Chief Executive Officer

Prior to joining the Vilna, Dalit served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Impact at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where she held key responsibilities in furthering the organization’s national strategy, vision, and fundraising efforts. Dalit designed and implemented cutting edge and creative approaches to expand the Institute’s partnerships, educational and programmatic agendas, visibility and effectiveness. Prior to this role, Dalit served as Assistant Director at AJC’s Belfer Center for American Pluralism.

Dalit received a BA in History from Columbia University, a BA in Jewish Thought from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a Master's in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she studied management, leadership and organizational design. She is both an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and a Davidson Scholar. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her husband and their two sons. 

Contact Dalit at dalit@vilnashul.org.

Managing Director of Program Strategy and Impact

Laura Conrad Mandel is an artist, public art advocate, and social entrepreneur. She joined The Vilna as Managing Director of Program Strategy and Impact after serving as founding Executive Director of the Jewish Arts Collaborative. Laura came to the non-profit world after graduating Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Art and English, and began her career as the Director of Alumni and Parent Relations for the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh. She currently serves as the Board Chair of the Council of American Jewish Museums, co-chair of the Boston Lyric Stage Advisory Committee, is a member of the MASSCreative Advisory Council, and the JCRC Boston Council. Mandel writes regular arts and culture blogs for JewishBoston.com and The Times of Israel.

Contact Laura at laura@vilnashul.org.

Senior Director of Development

Christen Hazel brings over 20 years of fundraising experience to the Vilna. She has extensive knowledge in managing a robust strategic development plan that fosters a culture of philanthropy and engages all members of the community to propel organizations forward. Most recently, she was the Director of Development at Beacon Academy in Boston, MA. Prior to Beacon, she was the Associate Director of Development at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston located in Newton, MA. She holds a B.A. in Art History and an M.A.T. in Art Education from the University of New Hampshire. She looks forward to sharing her love of Judaism, listening to people speak passionately about the Vilna, and inspiring everyone to support this jewel in the city. 

Contact Christen at christen@vilnashul.org.

Chief Operating Officer

Andy Pankin joins The Vilna as its first Chief Operating Officer, bringing more than 15 years of finance and operations leadership in mission-driven organizations. Most recently, he spent nine years at BetterLesson, an ed-tech company in the K-12 education space, first as Director of Revenue Operations and then as Director of Finance, where he led financial planning and helped build the systems that supported the organization's growth. He began his career as a middle school educator at Kehillah Schechter Academy in Norwood, where he taught in grades 5-8 across several general studies subjects and led four trips to Israel with the eight grade students.

Andy holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a BA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A lifelong member of the Boston Jewish community, he lives in the area with his family. Outside of work, Andy cares deeply about social justice and issues of equity in education, and spends his free time rooting for many Boston sports teams and Liverpool FC. He looks forward to building the systems that will carry The Vilna's mission into its next chapter.

Contact Andy at andy@vilnashul.org.

Director of Arts and Culture

Elyse Winick joins the Vilna team after nearly 30 years of work in experiential learning. Most recently, she served as the Director of Learning and Education at Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston. She has also been the Jewish Chaplain at Brandeis University, the Director of KOACH/College Outreach and a freelance educator with M2 : The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education. A graduate of Brandeis, Elyse was ordained by The Jewish Theological Seminary. With an eye towards creating meaningful and accessible Jewish experiences for adults of all ages, Elyse also has a background in intergroup relations, text-based learning, community building and mentoring. She looks forward to cultivating joy and ideas and translating the past to power the future at The Vilna Shul.

Contact Elyse at elyse@vilnashul.org

Program and Operations Coordinator

Hadar comes to The Vilna Shul after spending a year learning Torah at Pardes, a pluralistic yeshiva in Jerusalem. She earned her bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Princeton University and previously coordinated sleep study operations at the National Institutes of Health, overseeing participant recruitment and smooth study execution.  

Hadar's many years of Jewish lay leadership ultimately inspired her to join The Vilna Shul team. She served as Programming Chair on the DC Minyan Board of Directors, where she found meaning in cultivating engaging experiences for the community. Hadar is excited to bring her organizational and program-building skills to the role and looks forward to creating thoughtful and impactful community programming.

Contact Hadar at hadar@vilnashul.org.

Marketing and Communications Manager

Prior to joining The Vilna, Jayde was the Senior Manager of Communications at Temple Isaiah, where she spearheaded the planning and execution of digital and print communications. She received her BA from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she studied English with a focus on journalism and professional writing. Jayde combines strong writing and editing skills with knowledge of digital marketing, social media strategy, and creative storytelling to build meaningful connections.

Contact Jayde at jayde@vilnashul.org.

Executive Assistant to the CEO and COO

Stephanie rejoins The Vilna after managing production logistics for preeminent author, comedy, and music events at Sixth & I in Washington, D.C. She began her career on the Jewish Life Team at 92NY before joining The Vilna as Operations Coordinator and growing into the role of Program Operations Manager, where she oversaw the execution of programs, tours, and venue rentals.

Stephanie received her BA from Northeastern-NYC (formerly Marymount Manhattan College), where she studied public relations and communications with a minor in dance.

She brings together her passion for arts and culture with strong organizational acumen and relationship-building skills, all in service of creating vibrant Jewish cultural spaces. Stephanie is thrilled to be back at The Vilna to contribute once again to an organization she cares about deeply.

Contact Stephanie at stephanie@vilnashul.org.