Meet the Team
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Roger joined SF Hillel in 2023. He just concluded a 30-year tour at Oracle, holding a variety of roles from operations, marketing, and partner management. Outside of Oracle, Roger has held several leadership roles in the Jewish Community, including president of the Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City and most recently as president of Peninsula Temple Beth El (PTBE) in San Mateo. Education is also really important to Roger, and he's volunteered at Carlmont High School, coached classes at d.tech High School and currently teaches the history of Jews in Europe to 6th graders at PTBE on Wednesday nights.
He received his undergraduate degree in Communication and Psychology from Stanford University and MBA from Santa Clara University. He is married to Rebecca Schwartz who is the Jewish Engagement Manager at the Peninsula JCC and has two children -- Alyssa who is a 2nd-year rabbinic student at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and Leon who is a sophomore at University of Washington.
At Hillel Roger is most excited about getting Jewish students engaged; to give them a place to connect, learn, and celebrate; and to provide a safe place to be their anchor as they navigate their college years.
Roger would love to hear from you anytime!
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(she/her)Maya (she/her) is a dedicated professional with a passion for fostering inclusive Jewish communities. With extensive experience in program development, team leadership, and student engagement, Maya is committed to creating meaningful experiences for young adults.
Maya studied International Relations at UC Davis, focusing on Peace & Security, and became deeply involved in campus life through Hillel, Mishelanu, ASUCD, Greek life, and Camp Kesem.
As Program Director at Maccabi Sports Camp, Maya designed programs that promoted community building and personal growth. She is trained in conflict resolution and was a Merrin Fellow, reflecting her ability to navigate complex environments and build strong collaborative relationships. Maya is passionate about supporting students in their Jewish identity development and empowering them to become future leaders.
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Sarah Wechsler was born and raised in Seattle, WA before attending the University of Washington (UW) where she graduated with a B.A. in Law, Societies, and Justice as well as a B.A. in Political Science, minoring in drama performance.
Over the course of her college career, Sarah spent a majority of her time working for Hillel at UW, as well as interning for the Anti-Defamation League’s PNW Division. There, Sarah worked to survey hate crimes and bias incidents in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoyed building community and facilitating antisemitism education for schools and community leaders, as well as lobbying for progressive legislation in both Washington and Oregon state.
Sarah is driven towards strengthening Jewish community and is excited to bring her passion for social justice, artistic interests, and love of being Jewish, to the students of San Francisco.
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Talia joined SF Hillel in 2025 as the Springboard Ezra Jewish Education Specialist. She grew up in Houston, TX, and earned her B.A. in Sociology from Occidental College in Los Angeles. Talia has been deeply engaged in Jewish learning and community throughout her life, from BBYO in high school to both Hillel and Chabad during college.
Her passion for Jewish education deepened in college, where she participated in Hillel’s Jewish Learning Fellowship and Sinai Scholars through Chabad. Talia is excited to help students find personal and meaningful connections to Jewish values, history, and traditions, no matter their background. She’s passionate about creating welcoming spaces for dialogue, exploration, and growth. In her free time, Talia enjoys baking, learning new languages, reading, spending time in nature, and exploring everything a new city has to offer.
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Emily Simons is a passionate Jewish leader who inspires others to engage with their Jewish values through the gift of philanthropy. Emily works for San Francisco Hillel as the Director of Development, and has been there since 2016 in a multitude of roles. Emily holds a Master's in Organizational Leadership & Innovation from HUC's Zelikow School of Nonprofit Management and a Bachelor's in Social Work from Temple University.
Emily is an active lay leader in the San Francisco Jewish community. She currently serves on the Jewish LearningWorks board, is a Bay Area JCRC Council Member, and is a member of the newest Voices for Good Fellowship cohort through Jewish LearningWorks, which empowers female leaders in the workplace.
Interested in learning more about SF Hillel's donor communities? Emily would love to connect with you!
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Sophie is an enthusiastic operations and finance professional who has broad experience with both the programmatic and administrative sides of non-profit organizations. Sophie's involvement with Hillel began as an undergraduate student at the University of Vermont where she was a participant and leader on the student board. Since joining the team in 2019, she has streamlined and improved organizational processes which has allowed staff to achieve their goals and has broadened the impact of the organization. Sophie is an avid reader, life-long learner, and environmental advocate who can be found gardening, hiking, or cooking in her free time.
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(She/Her)
Gabby is a passionate Israel Education Coordinator and a recent graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in Business, specializing in Entrepreneurship and Management. Her passion for Israel and the Jewish community was sparked through her involvement with CU Boulder's Hillel, where she served as a photographer on the student board, and continued with a summer internship at Aloha Surf School in Tel Aviv. In her free time, Gabby enjoys hiking, surfing, powerlifting, and watching movies. She is enthusiastic about travel, experiential learning, connecting with new people, and baby animals.
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Lilly is passionate about creating inclusive, supportive spaces where students feel a strong sense of belonging in Jewish life. Originally from Washington, D.C., she studied Elementary and Special Education at American University and began her career as a first-grade teacher.
Her time in the classroom shaped her belief in the power of curiosity, empathy, and community. She later took on a leadership role running a before- and after-school program, where she worked closely with families to build a positive, connected environment.
Lilly is excited to bring her background in education, relationship-building, and program development to SF Hillel. She looks forward to supporting students as they explore their identities, build meaningful connections, and create vibrant Jewish experiences together.
