sons live in New York, where they all root for the Red Sox.

What Constitutional right am I most grateful for?

Amendment I: Freedom of Religion, Speech, and the Press.

Tamara Tweel
Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor

Tamara Tweel

Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor

Dr. Tweel has devoted her professional life to educating students, faith leaders, and politicians on the history and value of American religious and secular civil society. She began her career at the Interfaith Center of NY building civic coalitions and later worked as the Associate Director of the Freedom and Citizenship Program at Columbia University, where she taught courses in the Great Books, the history and ethics of philanthropy, aging, and civics. There is little she loves more than spending time with students and a text. She continues to teach and lecture widely as a seminar instructor at Columbia University and as a research fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. Dr. Tweel developed Civic Spirit inside Hillel International’s Office of Innovation where she also served as the Director of Strategic Development. She currently holds the position of Senior Program Director at The Teagle Foundation specializing in civic initiatives.

Dr. Tweel received a master’s degree in theological studies from the Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate in history from Columbia University. In 2009, she received the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award from the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Her work has been published in numerous academic and popular journals, magazines, and newspapers, including the Washington Post, The Forward, The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, The Jewish Week, Inside Higher Ed, and The Huffington Post.

What Constitutional right am I most grateful for?

Amendments V and XIV: Due Process.

Yael Steiner
Senior Director of Programs

Yael Steiner

Senior Director of Programs

Yael Steiner serves as the Senior Director of Programs, developing and implementing Civic Spirit programs to reach schools across the country. Previously, she worked at Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools and RAVSAK, running leadership development, community engagement, and educational programs for Jewish day school leaders, teachers, and students. She has also taught at SAR Academy and Beit Rabban Day School. Yael earned a BA and social studies teaching certification from the University of Michigan and a dual MA in Education and Jewish Studies from NYU, where she studied as a Jim Joseph and Wexner-Davidson graduate fellow. She lives in New Jersey with her family.

What Constitutional right am I most grateful for?

Amendment I: Freedom of Speech and Press.

Audi Hecht
Senior Director of Education and Innovation

Audi Hecht

Senior Director of Education and Innovation

Audi Hecht is a civic education specialist with expertise in curriculum innovation, professional learning for educators, and strategic educational leadership. As Senior Director of Education and Innovation at Civic Spirit, she partners with educators and schools across the United States to deliver high-quality civic education. She brings a background in political science, American government, American history, and Judaic studies. Previously, Audi served as Dean of Academics at Torah Academy of Bergen County, directed the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program at The Frisch School in partnership with the Tikvah Fund, chaired the History Department at Yeshiva University High School for Girls, and was an adjunct instructor at the College of New Rochelle. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science and is currently a doctoral candidate at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. She is also a Sacks Scholar in the Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Legacy Programme.

What Constitutional right am I most grateful for?

Amendment I: Freedom of Thought and Expression.

Norma Johnson
Director of Engagement

Norma Johnson

Director of Engagement

For more than three decades, Norma Johnson’s classroom was where students learned not only history but also what it means to be engaged citizens. Now, as Director of Engagement for Civic Spirit, she is bringing that mission to faith-based schools across the country. A veteran educator and former Social Studies Department Chair at Berman Hebrew Academy, Norma has dedicated her career to helping students develop responsibility, agency, and a commitment to strengthening American democracy. Through primary sources, thoughtful dialogue, and respect for diverse perspectives, she helps students build the civic habits needed to navigate polarization with humility and purpose. Norma’s approach extends beyond the classroom. She has led student delegations to meet Supreme Court Justices Ginsburg and Alito, organized community programming for America’s 250th anniversary, and created meaningful service experiences that connect students with their communities. At Civic Spirit, Norma brings decades of classroom wisdom, constitutional devotion, and an unwavering belief that civic education is lived through service, listening, and character. As a past member of Civic Spirit’s Educators Cohort fellowship, she remains committed to equipping the next generation to strengthen our democracy and the communities they call home.

What Constitutional right am I most grateful for?

Amendment I: Freedom of Thought and Expression.

Carla Arichavala
Development and Communications Manager

Carla Arichavala

Development and Communications Manager

Carla Arichavala manages Civic Spirit’s fundraising and communications activities while working alongside the organization’s generous community of supporters and donors to amplify the impact of its work on educators and students. As the daughter of Hispanic immigrants, Carla is passionate about the power of civic engagement in preserving inclusive narratives and creating stronger and more vibrant communities. Previously, she served as the Development Associate at Citizens Committee for New York City where she collaborated and assisted in executing its many fundraising initiatives that included donor cultivation events, corporate volunteer days, and special events in the form of accessible virtual programming. Carla also completed an AmeriCorps term with the New York Restoration Project where she coordinated and led outdoor social, volunteer, and cultural programs in many of its community gardens across the five boroughs. She holds a BA in Psychology from Binghamton University and currently lives in Queens, NY.

What Constitutional right am I most grateful for?

Amendment XIII: Abolition of Slavery.

Juliet Barnes
Program Associate

Juliet Barnes

Program Associate

Juliet Barnes serves as Program Associate at Civic Spirit, helping to implement programs and supporting communication with educators and the public. She is a believer in the power of civic education for young people to keep American democracy vibrant. Juliet has recently been a freelance writer and editor, and worked in marketing for scholarly publishers in New York, including Other Press LLC and Cambridge University Press. Prior to moving to New York, she earned an MFA in poetry at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and taught English Composition, Research Writing, and Poetry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. While in Chicago, she also worked with Rabbi Savenor, assisting in the youth office at Anshe Emet Synagogue. She lives in Scarsdale with her family.

What Constitutional right am I most grateful for?

Amendment XIII: Abolition of Slavery.

School Educators

Judith Ballan teaches World History and AP European History at SAR High School in Riverdale (Bronx), NY, where her students learn to read a source closely and carefully. She sings in two choirs, and loves the bookends of the choral experience: reading through music they haven't seen before, and polishing it once it is learned. When she is not teaching or singing , she can be found at any sidewalk café, just about anywhere in Manhattan. Her greatest sense of connection comes from talking to alumni of her school and sensing the degree to which she helped shape the people they have become.

Donna Bello teaches in the Social Sciences department at St. Peter’s Boys High School on Staten Island, New York.

Rabbi Akiva Block brings energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to his classroom at SAR High School in Riverdale (Bronx), NY, where he teaches Judaic Studies, including Bible, Talmud, Jewish Law, and Jewish Philosophy. He relishes the meaningful connection within the school community at the magical moments everyone is studying together. When not teaching, he is most invigorated by spending time with family, and by his work as a rabbi of a synagogue in Englewood, NJ. Reading, schmoozing, politics, and all sports (especially the Mets) fill in his free time.

Sr. Maria Cassano is Principal at St. Jean Baptiste High School in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. She thinks of civic education as an opportunity for all, adults and students alike, to reflect on the foundations of the nation, the hopes and dreams of the founders, and to help create a reality for all Americans that is inclusive and reflective of those dreams as a matter of peace and justice. Outside the classroom, she enjoys reading, going to museums, attending instrumental and choral concerts and ballet performances. Interactions with the faculty and students, and witnessing the development of students from young girls to young women, are what drives her.

Tani Cohen-Fraade teaches a variety of subjects at Luria Academy of Brooklyn to students across elementary and middle school levels. Especially important to him is the Montessori-based, child-centered approach of the school, which allows him to help students find their own interests in the work that they do and the texts they study. Tani’s non-teaching life is made up of playing music, experimenting with cooking, hiking, water sports, and visit to the bonsai museum at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

Nina Cohen teaches history at The Frisch School in Paramus, NJ, helping students understand that history is not a collection of dates and names, but an analysis that offers narratives to make sense of those facts. A graduate of Barnard College and the University of Pennsylvania, she studied the production and readership of 17th-century Hebrew print. She is also an avid fiction reader, and is greatly enjoying rediscovering old favorites through the eyes of her three young children. As an Orthodox Jew teaching at Orthodox institutions, Nina finds it incredibly fulfilling to help younger members of her community connect to the complex and non-linear trajectories of historical actors, presenting students with data points for personal reflection and growth.

Anne Ebersman is Director of Community Service and Justice at Abraham Joshua Heschel School. Professionally, she is invigorated by powerful, demanding texts such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” and by genuine conversations with curious students. Beyond the classroom, she is invigorated by practicing yoga, by observing the Sabbath, and by drinking wine with friends. She is an excellent storyteller.

Petrus Fortune teaches AP World, Global, and African-American History at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene (Brooklyn). He most enjoys teaching students about segregation and the Civil Rights era, showcasing democracy and citizenship as pro-active. He enjoys sports of several varieties, the Met, and bonding with students in the classroom.

Catherine Guerriero is President of La Salle Academy in Manhattan and also teaches Advanced American Politics and Civic Education. At La Salle, she gets the most energy from when the full school community is gathered together, and when she is in the classroom teaching with the students she describes as being “hungry and on fire for life’s greatest expectations.” Teaching the importance of participation in the students’ own lives and the political realities of our country are the cornerstones of her work. She also loves the time she spends with her daughter and walking underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

Audi Hecht currently serves as Chairperson of the History Department at Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central) where she teaches history and government and is a doctoral candidate at the Azrieli School of Education and Administration at Yeshiva University. An ideas enthusiast, Audi draws inspiration from the exploration of theories in books, in dialogue, in learning and gender studies in particular. Her ideal NYC spot is a park, a town hall, a courthouse, or a street corner that is a hub for political activity and energy. Audi feels most connected to her school and community by the feeling that possibilities are limitless and people, as change agents, can paint the landscape in which they choose to live.

Dennis Kallo, of St. Joseph High School in Brooklyn Heights, has taught social studies, including Global History, US Government, and Economics, for the last six years. When he is not teaching, he is studying for his PhD in World History at St. John's University. It is these studies that ultimately fuel his teaching. Brooklyn Heights is not just a workplace; it is also his favorite place in the city, as there is so much to do and see there, culturally and historically. Dennis feels the most connected to his school when the faculty are engaged in student-led events—cultural, political, and other.

Caitlin Kerwin oversees Civic Spirit and teaches honors American and New York Politics at La Salle Academy in the East Village as part of a small, passionate, mission-based staff and faculty. Driving student involvement animates her in her work, and dance and social justice work animate her life outside school. David McCullough’s 1776 has been motivational for her understanding of history, with its realistic depictions of the battles pitched in the New York area.

Murray Sragow teaches 11th grade US History at Yeshiva University High School for Boys in Washington Heights. He feels deeply connected to the school’s demand for excellence in both Jewish and general studies, and builds his approach to teaching around getting students to think about their role in the outside world beyond their immediate community. Murray is also called to be outdoors hiking, biking, kayaking, and admiring the George Washington Bridge when it is lit up at night.

Daniel Linehan is Dean of Students at St. Jean Baptiste High School in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he also teaches 11th graders. He tries to travel at every possible break in his non-teaching life, and believes that experiencing the culture, customs, foods, and wines of different peoples and places brings to life both the great diversity of our world as well as the hidden, common bonds which make us a human family. If he ever needs to escape that world, he retreats to the Met. He is most connected to his school when students are engaged in this world, when they see something unjust and come to his office to make a plan to take action toward the potential of change—to raise awareness, to begin a drive to collect items, or to protest. You are not allowed to complain in his class unless you have a plan to make things better.

Wilson Martinez teaches a wide variety of subjects at De La Salle Academy in Manhattan, where he also oversees the Public Debate Forum. He especially enjoys using classroom duties to motivate students to strengthen their self-confidence and self-expression. Wilson is also fueled by neighborhood organizations such as the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, which advocates for different issues affecting quality of life for Northwest Bronx residents. One of his favorite New York City sites is St. Patrick's Cathedral, where some of his heroes reside, and his greatest connection with the school community comes during times of retreat and reflection

Bill Mason has been in Catholic schools for 33 years, including his current position teaching US History and Government, and Holocaust Studies at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn. He is invigorated by immersing himself in the study of history and the groundbreaking statements of freedom and liberty in documents such as the Declaration of Independence. He feels he has never worked a day in his professional career, because he loves what he does. Bill’s goal is to be involved in projects that make students better people and citizens. There is no better place on the planet to him than his home of Brooklyn.

Liz Peralta is very grateful to be an administrator at St. Joseph High School in downtown Brooklyn. Her background in museums leads her to explore the rich history of Brooklyn and the untold stories of those who've settled here. She uses that love of history to show the students in her school that history surrounds them wherever they go, waiting to be seen in neighborhoods and building façades. She also volunteers with Crossroads Culture Events, in order to help bring dialogue on topics of faith, politics, and the arts and their connection to one another. The strong community life inside and outside St. Joseph drives her professional work. In moments of calm, she can be found at Roosevelt Island.

Rivka Schwartz is an administrator and teacher of US History and Jewish Philosophy at SAR Academy in Riverdale (the Bronx). Her work in the classroom integrates Jewish values and Torah teaching with the wisdom of the broader world. In this pursuit, it is critical to her to convey to students that the simple answers are almost always the wrong ones, and she is inspired by the brutal honesty and Biblical inflections of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. To soothe the distress she feels over the current state of our republic and its value and institutions, she reads, thinks, and writes about the big and challenging issues facing the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. She will be happy to show you around some of the underappreciated beauties of Upper Manhattan, such as the Little Red Lighthouse and Inwood Hill Park.

Beverly Segal will, in her next life, pursue her interest in design, architecture or engineering. In this life, she will be overseeing Civic Spirit for Yeshiva University High School for Girls in Hollis, NY. Her approach to education is to help her students solve problems, big and small, with creativity and a sense of humor. It is this approach that allows her to solidify the personal connections she has with faculty and students alike, which is what she values most about her work. When not with her students, she likes to take multiple round trips on the Staten Island Ferry, just to be out on the water and see the magnificent harbor sights.

Tiphanie Shoemaker teaches at Luria Academy of Brooklyn, where she helps students develop a deep love of literature and using analytical and critical reading and thinking skills to appreciate stories on a deeper level. Her ultimate goal with students is to give them the tools, skills, and resources to be engaged community members and positive forces in the world. When she is not overseeing the teaching and learning at Luria, she enjoys politics, baseball, science fiction, the guilty pleasure of bad TV, and consulting with new schools. Her favorite spots in Brooklyn are Greenwood Park and Prospect Park.

Seth Taylor is the Principal for General Studies at Yeshiva University High School for Boys, and an instructor in Modern European History. He earned his Ph.D. in German History at New York University, and is the author of Left-Wing Nietzscheans: The Politics of German Expressionism, 1910-1920 and Between Tradition and Modernity: A History of the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy. A resident of New York’s upper west side, my favorite location is my building’s rooftop garden where in summer I get to chat with my wife, my two children and friends as we watch the sun set. While I enjoy school administration, what most connects me to my school is teaching AP European History to interested and inquisitive students. A trip to abroad every summer is important in order to recharge the batteries.

Jonathan Waechter teaches Ancient Civilizations and US History at De La Salle Academy in Manhattan, with a focus on cultural currency. He most enjoys the sense of community his school gives him, as well as pushing the norms by trying something new—a new course, a new program, a special assembly. Aside from that, he finds interest in old houses, travel foreign and domestic, boating with motors, sails, and/or paddles, and skiing. If you need to find Jonathan, go to Grand Central Station and meet him at the clock.

John Walsh is an assistant principal and teaches macroeconomics and US government at St. Peter’s Boys High School on Staten Island, a school with a family atmosphere where close relationships are cultivated between teachers and students. He wants his students to learn that civic education is about understanding their roles in the broader community. John is also St. Peter’s tennis and basketball coach, and spends his spare time at various parks around Staten Island.

Ethan Zadoff chairs the history department at the Frisch School in Paramus, NJ, overseeing the entire scope and sequence of the history curriculum as well as directing the school’s professional development. Outside of my school responsibilities, my limited time is dedicated to my family. In his history classes, he wants students to understand that history is not simply a single narrative or the comprehension of past events, but a multitude of perspectives and opinions that affect today’s world. The most invigorating moments outside work come from the simple experiences of the day-to-day with his family, and the vast, complex experience of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As an educator, Ethan values how the sense of community in celebrations and mourning, learning and playing, allow the factors that divide us to recede into the background to allow for the school to come together despite the differences that persist.

Founders

Rabbi Robert S. Hirt
Co-Founder & Board Chair

Rabbi Robert S. Hirt

Co-Founder

Rabbi Robert S. Hirt is the Vice President Emeritus of RIETS (Rabbinical Seminary) Yeshiva University in New York City. He served as a faculty member teaching leadership and values. Rabbi Hirt was the Chair and Series Editor of the Orthodox Forum, a think tank and publication project (23 volumes) on the interface of Judaism and General Culture. Together with his wife Virginia they founded the Washington entity Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) devoted to reducing America’s dependence on oil. They have also co-founded Civic Spirit.

Virginia Bayer
Co-Founder

Virginia Bayer

Co-Founder

Virginia Bayer is a past president of and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of The Jewish Center, on New York’s Upper West Side. Virginia worked in commercial banking and has been a lay leader in various organizations in the Jewish and general community, often with start up organizations. She has been actively involved in The Abraham Joshua Heschel School since its founding in 1983 and has served in a myriad of capacities including its president. In 2004 she was one of the founders of SAFE – Securing America’s Future Energy in Washington DC that works to reduce America’s dependence on oil. Virginia recently co-authored Marguerita Mergentime: American Textiles, Modern Ideas and is reviving the Mergentime designs for the consumer market. She, together with her husband Rabbi Robert Hirt, are the founders of Civic Spirit.

Board Members and Advisors

Lance Bultena

Lance Bultena is the Global Director of Thought Leadership at Hogan Lovells, a global law firm of about 3,000 attorneys. He works with the firm’s 14 sectors to analyze the emerging business climate our clients face and actively bring issues and opportunities to them. He is on the board of Daktronics, a NASDAQ listed company where he chairs the Strategy and Risk Committee and is on the Audit Committee. Prior to joining the firm, Lance served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He gained experience in all phases of the legislative process and conducted many negotiations with the White House and executive agencies. Lance is a native of South Dakota, a graduate of the University of South Dakota, a Rhodes Scholar with an M.Phil and D.Phil from Oxford University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Lance is married to his “high school sweetheart.” He and Jayne have been together since 1980 and have two adult children. They live in the Washington DC area.

Margy-Ruth Davis

Margy-Ruth Davis is the founder and chair of Perry Davis Associates. Founded in 1986, PDA specializes in fundraising, board development and strategic planning. Ms. Davis formerly served as Executive Director of the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry. In that capacity she organized the Solidarity Sunday marches; over 250,000 joined the marches each year. Ms. Davis was also the Associate Director of the Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center. She serves as Chair of the Board of Tamim Academies, a network of small Jewish schools.

Dr. Perry Davis

Dr. Perry Davis is a founding partner (1986) and President of Perry Davis Associates which provides fundraising consulting, back-office services, and strategic planning support to non-profit organizations worldwide. Perry Davis earned a doctorate in Public Law and Government at Columbia University and worked as an assistant to the mayor of New York. He ran the fundraising department of the NYC Department of Education and was a Vice President for Economic Development at the New York City Partnership. In his lay career, he was President of Lincoln Square Synagogue. He has served on corporate boards and is currently on the boards of the Jewish Book Council and of Jewish Creativity International.

Kathy Elias, Board Chair

Kathy Elias

Kathy Elias has worked in the non-profit world since 1977. After retiring in 2015 from a position as Chief Kehilla and Strategy Officer at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, she has been a member of the Board of Governors of Gratz College, serving as Board Chair from 2020-2024.

Joshua Foer

Journalist and entrepreneur Joshua Foer is the author of the international bestseller Moonwalking with Einstein, which has been published in 37 languages, and which was a finalist for the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books. His writing has appeared in the New Yorker, National Geographic, the New York Times Magazine, Esquire, and other publications. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Atlas Obscura, and the co- author of the #1 Amazon bestseller Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders and Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders. He is the co-creator of the international design competition Sukkah City, co-founder of the Jewish digital library Sefaria, co-founder and chairman of Leviathan Productions, and co-founder and chairman of Lehrhaus, a Jewish tavern and house of learning in Somerville, MA. He has been named "One of Ten People Who Could Change the World" by the New Statesman and one of the "Forward 50." He was a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow. He lives in Brookline, MA with his wife and two children.

Gabrielle V. Davis

Gabrielle Davis Ginsberg is a lawyer who has spent more than 25 years as an advertising and intellectual property lawyer in New York City. She has built her practice at The Interpublic Group, working with global advertising agencies and communications and media companies, and partnering with business, marketing and legal teams, advising agencies and senior leadership on advertising and intellectual property matters while guiding global trademark and brand strategy. Before joining Interpublic in 2000, she practiced at Kay, Collyer & Boose, first as a litigator and later in advertising and IP law. She began her legal career clerking for Judge Thomas J. Aquilino, Jr. at the U.S. Court of International Trade. Gaby holds degrees from Oxford University, NYU School of Law, and Wellesley College, and lives in New York City with her husband and twins who are currently in college.

Beth Goldman

Mark S. Hirsch

Mark Hirsch is a Partner and Chief Legal Officer of several companies collectively known as “The Trump Group,” which covers a broad spectrum of industries. Prior to joining the Trump Group, he served as the co-managing partner of Parker Chapin which at the time was a large New York based law firm. Mr. Hirsch has been heavily involved in philanthropic efforts having served as an officer and on the Board of both the American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro (a pioneering leader and innovator in the field of disabilities based in Israel) and Park Avenue Synagogue (a leading Conservative Synagogue in North America). He most recently also joined the Board of the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning which is the largest pluralistic adult Jewish education network in the world with 50 Melton communities throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa.

Mark S. Hirsch, Treasurer

Dr. Leon R. Kass

Leon R. Kass is the Dean of the Faculty at Shalem College in Jerusalem and Professor Emeritus in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. Originally trained in medicine and biochemistry, he has been engaged for over 50 years with ethical and philosophical issues raised by biomedical advance, and, more recently, with broader cultural and civic issues. From 1976 to 2010 he was an award-winning teacher at Chicago, deeply involved in undergraduate education and committed to the study of classic texts. His books include What So Proudly We Hail: The American Soul in Story, Speech, and Song (with Amy A. Kass and Diana Schaub).

Dr. Leon R. Kass

Alan Levine

Alan Levine is senior counsel and former head of the international law firm of Cooley LLP and a leading trial lawyer in the United States. He joined the JTS Board in 1998, assuming the role of vice chair in 2009 and of chair in 2015. Mr. Levine has a long and distinguished career of leadership and involvement in the Jewish community in addition to his service at 4 JTS. He is a former chair of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City, one of the leading Conservative congregations in the US, and has served as both chair and co-chair of the Lawyers Division of UJA Federation and the Anti-Defamation League. Mr. Levine holds degrees from New York University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Alan Levine

Brendan Quigley

Brendan Quigley, a partner at Baker Botts law firm, helps business executives, boards of directors, and companies navigate both government enforcement matters and commercial disputes. Earlier in his legal career, Brendan spent a year clerking for the Honorable Joseph F. Bianco, then a U.S. District Judge in the Eastern District of New York, now of the Second Circuit. Between 2001 and 2005, Brendan served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He completed two tours of combat duty in Iraq and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. He has been on the board of the Guild of Catholic Lawyers for the Archdiocese of New York and the School Board for St. Agnes Cathedral School on Long Island.

Brendan Quigley

John Warren

John Warren had a long public sector career before co-founding Workforce Housing Group. He served for 20 years at the City of New York’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the last seven as First Deputy Commissioner. In that role, he was Chief Operating Officer of a 2,700-person, $1 billion annual budget organization, the largest municipal housing agency in the nation. John also serves as the Deacon of Our Lady of the Snows in Floral Park, NY.

John Warren, Secretary

Rabbi Robert S. Hirt
Co-Founder