Leadership
Executive Director, Danielle Burenstein
Danielle is Executive Director of Beit Ruth and directs strategic planning and development to help lead Beit Ruth to a higher level of community-building, visibility, partnership development, and impact.
Before joining Beit Ruth, Danielle was the Executive Director of Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda for vulnerable and orphaned youth -- modeled after the youth villages built in Israel after the Holocaust. Previously, she led development at an independent school in Harlem and at a leading congregation in New York City.
Prior to her work in development, Danielle was a Corporate Social Responsibility manager at a Fortune 11 company. She began her career as an attorney with a Paris law firm before moving back to New York to join the Legal Aid Society where she represented the underserved, addressing issues of poverty and housing. Danielle is the proud daughter of a Holocaust survivor who arrived in what was then Palestine on the Exodus 47.
She credits her mother for showing her what courage looks like, teaching her how even during the worst of atrocities, generosity and kindness can thrive and breed hope. She wants to pass on this hope to the girls at Beit Ruth who have never been given reason to believe that the world can be a kind and good place. Danielle lives happily in New York with her partner.
Director of Communications and Partnerships, Lisa-Michelle Kucharz
Lisa-Michelle Kucharz is a recognized expert in marketing, communications, public relations, business development, and philanthropy. She is an adjunct professor in communications, teaching media law, interpersonal communication in the digital age, oral communication and presentations, emerging media applications, and communications research methods.
She earned her MBA at the University of Derby Jerusalem Campus and Bachelor’s degree at Binghamton University (SUNY). Lisa-Michelle holds certificates in management effectiveness, social media, marketing analytics, fundraising and development, project management, positive psychology, coaching, psychological first aid, and mental health first aid. Determined to foster on-the-job happiness for others and herself, Lisa-Michelle obtained a certificate in happiness studies (CiHS) with Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar and is a certified happiness trainer.
When she’s not passionately working to accomplish her goals and help others achieve success, she enjoys hiking, traveling, cooking, baking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Our Team
Leadership
In Israel
Managing Director, Inbal Yochanan
Inbal brings nearly 20 years of experience in business and professional management of rehabilitative and social services provided throughout Israel. Throughout her career, she has held a number of positions that demonstrate her leadership skills in community relations, program development, and partnership-building with key government entities.
Prior to joining Beit Ruth, Inbal was Senior Director of the Rehabilitation Division at ORS Health and Community, which provides privatized social services to populations overseen by the Ministries of Welfare, Health, and Defense. In addition to managing a multimillion-dollar budget, she built and maintained close working relationships with multiple government Ministries, and oversaw hundreds of employees throughout Israel who served nearly 2,000 individuals annually.
Inbal earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Ben Gurion University of the Negev and a Master's degree in Social Work with a specialization in Rehabilitation and Health from Haifa University. A lecturer and instructor in academic settings, she also holds several professional certifications in supervision and training for managers in the field of rehabilitative services.
Director of the Center of Knowledge, Ronit Lev-Ari
Ronit Lev-Ari is a pioneer and trailblazer in the field of violence against women and girls in Israel. She served as the Israeli Government’s foremost authority on women’s issues under two Prime Ministers and is a recognized leader in the field of gender-based violence. A founding staff member of Beit Ruth, she led and continues to serve as an advisor for the Center of Knowledge that is designed to help raise awareness and understanding among like-minded stakeholders about the pandemic issue of violence and abuse.
Through multiple channels, a decades-old professional network, and as a sought-after expert in gender-specific treatment, Ronit underscores the uniqueness of Beit Ruth’s model program. Working toward systemic change, she has presented our innovative framework to key national influencers and stakeholders, including hospitals, health-care providers, law enforcement, court officials and lawyers, educators, municipal leadership, and policymakers throughout Israel. Ronit also addresses the required policy reforms and on-the-ground programs and services necessary to focus on the needs of at-risk youth, specifically, at-risk girls.
Village Manager, Vered Ohanuna
Vered currently serves as the Beit Ruth Village Manager. Prior to this position, she was the Director of Education for 6 years where she led and implemented organizational, educational, and administrative processes in and outside of the Village. Vered also recruited, trained, and managed the education staff, and was responsible for developing curriculum and individualized education plans to meet the needs of each girl.
Before joining Beit Ruth in 2016, Vered was the Education & Community Coordinator with Gan Ner, a community in Northern Israel. She was responsible for various activities, including culture, sports, and recreation. She also served as the Education Officer in Israel’s prison system coordinating and guiding a drug rehabilitation project; leading educational processes; running a joint project for inmates from a drug rehabilitation program and students in special education. For 7 years, she was the Urban Youth Coordinator of the Department of Education in Afula.
Vered earned a Master’s in Organization and Management Studies and a Bachelor’s in Education.