Yael Zaken
Yael is a Senior Program Officer for REALITY at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.
Prior to joining the REALITY team, Yael was involved with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, where she spent a year in Rwanda working at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. At the village, she managed the art center, mentored students and worked in collaboration with the local community to develop educational programming for vulnerable youth. Following her time in Rwanda, she returned to Israel and joined the JDC Entwine team as the Operation Manager for Europe, Africa and Asia. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing all of Entwine’s programming in this region, including educational trips and short/long term service-learning opportunities.
Yael was born in Oakland, California and immigrated to Israel as a child. She is a seasoned artist and holds a Bachelors of Fine Art from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and a Master’s degree in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. She has exhibited her work both in solo and group shows around the world and continues to produce work in her spare time. She has a passion for women's empowerment and is an active volunteer at the Rape Crisis Center in Jerusalem. She supports women as they navigate the Israeli court and medical system and trains new volunteers in providing emergency response when needed. She is a devoted foodie, loves cycling and never misses a chance to go hiking in the rain.