Friends of the Arava Institute Staff
RACHEL KALIKOW, Chief Executive Officer
Rachel Kalikow is the CEO of Friends of the Arava Institute. Prior to assuming this position, she served as Director of Development and then Chief Development Officer of FAI for nearly five years. She comes to FAI with extensive non-profit experience in development and community outreach, having worked for organizations including the American Jewish Committee (Chicago), the New Israel Fund (Boston and New York), Jewish Women’s Archive (Boston), and Gann Academy (Boston). Rachel has an MSW from the University of Maryland and a BA in Religion from Columbia University in New York City. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts, with her husband. Her grown children visit from Brooklyn and Colorado Springs.
RABBI MICHAEL COHEN, Director of Community Relations
Rabbi Michael Margaretten Cohen is the Director for Community Relations for the Friends of the Arava Institute. He is also a faculty member of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and Bennington College. He teaches courses on conflict resolution, the Bible, and the environment. Rabbi Cohen has been a Policy Advisor to the Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, U.S. Department of State and a Speechwriter Adviser to the Office of the White House Speechwriters. He also has sat on the Advisory Board of the Middle East Peace Partnership (MEPPA) of USAID established by Congress. Rabbi Cohen is a long-time environmental activist who, while in high school, co-founded the first recycling center in Ewing, New Jersey in 1976. He graduated, with a B.A. in History, from the University of Vermont, where he also received the Paul Evans History Award for his honors paper on “Lenin’s Theory of Self-Determination and the Muslims of the Soviet Union.” In 1990 he graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and become the first full-time rabbi of the Israel Congregation in Manchester Center, Vermont. Since 1996, he has divided his time between Vermont and Kibbutz Ketura, Israel. Cohen, now the rabbi emeritus of the Israel Congregation in Manchester Center, Vermont is the author of numerous articles that have appeared in the Middle East and the United States. He has a regular Torah commentator in the Jerusalem Post as well as a regular opinion writer there. He is the author of “Einstein’s Rabbi: A Tale of Science and the Soul.” Cohen co-founded the Green Zionist Alliance. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Burr & Burton Academy, the Mount Equinox Preservation Trust, the Green Sabbath Project, KaTO Architecture, and the Jerusalem Peacebuilders. He is a recipient of the Eliav Sartawi Award for Middle East Journalism from the Search for Common Ground.
CHANDRA MAHABIER-SHEEHY, Director of Finance & Administration
Chandra Mahabier-Sheehy comes to the Friends of Arava Institute with nearly ten years of accounting experience in the corporate transportation industry. During that time, she led a team in updating accounting procedures and standards for accounts payable, receivable, and database management. Chandra holds an M.A. in Diplomacy, with a focus in Conflict Management from Norwich University. Currently, she is finishing coursework required for a CPA license, and completing her thesis on sustainability accounting standards. She typically spends her free time playing contractor at home and riding herd on a small army of pets.
BRIAN CRANN, University & Alumni Relations Manager
Brian Crann holds a B.S. in environmental engineering from Rutgers University and an M.A. in GLOCAL International Community Development from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has several years of experience in organic farming, urban/rooftop gardening, and off-grid environmental technologies in contexts ranging from the tropics to hyperarid deserts and in densely crowded refugee camps. Brian attended the Arava Institute as an intern with the Center for Transboundary Water Management in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters and believes in optimizing environmental, economic, and social well-being in any project. As UARM for FAI, Brian is excited to help enhance the North American alumni community and foster connection and collaboration amongst its many inspiring individuals.
MADELINE UPSON, Communications & Development Manager
Madeline Upson has more than seven years of experience in marketing for mission-driven organizations. She holds a BA in International Relations and Middle East Studies from the University of Arkansas and began her career in Boston as a writer for a cheese magazine. After two years in the nonprofit sector, she earned a Social Impact MBA from Boston University and went on to work with climatetech startups. She now works as the Communications and Development Manager at Friends of the Arava Institute and lives in Boston.
ROBERTA SPIVAK, Grants Manager
Roberta has an MA in Middle East politics from Columbia University and has lived and worked in Israel. Recently she spent three years working in the climate change laboratory for the National Center for Atmospheric Research where she worked on government and nonprofit grants. Before that she spent 5 years working with the United Nations, designing and running a discussion series for UN Ambassadors in New York and Geneva. She is a published author and has written on peace and security often through the lens of political psychology. She lives just outside Boulder, Colorado.
HANNAH OSHINSKY, Development & Administrative Associate
Hannah Oshinsky is a recent graduate of Tufts University with a B.S. in Psychology. During her time at Tufts, she was involved in a variety of community service organizations and was the director of the Tufts Tap Ensemble. This summer, she interned with Third Sector New England's Property Services department as a part of the Forest Foundation Fellowship. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, arts & crafts, reading, and a good trip to the movie theater.
MIRIAM MAY, CEO Emerita, z"l
Miriam S. May served as Executive Director and then CEO of Friends of the Arava Institute from October 2016 until June 2024. During that time, she oversaw tremendous growth at the Friends of the Arava Institute, enabling it to substantially increase support from US-based donors for the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Miriam retired in June 2024 leaving a strong fiscal legacy. She passed away in December 2024.