Recent Major Appointments
City of Santa Monica Planning Commission – Commissioner & Past Chair
2018-present
- Chair (2020-2021)
- Vice Chair (2019-2020)
- Member, Economic Recovery Task Force: Co-Lead, Philanthropy Working Group; Member, Communications & Outreach, Job Training & Local Hire, and Community & Economic Development Working Groups (2020-)
- Member, Housing Stability Technical Working Group (2020-2021)
- Member, Promenade 3.0 Task Force (2019)
UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs – Senior Fellow
2015-present
- Civil Society Fellow (2015-16)
Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission – Commissioner & Chair Emeritus
2013-present
- Commission Chair (2017-2019), Immediate Past Chair (2020-2021), Chair Emeritus (2022-)
- Chair, Strategic Learning Committee (2023-); Chair, Productivity & Quality Awards Committee (2022); Chair, Productivity Investment Board (2016, 2020; Vice Chair, 2017-2019); Chair, Strategic Foresight Working Group (2015); Co-Liaison, Quality & Productivity Managers Network (2014-15)
- Engagement Working Group Lead, ProsperLA: Gathering Ideas to Rebuild our Economy (Board of Supervisors COVID recovery
initiative, 2020- ) - Member, ad hoc Procurement Committee (2021-)
- Member, ad hoc Board Report Working Group: “Digital by Default”: Leveraging Software as a Service for Accessibility and Impact (2015)
Jumpstart (Jewish Jumpstart / Jumpstart Labs) – Co-founder & Co-Chair, Board of Directors
2008-present
- CEO & Director of Research (2008-2015); Senior Fellow & Co-Chair, Board of Directors (2015-)
University of California, Santa Barbara
2002-2010
- Program Director, Project Co-Director, Academic Relations Coordinator, U.S. State Department-UCSB Study of the United States Institute on “Religion in the United States: Pluralism & Public Presence”
Synagogue 3000
2005-2008
- Director of Research
American Jewish University (formerly known as University of Judaism)
2002-2005
- Research Fellow, Sigi Ziering Institute
- Lecturer, Department of Jewish and Western Civilization
Matej Bel University Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic
1998-1999
- Research fellow and faculty member, Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanitie
Recent Advisory & Community Leader Positions
LA vs. Hate (County of Angeles Human Relations Commission)
2022-present
- Co-chair, United Against Hate Week 2022
- Co-chair, Strategic Partnership Work Group (2022-)
UA Support Teams (UAST) – Founder & Lead
2022-present
City of Santa Monica
2015-present
- Commissioner & Chair (2015-2018), Social Services Commission
- Chair, Innovation Technology Task Force, Santa Monica Public Library; co-author, ITTF Strategic Planning Recommendations (2015)
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
2013-present
- Member, Financial Oversight Committee (2017-)
- Member, Grant School Site Council (2013-17)
Human Relations Council (HRC) Santa Monica Bay Area
2016-present
- Member, Board of Directors
Southern California Grantmakers
2015-present
- Member, Public Policy Committee (2015-)
- Member, Public Policy Conference Advisory Committee (2016-)
Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
2013-present
- Organizing Team Lead, CIVruta (2019- )
- Designer & Facilitator, Civic Engagement Seminar (2015)
- Member, ChangeMaker Challenge Advisory Board (2015- )
- Member, New Leaders Project Steering Committee (2013-2018),
Future of Cities: Leading in LA – Senior Advisor
2015-2018
- Facilitator, Leading in LA Summit (2015)
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry
1996-2018
- Member, Applied Religious Studies Committee (2015-2019)
- Chair, Civic Engagement Task Force (2014)
- Member, Program Committee (2011-14)
- Co-Chair, Anthropology of Religion Group (2004-10)
- Co-chair, Religion in Central and Eastern Europe Consultation (1998-2004)
- Student Member, Board of Directors, AAR Western Region (1996)
Association for the Social Scientific Study of Jewry
2013-15
- Member, Board of Directors (2013-15)
- Chair, Management & Audit Committee (2015)
Liberty Hill Foundation
2013-present
- Member, Changemaker Committe (2019- )
- Member, Advisory Council (2013-2019)
Spark Neuro, Hub Connective, TherOzone, Tala, The Mother Company,
2011-
- Former non-executive manager (Hub Connective, Spark Neuro)
- Advisor (TherOzone, Tala, The Mother Company)
Nexus (Global Youth Summit on Philanthropy & Social Entrepreneurship)
2012-present
- Advisor; Co-Convenor, Nexus C2 (Cities+Civic) Lab
Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation
2013-14
- Charter Co-Chair at-large, Millennium Network Leadership Council
Keshet/Jewish Mosaic (research, training, community building, and advocacy for LGBT dignity & inclusion)
2006-12
- Member, Keshet Board of Directors (post-merger
- Chair, Jewish Mosaic Advisory Board (pre-merger)
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Religious Studies
- Master of Studies (MSt, with Distinction), Social Anthropology
- Master of Arts (MA), Religious Studies
- Bachelor of Arts (AB, cum laude with Departmental Honors), Religion
Certifications & Training
- Harwood Public Innovators Lab
- California Connections Fellowship
- Alchemy Leadership Seminar 2013 Class 4; Alchemy+ 2014-15
- Certified Facilitator
- Wells Fargo New Executive Directors Institute
- Consultant & Trainer (2008)
- Advanced Trainer (2011) in Multigenerational Family Philanthropy
Select Recent Honors & Fellowships
- 30-in-30 Outstanding Alumni Honoree
- NextGen Leadership Award
- Ted Comet Exemplar Award
- ROI Community VI
- Ariane de Rothschild Fellowship: Dialogue & Social Entrepreneurship