With these hires, RootOne, a proactive initiative dedicated to fostering Jewish identity by enabling more North American Jewish teens to travel to Israel, brings additional advancement and research capabilities to the organization
Today, RootOne announced the addition of two senior leaders: Amy Marks, Senior Managing Director of Development, and Dr. Jessica Kalbfeld, Director of Research and Evaluation. RootOne is an ambitious startup initiative dedicated to strengthening Jewish identity among North American teens by providing access to transformative, high-quality educational experiences in Israel.
These two new hires will significantly strengthen RootOne’s leadership team and further its mission by expanding the research and fundraising capabilities of the organization, enabling RootOne to grow at scale and more robustly measure impact of immersive Israel travel in order to optimize the field.
Marks is rounding out the Senior Leadership Team at RootOne as the Senior Managing Director of Development, where she will bring her experience leading development at Jewish organizations to expand institutional and philanthropic giving to RootOne. Marks is no stranger to the Jewish nonprofit world and is widely regarded for her leadership experience. Prior to joining RootOne, she served as the Vice President of Philanthropic Partnerships and Experiences for Hillel International, where she oversaw the implementation of a $30 million institutional giving program.
Kalbfeld, a quantitative sociologist, will leverage her 12 years of senior research leadership to develop new understandings of how North American teens can build even more meaningful connections to Israel through travel. Previously, Kalbfeld was the Director of Research for the Public Wise Research and Education Fund, and a founding member and partner in CulturePoint, LLC, a small consulting firm that provides evidence-based approaches to leadership and performance in high-reliability organizations. She has worked with a wide range of high-profile clients, such as the US Navy, Planned Parenthood, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“We are thrilled to welcome Amy and Jessie to our team at RootOne. They are each proven leaders and are well equipped to take RootOne to new heights,” said Simon Amiel, Executive Director of RootOne. “Research has always been a top strategic priority for RootOne – data informs how we and our partners in the field continually elevate the impact of immersive Israel experiences, how staff are trained, even down to how itineraries are designed. Jessie brings a sophisticated lens to this line of work that will be extremely valuable as we continue to run some of the largest studies of teens and the impact Israel experiences have on them in the years to come. Additionally, with Amy’s experience leading philanthropic initiatives, we look forward to expanding our portfolio of funders and implementing new and creative partnerships so RootOne can continue to scale and deepen its impact.”