As a kid, my parents read me a story titled “People Are Good.” I had no idea how real this story would become in my life. Since the early 1980s, I have managed projects in many countries. I was curious to meet people. I wanted to learn about cultures and speak more languages. I wanted to visit people where they live, work, and see life through their eyes. Projects were, and still are, how I discover how amazing - how good - people are. Anywhere and everywhere. Join me, and discover together.

Home Visit to Chika from Ribniza

From 1995 through 2011 I traveled the Former Soviet Union extensively on behalf of JDC and UJF Pittsburgh. This video documents a home visit I did on location to assess the need for a welfare center.

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Innopolis University

To leverage its technology sector, to expand GDP, and to secure future competitiveness in the global marketplace, the Russian Federation needed to increase and retain its pool of highly skilled employees that meet industry standards.

Maestro Isaac Steiner

The world I was born into was made more beautiful and creative because my older brother, Isaac, was always composing and playing the piano. His music has, in more than one way, forever inspired us.

KYR In 1991, Ohad Naharin, Batsheva Dance Company Artistic Director, created KYR, a monumental and impactful piece of choreography and music. Together with Batsheva and the rock band Nikmat Hatractor (The Tractor Revenge), Ohad shared with the public a new approach to experiencing dance and music. Tasked with marketing and promoting KYR, KYR continues to be performed by leading dance companies worldwide 30 years later.

Marci-Lynn Bernstein

Marci-Lynn Bernstein Philanthropy Project is a story of members of the Bernstein family. Each engaging in an extraordinary way to make a difference globally. Each finding a unique way to make Marci-Lynn, whom they lost, proud of how much they care. My role in this project was translating their care for others into projects and philanthropy.

Snyder Family Philanthropy

Holocaust Memorial Synagogue - dedication

In 1998, after two years of intensive work, President Boris Yeltsin, together with dignitaries from many countries, dedicated the Moscow Holocaust Memorial Synagogue on Poklonnaya Memorial Hill. In this project, which had been the vision and funding of the Russian Jewish Congress’ first president, Vladimir Gusinsky, I was tasked to lead the strategic planning team.

SOS Project

The SOS Project, envisioned by Sandy and Edgar Snyder in the early 2000s, was always about making a difference in people's lives, but often also about saving lives. A wonderful family in the US, stepping to do something that was often seen as God's hand offering a miracle. In this project, my role was to plan, manage, and oversee the project's operation in numerous sites globally.

Russian Jewish Congress (REK)

The Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) is the birthchild of Vladimir Gusinski, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, Boris Khait, Vitaly Malkin, and Mikhail Fridman. These community leaders collaborated and forever changed the Jewish community's future in the largest country in the world. I was tasked with supporting Russian leaders in their research, strategy, and organization creation in the mid-nineties. RJC was established in over 45 cities across 11 time zones and started allocating tens of millions of dollars to serve the needs of hundreds of thousands of Jews and others. One of the first steps was the appointment of Professor Alexander Osovtsov as RJC’s first Executive Vice President.