Mikva Staff

Jaime Arteaga, Youth Safety Council Director
jaime@mikvachallenge.org
Jaime came to Mikva from the Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform. He leads the Youth Safety Council and facilitates the Peace and Leadership Council at Bowen High School.

Rohan Barrett, Communications Director & Lead Grantwriter
rohan@mikvachallenge.org
An alumnus of the Mikva Challenge program, Rohan joined the development staff in June of 2009. He is Mikva's primary grantwriter and coordinates the organization's internal and external communications. Rohan is also involved in managing Mikva's Community Leadership Scholarships.

Brian Brady, Executive Director
mikvachallenge@aol.com
Brian has led the Mikva Challenge for nine years and has over 20 years of experience as a youth worker. Brian has grown Mikva from an organization that served 120 students in 8 schools to one that now involves over 4,800 students from 75 Chicago area high schools annually.

ShaRhonda Dawson, Peace & Leadership Council Director
sharhonda@mikvachallenge.org
ShaRhonda has been with Mikva since 2000. She has held many positions at Mikva, and is currently managing Mikva's Peace & Leadership Council program. Sharhonda is also running Mikva's alumni programs.

Jessica Gingold, Youth Council Coordinator
jessica@mikvachallenge.org
Jessica Gingold graduated from Colorado College with a degree in Sociology in 2008. Before joining Mikva, she was as a Princeton Project 55 Fellow working for a nonprofit healthcare organization. She joined the Mikva staff in June of 2009 and is primarily working with Mikva's Education Council.

Rocio Herrera, Operations and Development Assistant
rocio@mikvachallenge.org
Rocio is a graduate of Kelly High School and National-Louis University, where she earned a degree in Business Administration. Rocio supports the Operations and Development staff and is a native Spanish speaker. She also provides staff support for Mikva's Community Leadership Scholarship.

Emma Kornfeld, Leadership & Activism Coordinator
emma@mikvachallenge.org
Before joining Mikva in May of 2009, Emma earned her degree in English at Washington University in St. Louis, with minors in Writing and Women's Studies. She currently works as a Leadership and Activism Coordinator with the Issues to Action Program.

Miriam Martinez, Out-of-School Time Council Director
miriam@mikvachallenge.org
Miriam is a distinguished alumna of the Mikva Challenge. She has been on the Mikva staff since 2003, and until recently, has been directing the Youth Education Council (formerly Youth Innovation Fund). She is now directing Mikva's newest youth policymaking council, the Out-of-School Time Council.

Jelani McEwen-Torrence, Issues to Action Director
jelani@mikvachallenge.org
A Mikva Challenge alumnus, Jelani served as an Americorps volunteer in Boston and taught writing and public speaking at Urban Prep Charter Academy in the Englewood neighborhood before joining the staff in the summer of 2008. He currently directs the Issues to Action program.

Matthew Brady Meisenhelder, Operations Director
brady@mikvachallenge.org
Before joining Mikva in 2008, Brady managed the senior staff and oversaw daily operations for the Hot House, the Center for International Performance and Exhibition. He supervises office administration and coordinates human resources and office accounting.

LeAndra Padgett, Youth Council Coordinator
leandra@mikvachallenge.org
LeAndra has a background in community health and holds a Masters of Social Work degree from Florida A&M University. In addition to her PLC work at DuSable, LeAndra leads the Teen Health Council.

Cristina Perez, Elections in Action Coordinator
cristina@mikvachallenge.org
Cristina recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Public Policy. She has returned to the Mikva Challenge after interning with our Summer Government & Leadership Institute in 2007. She is now heading the Student Judge Program.

Kelly Rolf, Director of Development
kelly@mikvachallenge.org
Kelly oversees the development and implementation of Mikva's fundraising and communications strategy. Before joining the Mikva staff in early 2008, she worked in book publishing in New York City.

Brenan Smith-Evans, Associate Director
brenan@mikvachallenge.org
Brenan holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago and has been at Mikva since 2005. She oversees all the teacher-based programs at the Mikva Challenge including the Issues to Action, Democracy in Action, and Elections in Action programs.

Stephanie Troche (Public Ally), Peace & Leadership Council Coordinator
stephanie@mikvachallenge.org
Stephanie has been with Mikva Challenge for over a year now. She came to Mikva Challenge through Public Allies Chicago, a community leadership apprenticeship program, and is currently the Peace & Leadership Council Coordinator at EPIC Academy, and Sullivan High School.

Mikva's Part-Time Talent: 

Christian "Chris" Bufford, Peace & Leadership Council Coordinator
chris@mikvachallenge.org
Chris comes to Mikva with a background in grassroots organizing. He participated in the Public Allies Chicago program last year working with After School Matters and is currently the Peace and Leadership Council Coordinator for Percy L. Julian High School.

Josue "Josh" de Leon, Office Assistant
josh@mikvachallenge.org 
Josh has been working at Mikva Challenge as an office assistant since his high school years. He is now studying English at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Ayeshia "A.J." Johnson, Peace & Leadership Council Coordinator
aj@mikvachallenge.org
Alumna of the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign, AJ joined the Mikva staff in November of 2009 and is currently working with Mikva's Peace and Leadership Council at James H. Bowen Campus. Before Mikva, she was a Campaign Director in Nevada for President Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Samuel Ryan, Out-of-School Time Program Coordinator
sam@mikvachallenge.org 
Alumnus of Mikva Challenge, and a graduate from Jones College Prep. Sam is currently a Public Policy student at Depaul University. He is working with the Out-of-School Time Council Director to launch this new Citywide Youth Policy Council.

Mona Yeh, Peace & Leadership Council Coordinator
mona@mikvachallenge.org
Mona joined the Mikva team in November of 2009 after teaching video to high school students in India. She has also previously worked with Free Spirit Media and Civic Education Project. She now facilitates a Peace and Leadership Council at Little Village Lawndale High School.