Student Leadership

The Student Board is responsible for formally guiding the Hillel community. Students work hard to build connections and strengthen relationships with other campus communities. At Brown students challenge one another to build a warm and nurturing community whose content is compelling and diverse. Programming is innovative and creative, reflective of the broadly varied interests and pursuits of Jewish students.

Executive Board

As the executive board of Brown RISD Hillel, we are thrilled about what is happening this year at Hillel. We and other students are planning many new exciting programs and events, as well as traditional favorites. We are also eager for students to use Hillel's resources to find new and diverse ways to explore their Jewish identities, whether that be through art, spirituality, travel, sports, music, cooking, or a myriad of other possibilities. Hillel has many opportunities to offer, and we welcome the Brown community to take advantage of them this year. We are looking forward to seeing you!

The executive board for 2012:

President: Lex Rofes

Lex Rofes '13 hails from the far-away land known to many as "Milwaukee." His likes include celery, James Taylor, haiku, and disc golf. He dislikes the word "guesstimate." He is a brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a member of the most lovable acapella group in all the land (The Brown Derbies), and a Scorpio. At Hillel he's the Student President (some might call him the Lexecutive) and he spends most of his time watching the rest of Hillel's student leadership do amazing things. He can be reached at Alexander_Rofes@brown.edu.

Executive Vice President: Shayna Zema

Shayna Zema '15 has been all over the globe, but originally hails from the outskirts of Monsey, New York. With all her travels, she has become a budgeting expert and now helps manage the Hillel funds; she works tirelessly to provide student groups with the resources they need to carry out their dreams and desires.  As a theater-geek, animal rights guru, and a person who discovered 25 hours in a day, she will more than happily help you with any question or concern! Contact her at Shayna_Zema@brown.edu.

Vice President for Community-Wide Programming: Kelly Milman

Kelly Milman '13 is a Pre-Med Neuroscience concentrator.  She comes all the way from Texas and is shocked every time the New England weather drops below 50 degrees.  When she's not planning or attending exciting programs at Hillel, she enjoys doing work in the Hillel lobby, taking naps on the Hillel couch, and - oh, things that don't involve Hillel....  When she's not at Hillel, Kelly enjoys working in a Neuroscience lab, making obnoxious science jokes and puns, and doing crossword puzzles.  She can be reached at Kelly_Milman@brown.edu.

Vice President for Campus Relations: Chelsea Feuchs

Chelsea Feuchs '14 comes from New York. She will tell you she is from the village, because that sounds cool, but really she is from Westchester.  She enjoys kickboxing, Bruce Springsteen, and yellow raspberries.  She is Hillel's Vice President of Campus Relations (VCR, not to be confused with DVD), as well as a Jr USY coordinator. As VCR, she looks forward to cheering on all the amazing student leaders under her umbrella. She can be reached at Chelsea_Feuchs@Brown.edu.

Vice President for Cultural Arts: Ross Lerner

Ross Lerner '14 hails from that vast and distant Jewish wilderness known as Newton, Massachusetts. Having decided from an early age that he enjoys both culture and art, he was -- as you can imagine -- overjoyed to become Vice President for Cultural Arts at Brown RISD Hillel. He is a history concentrator focusing in contemporary United States history and is precariously close to double-concentrating in English. He enjoys crunching leaves, reading humorous descriptions of himself, and eating kugel. You can reach him at Ross_Lerner@Brown.edu.

Programming Board
The programming board consists of the chairs of Hillel's programming committes. These are:

The Learning Committee, chaired by Judah Schvimer '15 

The Social Committee, chaired by Audrey Lew '14

The Holidays Committee, chaired by Alex Drechsler '15 and Rachel Kaplan '15

The Shabbat Committee, chaired by Brandon Taub '15 

The Tzedek Committee, chaired by Max Genecov '15

The Student Welcoming Committee, chaired by Sarah Abelman '15.

The Israel Committee, chaired by Hannah Glickman '15.

The RISD Liaison is Patricia "Patchi" Dranoff, RISD '15.

Read more about these committees.
See pictures from the Fall 2009 student leadership retreat!