Dana Kresel, Executive Director
Prior to joining SketchPad, Dana served as the Associate Director for Columbia University’s Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, and before that, as the Development and Program Associate for the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel. For over a decade, she held various leadership roles in the independent minyan Kehilat Hadar. Dana holds an MS in Not-for-Profit Management from Columbia University; she is also a graduate of the Joint Program of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University, where she earned BAs in Modern Jewish Studies and History.
In her spare time, she loves finding and cooking vegetarian dishes, reading fiction and business magazines, and listening to a variety of podcasts. She regularly says “y’all,” as a result of growing up in the South, and appreciates a good Scotch whisky. Dana recently moved to Chicago from New York City with her husband. Contact Dana at dana@sketchpadchicago.org |
Raya Elias-Pushett, Operations Manager
Raya is excited to join the SketchPad team as Operations Manager. Working primarily in museum education, both in the arts and sciences, she grew up in South Florida as part of the Greater Miami Jewish community. She holds a BA from the University of Florida in Anthropology, and is enrolled at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology's graduate program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Her enthusiasm for supporting Jewish connections and communities has only grown since moving to Chicago in 2016.
Contact Raya at raya@sketchpadchicago.org |