The Team

JOIN Israel's champions of change

Board of Directors

Bryan Weingarten
President
Bryan is the retired Founder and CEO of WP Realty, a shopping center development firm. With over 25 years in real estate, he specialized in acquisitions and national corporate leasing. He holds a B.S. in Finance from the Wharton School and now resides in Aspen, Colorado and has spearheaded JOIN’s Board development and Aspen branch.
Champion of JOIN Lifeline
Maurice Dayan
Vice President
Maurice is Finance Director at Bluestar Alliance, overseeing operations and deal analysis. He previously held senior roles at Janus Capital and Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder. He holds a B.S. from Wharton and an MBA from NYU Stern. A JOIN supporter for over 20 years, Maurice lives in New York City with his wife and four children.
Champion of Our Own Way
Doug Cohen
Board Member
Doug is a Managing Director at Fiduciary Trust International and part of the senior Portfolio Management Team, focusing on investment advisory services. He previously co-founded Eachwin Capital and served as a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. Doug holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and lives in NYC with his wife and daughter.
Champion of JOIN Literacy
Natalie Eisen
Board Member
Natalie is a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker and co-founder of the nationally recognized Adrian | Natalie Team. Her deep connection to Israel stems from her grandfather's Palmach service in 1948. She earned her BA from Barnard College and studied at The Hebrew University. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Natalie lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband and son.
Champion of JOIN Therapy
Daniel Goldberg
Board Member
Daniel is Managing Director of IKOR of North Shore LI, providing life care consulting and patient advocacy for seniors and individuals with special needs. After a 30-year Wall Street career, including founding Velo Capital, he shifted to life care to make a difference in people's lives. He holds a B.S. from Wharton and an MBA from NYU Stern. He lives with his family on Long Island's North Shore.
Champion of JOIN Lifeline
Jeffrey Keswin
Board Member
Jeffrey Keswin is the Founder, CEO, and Managing Partner of Lyrical Partners investing and managing private equity, real estate, traditional equity, and hedge funds. A serial entrepreneur from Minnesota, Jeffrey graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Management & Technology Program.
Champion of Young Leadership Chapter
Jeffrey Kleinhaus
Board Treasurer
Jeffrey is Director of Finance and Accounting at SNA Displays and a CPA. He holds an MBA from Baruch College’s Zicklin School and a B.A. from Brandeis. A lifelong New Yorker, he enjoys hockey, local sports, and community volunteering.
Champion of JOIN Lifeline
Anna Knoll
Board Member
Anna is a Senior Manager at Salesforce, leading a team of Technical Architects in HealthCare and Life Sciences. Born in Moscow, she moved to Israel on the Na’ale program, served in the Israeli Air Force, and earned a BA in Linguistics from Hebrew University. She also holds an Executive MBA from Quantic and has studied Computational Linguistics at San Diego State. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.
Champion of Bolster Education
Daniel Nir
Founding Board Member
Daniel is the founder and former CEO of Gracie Capital and a founding board member of JOIN Israel. He holds degrees in Economics and History from the University of Pennsylvania and studied at Hebrew University’s Rothberg School. Now based in Miami, he and his wife, Jill Braufman, are active philanthropists focused on Israel and the arts.
Champion of Bolster Education
Lauren Rieder
Board Secretary
Lauren is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, where she serves as Chief Risk Officer for Investment Management and Head of Operational Risk for the Institutional and Securities Group. She previously worked at RBS and Deloitte and is a CPA with a BS in Accounting from NYU Stern. Born in Israel, Lauren is deeply connected to JOIN’s mission and also serves on the board of Girl Be Heard. She lives in Greenwich, CT with her husband and daughter.
Champion of Middle School to University
Selig Sechzer
Board Member
Dr. Selig is a retired financial risk executive who most recently served at BlackRock, including developing risk models and guiding teams through major financial crises, with prior roles at Merrill Lynch and Alliance Capital. He holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and formerly was an Assistant Professor of International Economics at Rutgers. Beyond JOIN, he volunteers with animal rescue organizations, veterans, and as a First Responder.
Champion of Educational Consulting and JOIN Lifeline
Adam Sussman
Board Member
Adam is a partner at Nelson Mullins and co-chair of its Private Funds & Investment Management group. He advises fund sponsors and institutional investors across a wide range of alternative assets, including private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds. He previously practiced at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Proskauer Rose LLP, and Goodwin Procter LLP, and worked as an investment fund analyst and served in the War Room of Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. Adam holds degrees from Yale, Northwestern Law, and Columbia Business School.
Champion of JOIN Literacy
Neil Wessan
Board Member
Neil is the former Group Head and Managing Director at CIT Capital Markets, with over 35 years of experience in senior-level positions in private high-yield financing and senior bank facilities. He holds a BS from Wharton and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Neil has been a leading JOIN board member for 30 years as well as multiple Jewish communal boards and resides in Connecticut.
Champion of Educational Consulting

Executive Team

Stephen Bisk
Executive Director
Stephen is the founder of JOIN Israel, as well as the Israeli nonprofits Ofkei Chaim and Pitronot L’Chaim, and the social enterprise Prakti, which makes weddings affordable for low-income families. A serial social entrepreneur, he has launched over 100 philanthropic initiatives, with a focus on efficient, high-impact giving. He holds a B.Sc. from the Wharton School, rabbinic ordination, and eight professional certificates. Stephen has taught, consulted, authored courses, and written articles on nonprofit strategy and impact.
Alex Schieber
Director of Development
Alex brings a deep love for Israel and a passion for philanthropy to his work at JOIN. He holds a degree in Political Science from the University at Albany and participated in the Semester at Sea program. Before JOIN, Alex worked in development at Friends of the IDF’s Long Island Chapter and held roles at AIPAC and the Jewish National Fund. He has also led trips to Israel for young Jewish professionals.
Libby Bergier-Pesin
Development Assistant
Libby graduated from Muhlenberg College with a degree in music and a passion for helping others. She is deeply committed to JOIN’s mission of supporting at-risk youth, struggling families, and the elderly. She previously volunteered with Project TEN on Kibbutz Harduf and with Kol HaNearim at a children’s home in Bnei Brak.

Young Leadership

Rick Goodman
Rick is a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, where he works with the Goodman Group to help clients build long-term wealth strategies. He earned a B.A. in International Economics with a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of Michigan. Originally from Scarsdale, NY, Rick now lives in New York City and is especially passionate about JOIN Israel’s Educational Consulting Program.
Yehudis Gottesfeld
Yehudis is a chemical engineer specializing in nuclear and environmental engineering, with a focus on the energy sector. She has conducted research at Columbia University and The City College of New York. A committed nonprofit volunteer, Yehudis brings her dedication to community service to JOIN’s mission.
Heath Hartman
Heath is an Investment Associate at One Madison Group, responsible for sourcing, due diligence, deal execution, and portfolio management. He previously worked in Investment Banking at Citi. A graduate of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Heath lives in New York City and supports JOIN Israel’s Literacy Project.
Adam Koeppel
Adam works at J.P. Morgan, where he focuses on due diligence and manager selection across private equity, credit, and real estate funds. He holds a B.A. in Public Policy with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Virginia. A lifelong New Yorker, Adam is especially committed to JOIN Israel’s Big Brother Program.
Haylie Lempert
Haylie Lempert, LMSW, holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Fordham University. Originally from Long Island, New York, she completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Delaware before relocating to Manhattan to pursue her graduate education. Haylie is thrilled to be a part of JOIN Israel’s Young Leadership Board and is looking forward to contributing to impactful initiatives.
Aryeh Rephun
Aryeh is the founder and CEO of Aryeh & Co, a bespoke diamond jewelry company known for its craftsmanship and trusted presence in the tri-state Jewish community. He studied at Yeshivat Mevaseret Zion in Israel and earned his degree from Queens College. Aryeh blends cultural insight with business acumen to serve a loyal and discerning clientele.
Dr. Melissa Sussman
Melissa is a Family Medicine Resident at Mount Sinai South Nassau. She holds a DO from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and an MPH from CUNY School of Public Health. Her background spans clinical work in Mumbai, medical research, biotech analysis, and health news at The Dr. Oz Show. Melissa also holds a BFA from NYU Tisch and previously worked in biotech and breast cancer research. She is excited to support JOIN Israel Medical Emergency Response program.
Zachary Tanenbaum
Zachary is an entrepreneur running a startup focused on automated integration testing and managing a hedge fund trading biotech stocks. His experience includes roles at Google, Amazon, and hedge funds in the Forex and crypto spaces. He holds a Master’s in AI/ML and a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering. Zachary is deeply passionate about education and lifelong learning.
Liora Zaidner
Liora was raised in Jerusalem and completed her national service at Nefesh B’Nefesh before earning a degree in Computer Science from Bar Ilan University. She began her tech career at Google while still a student and later relocated to New York. Deeply connected to Israel and its people, Liora is especially passionate about JOIN Israel’s welfare programs for the elderly.

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