Staff expands to serve growing Jewish student body
Elon University has announced staffing changes at Elon Hillel that will encourage and strengthen the continued growth of Jewish Life at Elon.
Betsy Polk will join the staff as the interim director of Hillel in late July. Polk will supervise the Hillel Staff, lead the professional team to excellence, and work to engage and inspire an exciting vision for engagement of all Jewish students on campus. Polk is a co-founder of The Mulberry Partners, a successful Chapel Hill, N.C., consulting firm focused on leadership development, and brings decades of experience in team building and organizational management to Hillel. She has worked with N.C. Hillel in the past, and has deep ties to the Jewish communities throughout North Carolina. She is also the co-author of the award-winning book, “Power through Partnership: How Women Lead Better Together.”
Amy Wolf ’17 joined the Hillel Staff in June as engagement associate. Wolf will be responsible for building relationships with Elon’s Jewish students, creating and developing innovative engagement programs, and offering support to the student intern program and Hillel’s student board. While an Elon student, Wolf majored in human service studies and minored in psychology, and was active in Hillel and Jewish Life, Greek life, Elonthon (a 24-hour dance marathon to support Duke Children’s Hospital), and also worked at the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life as a student office assistant.
Hillary Zaken, assistant director for development and strategic communications, joined the Hillel staff this spring. Zaken has developed a new strategic communications plan for Hillel to boost engagement, which will include a new website, newsletters and branding for Elon Hillel that focus on storytelling, and is working on a fundraising plan to strengthen the program. Zaken lived in Israel for 14 years, and has vast experience in public relations, communications and development in both the non-profit and Jewish world. She also brings more than a decade of international journalistic experience to her role at Hillel.
Rabbi Meir Goldstein will continue as associate chaplain for Jewish life, with his role now focused on enriching student experiences through Jewish learning, working closely with Jewish leaders to create new and engaging experiences with a diverse range of religious traditions, and serving as chaplain and spiritual guide for Elon’s Jewish population, and implementing experiential Jewish education, leadership development, and religious celebrations for the Elon campus.
Julie Steed, program assistant for the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, will continue in her part-time role, keeping everyone organized and processes running smoothly.
The new staffing arrangement will ensure that Jewish Life at Elon is vibrant and engaging, and that the growing Jewish student population is supported as students explore their connections to their religious heritage.