CHUTZPANIT CONSULTANTS & EXECUTIVE TEAM
Our dedicated team of experienced professionals are always on the ball, utilizing their unique skills and passion to move the work of our Women Empowerment Non-Profit Organization forward. We’re always pushing ourselves to stay ahead of the curve and striving to perfect our programs. Meet some of our incredible leaders below.
DANA LEVINSON STEINER, PH.D.
Chief Executive Officer ♟️
Dr. Dana Levinson Steiner is Director of ACCESS Global at AJC, where she oversees an international program to engage young professionals through transformative leadership development, hands-on advocacy, and philanthropy. Previously, Dana served as Manager of Jewish Leadership & Impact at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU. Levinson Steiner has also been Assistant Director of Reshet Ramah: Alumni & Community Engagement Network; a teaching fellow at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC; and a facilitator for Moving Traditions. Dana holds a Ph.D. in Education and Jewish Studies from New York University, an M.A. in Jewish experiential education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a B.Ed. in secondary history from McGill University. Committed to advancing women and girls in both the Jewish communal and secular professional space, Dana also serves on the Board of Directors for Elluminate, a Jewish women's social entrepreneurial organization, is an alumna of the On/Board NYC Fellowship, the Shalom Hartman Institute's inaugural "Created Equal" Seminar, and was a member of the 2016 PresenTense cohort. Dana is also a certified 305 Fitness instructor, served as a mentor for the Hillel International Springboard Fellowship, and served as faculty for the Hillel International New Professionals Institute. Dana lives on the Upper West Side with her rescue pittbull, Jett.
NESSA GEFFEN
Chief Operating Officer ♟️
Nessa Geffen is an educator, manager and leader with over ten years of experience in the Jewish professional world. Nessa was born and raised in the New York Jewish community, and you can tell how New York she is by the fact that she only wears black, loves museums, and would choose a meal at a diner over a 5 star anything. Nessa holds a BA from Hunter College in Music and Jewish Studies, as well as an MA in Experiential Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Nessa currently serves as the Director for Ramah Eastern Great Lakes (REGL) and US Engagement for Camp Ramah in Canada. Nessa worked for KIVUNIM as the Alumni Coordinator, Associate Director: Logistics and Administration, and Associate Director: Community Outreach and Alumni Engagement both in Israel and New York. Following her work with KIVUNIM, Nessa became the inaugural Program Director, and ultimately the inaugural Assistant Director of Camp Settoga. Nessa began to feel passionate about women in the workplace while attempting to negotiate a raise that never happened, and navigating life during and after maternity leave. Nessa believes strongly that both education surrounding navigating the workplace is integral to the advancement of women, but almost more importantly that the Jewish world has a great deal of work to do with regard to respect, empowerment and care for those of us that work so hard to make it what it is. Nessa currently lives in Harlem in New York City with her husband Micah, and son Gabriel. Nessa loves TV, Doritos Cool Ranch, Badass Women, spending time with family and a really yummy beer at a Giants game.
REBEKAH THORNHILL TOKATLILAR, PH.D.
Chief Impact Officer ♟️
Dr. Rebekah Thornhill Tokatlilar is the inaugural Chief Program Officer for the Center for Rabbinic Innovation. She previously served for 11 years at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University, where she most recently worked as Managing Director. Originally from Austin, Texas, she earned a BA in History and Jewish Studies from NYU in 2011 and an MA in Jewish Education from NYU in 2016. While an undergraduate, she was an Eryk Spektor Jewish Studies Scholar, a member of the dance team, and studied abroad at NYU’s Tel Aviv campus. Rebekah was a UJA-Federation of New York Shapiro Fellow in 2014-2015, served as vice chair of UJA’s Global Leadership Society in 2015-2016, was on the steering committee for Limmud New York, and founded the Orthodox Converts Network. In 2014, she relocated to Europe to develop Bronfman Global, a program designed to connect students at NYU’s 14 global sites to Jewish communities all over the world. She started the NYU Global Ambassadors program which has since been scaled by Kahal Abroad and created the Bronfman Global Fellows, a program which aims to train emerging Jewish leaders from all over the world. Rebekah received the NYU Student Affairs Hallmark Award in 2013 and the Give-A-Violet Award in 2014. In 2018, she was named a Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence by Hillel International. Rebekah studied at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. She lives in Chelsea with her husband, Max, and kids, Sami and Zelda.
CHUTZPANIT ADVISORY BOARD
Coming Soon