My friend and mentor, Miriam May, of blessed memory, led Friends of the Arava Institute with determination, warmth, and compassion. In fact, serving as CEO was much more than a job for her. She spoke about her work as an avocation more than a vocation – something she did out of love as much as professional responsibility.
Miriam joined Friends of the Arava Institute in 2016 with a vision. And from that vision she created a legacy through which Friends of the Arava Institute has become a robust organization which enabled the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies to broaden and deepen its impact. Under her leadership, Friends of the Arava Institute increased and diversified our fundraising capacity more than threefold, stabilizing the annual campaign, and securing transformational philanthropic support to support a new expanded campus.
I had the distinct honor of working side by side with Miriam for five years. I saw her brilliance, her ability to engage with people, and her strength in articulating the impact and potential of the Arava Institute. She was creative, and introduced opportunities for people to connect with the Arava Institute, through philanthropic partnership as well as study tours to the region and alumni speaking tours to the United States.
Miriam was at her core a relationship builder, and she built an organization which put people first. She mentored staff and, truthfully, everyone in her orbit, creating a professional community that met her standards of excellence. Soon after I joined Friends of the Arava Institute, I learned that to be part of Miriam’s staff became personal as well as professional. We were invited for holiday meals and included in family milestones. She reminded us that family came first.
She was a friend, a mentor, a leader, and a consummate professional. Miriam’s legacy has left Friends of the Arava Institute and the Arava Institute a strong future ahead. I will miss her, and I am proud to have been able to call her a mentor and a friend.
May Miriam’s memory and legacy be for a blessing.
Rachel Kalikow
CEO
Friends of the Arava Institute
