Staff

Paul is Prizmah’s founding chief executive officer, building on his lifelong connection with Jewish day school education and wide-ranging management experience in the fields of education, philanthropy, social impact, government and new media. Prior to joining Prizmah, Paul served as CEO of The Pershing Square Foundation, a private family foundation, and as the Global Managing Director of Absolute Return for Kids (ARK), a nonprofit focused on global health, education and child protection. The preceding years of Paul’s career focused on government, telecoms, and new media. He has also served on the boards of various nonprofits in the UK and the US.  Paul holds an MA from Cambridge University and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management.

Carmela leads the financial strategy and management of Prizmah, overseeing budgets, financial infrastructure, and internal controls. Carmela has more than 20 years of fiscal management experience working with not for profits and 5 years of public accounting experience as an audit manager at one of the Big Four firms. Prior to joining Prizmah, Carmela held the position of Vice President of Finance at American Student Assistance, where she managed and operating budget of $90 million and net assets of $950 million, and the position of Vice President of Finance at Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP), where she managed the significant growth of over $2 billion in philanthropic assets and all financial aspects of annual campaign fundraising, grantmaking, donor advised funds and endowments. She has worked extensively with Board of Directors, Audit, Finance, and Investment Committees.A resident of North Easton, she is a proud parent of a day school alumni, a member of Temple Beth Emunah in the South Area, where she has served as Vice President and Treasurer, a Trustee of the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis in Brookline and a member of the Budget, Finance, and Risk Committee of The Vilna Shul - Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture in Boston. Carmela is a graduate of Boston University.

Ilisa believes that inspired, informed, and supported Jewish day school leaders are the key to healthy schools. At Prizmah, she directs YOU Lead, Prizmah’s signature leadership development program, and advances Jewish day school leadership through coaching. Ilisa is a former Head of School and sought after leadership coach with over 20 years of experience in Jewish education. She earned a certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership and is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation. As a BoardSource certified consultant, Ilisa consults regularly with schools on governance and leadership.She is a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University, holds a master’s in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary and is a proud alum of DSLTI (Day School Leadership Training Institute), the Harvard Principal’s program and the Board Member Institute for Jewish non-profits. Ilisa is also an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Aimee is the director of Stronger Together, a new Boston-based initiative created in partnership with Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Beker Foundation, to work closely with the 14 Jewish day schools and yeshivot in Greater Boston, to explore collaboration and resource-sharing efforts that will create measurable benefits to the schools. Aimee grew up in the Greater Boston area, is a graduate of Brandeis University, and holds a Masters in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. She has served in various capacities throughout the Jewish community, most recently as the Director of Synagogue Leadership and Innovation at United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. She is also a former day school parent, and hopes that through Project Stronger Together, she will be able to help ensure the future of all of Greater Boston’s Jewish day schools.

Dr. Cohen earned her B.A in psychology at McGill University and her M.A and Ph.D in clinical psychology, health emphasis from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. She is the founding director of Cognitive Behavioral Health Psychology, LLC, a private practice which specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy with offices in NY and NJ, as well as a faculty support and efficacy consultant on social emotional issues relating to faculty and students. Dr. Cohen lectures nationwide on topics related to education, psychology and religion.

Debra is passionate about partnering with Jewish day school leaders and teachers to create educational spaces that are both intentional and high quality. Prior to joining Prizmah, she served as Director of Special Education at Sulam, an organization dedicated to the inclusion of students with learning differences in Jewish education, where she was instrumental in expanding Sulam’s impact both locally and nationally. Debra is an innovative educational leader with extensive experience across the field as an administrator, professional learning specialist, coach/mentor, researcher, and classroom teacher. She holds a PhD in special education from University of Maryland and a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Gavi has spent nearly a decade of her career working for the vitality of Jewish day schools, and is deeply committed to the future of the field. She is thrilled to support the growth and development of day school leaders in her role at Prizmah. She is a proud Jewish day school alumna, and a graduate of the DeLeT (Day School Leadership Through Teaching) program at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Prior to joining the Prizmah team, Gavi worked in enrollment management, fundraising, and community engagement for schools and nonprofit organizations in San Francisco and Boston. Most recently, she served as the Assistant Head of School and Director of Admissions at JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School. Gavi's portfolio at Prizmah includes supporting leaders and schools through coaching, mentoring in the YOU Lead program, and facilitating strategic planning. She holds a BA from Wesleyan University and a Certificate in Jewish Day School Teaching from HUC-JIR.

Odelia is passionate about making research and data accessible to Jewish day schools and yeshivas and to the greater Jewish community. Odelia directs the Prizmah Knowledge Center which includes all of Prizmah’s research, data and evaluation and Prizmah’s online Knowledge Center, a resource hub for Jewish day school professionals. She has worked in various organizations including the JCC Association and the Yeshiva University School Partnership. She is a proud day school graduate, and her children are third generation day school students. Odelia has an MPA from Baruch College and BA from Queens College.

Barb has enjoyed a 36 year career in the Jewish community, working in both development and education roles. She has focused her career on building relationships, community engagement, Jewish learning and philanthropy. Barb received her BA in Psychology from UCLA, her Masters in Social Work from USC, and her Masters in Jewish Non-Profit Management from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She also received an honorary doctorate from Hebrew Union College. Barb is a graduate of the prestigious Wexner Graduate Fellowship, and is certified as both a fundraising executive and a philanthropic advisor. As a day school alumna herself, Barb treasures her day school experience from Scranton Hebrew Day School, and credits her experiences with fostering a lifelong love of Judaism and philanthropy which add to her enthusiasm to support Jewish Day Schools and its funders.

Jared is passionate about data, and Jewish learning, and is excited to bring it all together to support Prizmah’s work in research and driving data-driven decision-making for Jewish day schools. Jared is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, where he attended Jewish day school. He went on to earn his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a minor in Applied Statistics from the University of Michigan. He has led innovative Jewish learning programs, conducted cross-cultural education research, and advanced initiatives in AI integration and college readiness.

Daniel leads the process to design and produce the Prizmah Conference and more than 60 gatherings for the field each year, and he brings a love for creating powerful and purposeful experiences to this work. Prior to Prizmah, Daniel was the executive director of Limmud NY, and currently serves on the board of Limmud North America and is a past co-chair of the Parent Association at Luria Academy of Brooklyn. He has also worked at Hazon and Eisner Camp and was a safari guide at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom. Daniel has a master’s degree in education and Jewish studies from New York University and is a graduate of Clark University.

Chance Lattasima was born in Thailand, raised in Northern California, and currently resides in Florida with her family. She supports the CEO and COO, as well as the development efforts of the organization. Chance received her BA in Sociology from Saint Leo University and Certificate of Paralegal Studies from Florida Gulf Coast University. Her passion for community service has led her to work with numerous nonprofit organizations in California, Hawaii, and Mississippi — all of which support underserved and vulnerable populations. Prior to moving to Florida, Chance lived in Germany and worked at an international school in the Netherlands that provides education for children of military and NATO personnel.

Marisa was born and raised in California, where she attended Jewish day school, USY, & Camp Ramah in CA. She now manages the day to day internal operations for Prizmah. With a diverse and valuable portfolio of skill sets covering multiple business areas, Marisa excels at creating operational efficiency. Her background combines years of experience developing and executing improvements in operational strategy with a focus on strategic leadership. Before joining Prizmah, Marisa scaled and led the Support & Operations departments at Alice Financial in Brooklyn, finding and training new talent while overseeing operations and initiating new hire and staff development. She also spent six years providing HR consulting to small business owners in Los Angeles. Marisa has a BA in Spanish from UCLA and worked during college as a community builder for Hillel at UCLA.

Cheryl is the director of the Day School Leadership Training Institute, where she is a proud alumna and served as a mentor for cohorts 9-12. She spent 21 years building and strengthening Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School in St. Louis, Missouri, where she taught for 7 years and served as head of school for 14 years. Cheryl is a recipient of the Fred A. Goldstein Professional Leadership Award, the JProSTL Visionary Award, Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education and the Stuart I. Raskas Outstanding Day School Teacher Award. She received a B.A. in Jewish and Near Eastern Studies and Education at Washington University in St. Louis, and holds a Masters in Jewish Education and an honorary doctorate from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She and her husband Jon are the parents of two day school graduates, Ari and Gabe. Cheryl believes that the world will be a better place if we raise children to be ethical leaders who are grounded in Jewish values, and a key to making this vision a reality is supporting and nourishing their dedicated school leaders.

Elissa oversees operations for Prizmah and leads the work of building a strong organizational culture that inspires and empowers the team. Elissa is passionately committed to building strong Jewish day schools and has dedicated her career to working to ensure a strong Jewish community led by inspired leaders. She is a proud parent of day school alumni and a past president of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County. Previously, Elissa spent many years in the federation system, serving as JFNA’s vice president of financial resource development and the Mandel Center for Leadership Excellence. Her passion for this work led to her lifelong commitment to fostering the importance of investing in human capital as the foundation for a successful organization. Elissa has a master’s degree in social work from Yeshiva University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami.

Becca was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where she currently resides. She is a Jewish day school alumna as well as a Ramah and Young Judaea attendee and staff. Becca attended the University of Georgia where she received her Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs. She then discovered her passion for marketing and storytelling and went on to receive her Masters Degree in Digital Marketing from Wake Forest University. Becca’s experiences have inspired her to work in the Jewish professional world, first with college students as a Hillel professional, and now with Jewish day schools, helping to ensure a long commitment to Jewish education and Jewish community. In her free time Becca loves traveling and spending time on hiking trails with her golden retriever.

Hannah was born and raised in California, where her passion for the Jewish community and Jewish communal work was ignited. After receiving her BA in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara and her Teaching Credential from the California State University, Sacramento, she spent 10 years teaching in public and private Jewish day schools. Her career path switched to fundraising and donor relations when she became the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Foundation of the West and then the Director of Major and Planned Gifts at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Returning to her roots in education, Hannah spent over two years as the Chief Donor Relations Officer and Director of Marketing at Berman Hebrew Academy before joining Prizmah. Hannah works closely with funders and philanthropists who are looking to make a difference for Jewish children and their families through effective, impactful, and meaningful Jewish day school education.

Dan works with Amy Wasser to lead Prizmah’s consulting services. These tailored and customizable engagements support individual schools, foundations, and central agencies. His work also allows him to work with schools and communities on a wide variety of programs and services to help optimize tuition and non-tuition revenue. As a BoardSource certified governance consultant, Dan works with schools on leading practices of governance in independent schools. Previously, Dan served as the vice president for program and strategy at the Foundation for Jewish Camp and as a program officer in day school finance at The AVI CHAI Foundation. Dan spent nearly 18 years in the financial world as a security analyst and portfolio manager at leading investment firms, including Iridian Asset Management, Centurion Investment Group, and Soros Fund Management.  Dan was privileged to serve as a Wexner Heritage Fellow and also serves on the boards of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Mechon Hadar and SAR Academy, and the advisory board of the Jewish New Teacher Project. Dan is a graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business and has a master’s of business administration in management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Elliott works to promote thought leadership in the field of Jewish day schools; he produces Prizmah’s podcasts and monthly newsletter, Kaleidoscope, and is the editor of Prizmah's magazine, HaYidion. Previously, as RAVSAK's director of project and content development, he initiated programs such as Project ROPE: Roots of Philanthropy Education, Moot Beit Din, JCAT: Jewish Court of All Time, the Hebrew Poetry Contest, and Judaic Art Contest. He was the director of education at Makor, a program of the 92nd Street Y, and has taught classes in Jewish studies, Hebrew language and literature, and world literature in universities, JCCs, and synagogues. Elliott holds a PhD in comparative literature, with a specialty in Hebrew, from Indiana University. He is the author of Understanding the Hebrew Bible: A Reader's Guide and The Biblical Hero: Portraits in Nobility and Fallibility.

Brandon Reed supports Prizmah's financial infrastructure. Having previously worked at The Postgraduate Center for Mental Health, Brandon has over six years of accounting, bookkeeping and financial services experience. He has a BA in accounting, finance and business management from Brooklyn College.

Traci directs Prizmah’s strategic planning work with schools, as well as engages in the work of school accreditation and leadership search. As a BoardSource certified governance consultant, she consults with school leaders on fundraising and governance. Traci completed the CAEP (Certified Admission & Enrollment Management Program) and is certified by AISAP, the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals. Before joining Prizmah, she worked in Jewish nonprofits with a focus on experiential education, youth engagement, leadership and Jewish camping. Traci holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from St. Mary's University of Minnesota, received her BA in Jewish studies and nonprofit management from Indiana University and has a certificate in fund development for nonprofit organizations from the IU School of Philanthropy.

Tricia oversees all general operating and program support grants for Prizmah. She has a diverse background in compliance, project management, strategic sourcing and marketing for consumer product companies. Having grown up in Virginia, she started her career in the garment industry in NYC. Tricia is a certified compliance and ethics professional and a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor’s of fine arts.

Beth supports and consults with day school professionals in the area of enrollment. She is deeply committed to the future of Jewish day schools and the importance of community engagement. Prior to working at Prizmah, Beth was the director of admissions at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where she, her husband, and two children reside. Beth is a Jewish day school alumna from Atlanta Hebrew Academy, formerly known as Greenfield Hebrew Academy, and now enjoys watching her children experience their own Jewish day school education.

Cheryl leads Prizmah's brand strategy, bringing to this work her years of experience in Jewish nonprofit leadership and Jewish day schools as both a professional and volunteer. Cheryl served as a trustee and then president of the board at Ben Porat Yosef Jewish day school in Paramus, NJ and is a proud parent of four day school students. Cheryl studied at the University of Pennsylvania and more recently participated in the Berrie Fellows Leadership Program.

Oldine ensures that the office is running smoothly on a day-to-day basis by providing administrative support to all Prizmah’s staff. Oldine holds a bachelor degree in psychology with a minor in business management from St. Francis College, and a MBA in Human Resources Management from Touro University Worldwide . During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a Spanish note-taker for students with special needs, which greatly impacted her life and increased her passion for helping others. Oldine also worked as a Donor Relation Caller for the development office at St. Francis College, where she assisted with communicating with donors (mainly alumni) to enlist them for financial commitment to the SFC Annual Fund. While attending St. Francis College, Oldine interned as an after School counselor at Congregation Beth Elohim. Prior to working at Prizmah, Oldine spent 4 years working as an office manager at Nodaylays Tax Multi Services, where she performed various administrative duties, and assisted tax preparers/consultants in handling taxation matters.

Lauren works on the planning and execution of Prizmah gatherings, manages content on the website and assists in creating and designing marketing content. Lauren served seven years in the United States Air Force, where she was assigned to duty in several locations in the US and Great Britain. She earned a bachelor’s of business administration in marketing, and a bachelor’s and master’s in communication disorders specializing in audiology at Texas Tech University.

Debra brings a depth of experience in nurturing learning communities, building institutions and network weaving throughout the Jewish community. Before moving to Atlanta in 2003, Debra lived in Jerusalem, where she was a founding administrator of Tal Torah, a center for intergenerational Torah learning. As an avid teacher of classical Jewish texts and an educational entrepreneur, she has served in a variety of educational settings in Israel and North America including Dror Elementary School, Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Florence Melton Adult Mini School, Rambam Atlanta Day School, Yeshiva Atlanta High School, and RAVSAK. She is a proud graduate of both Mandel Jerusalem Fellows and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Amy works with Dan Perla to lead Prizmah’s consulting services. Amy brings over 30 years in Jewish education to her work in strengthening schools. She leads our work in leadership search, school accreditations and assessments , engages with small schools in small communities and oversees our field advancement work. As a BoardSource certified governance consultant, Amy works with schools on leading practices of governance in independent schools. She is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Akiba Hebrew Academy, the impetus for her dedication to Jewish day schools. Amy served at Hillel Academy in Tampa for 20 years, 13 years as head of school. She was also active in the accreditation process of the Florida Council of Independent Schools. Her career began at United Synagogue, where she was director of USY on Wheels and national assistant director of USY. Amy devoted more than 20 summers serving on the staff of Ramah camps, and her three adult children are all day school and Ramah alumni. Amy earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at JTS and Columbia, respectively.

Abby was born and raised in Potomac, Maryland. As an alumna of two Jewish day schools and Camp Ramah, she cherishes the impactful experiences that shaped her values. Abby continued her academic journey in NYC, attending Pace University, where she pursued studying Criminal Justice and Psychology. During her time in college she secured an internship in event coordinating and social advocacy. Abby also was a tutor for day school students across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Post-graduation, Abby dedicated her efforts to the field of expert network consulting for private equity firms, showcasing her commitment to professional growth. Passionate about Jewish education, Abby strives to foster a bright future for students and professionals to come. In her free time she loves to explore NYC’s culinary scene, embodying her role as a true foodie.

Marc is a proud day school parent and spouse and has dedicated his career to the importance of Jewish education. Furthering his passion for data and knowledge, at Prizmah, Marc is responsible for measuring the impact of Prizmah programs and services which includes knowledge management and internal program learning. Previously Marc served as vice president, east coast at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and has also held several leadership roles at the Jewish Theological Seminary, including vice chancellor, director of community engagement, and chief development officer where he received an MA and rabbinic ordination. As a life-long lover of the stage, he serves on the board of the Play Group Theatre, a children’s theater company in White Plains, New York.