Georgette F. Bennett, Ph.D.
President & Founder
Dr. Bennett, the founder of Tanenbaum, started her distinguished career as an academic sociologist and has also enjoyed success as an widely published author, organizational development consultant, popular lecturer, broadcast journalist, and public affairs/marketing specialist.  As President of Tanenbaum since its founding in 1992, she has spearheaded its innovative, practical programs.  Always at the cutting edge, the hallmark of her vision is an institutionally based approach to creating change.

Scottie Twine
Managing Director of Operations
Scottie began as a consultant and joined Tanenbaum permanently in 2000. She has since been instrumental in establishing and sustaining systems and procedures that support Tanenbaum’s continuing expansion.  She directs the financial, human resource, facilities and technology departments, and also staffs the Finance Committee and provides professional support to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors.  Scottie brings extensive professional experience in business including communications and media, management, and finances in both the for-profit and non-profit arenas.

Judith Banki
Director of Special Programs
Judith is one of the pioneers of organized interreligious dialogue and an award-winning author whose articles have appeared in Commonweal, Religious Education, the Journal of Ecumenical Affairs and The American Jewish Year Book.  She co-edited the anthology of Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum’s writings and two volumes emerging from conferences at Catholic Theological Union and Cambridge University which she helped coordinate. Awarded an honorary doctorate by Seton Hall University for her work in promoting Jewish-Christian understanding, she also received the "Peace through Dialogue" Interfaith Gold Medallion from the International Council of Christians and Jews. 

Michelle Weber, MTS, JD
Assistant Director, Communications
Michelle has a background in both law and religious studies, which she brings to bear on her work helping institutions worldwide grapple with religious diversity issues.  Prior to joining Tanenbaum, she worked for a variety of progressive causes including reproductive rights, education law reform and prisoners’ civil rights.  She holds a BA with honors from Northwestern University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University and a JD cum laude from the New York University School of Law.

Heather DuBois, MA
Assistant Program Director, Religion and Conflict Resolution
Heather specialized in religious peacemaking while at the University Bradford in England, where she obtained a Masters in Conflict Resolution. Subsequently, during six months of travel and independent study in Southeast and East Asia, she volunteered with peacebuilding NGOs and Christian- Muslim dialogue groups in the Philippines. Heather worked as a researcher, writer and editor at the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy. She has also served an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, networking and supporting local violence prevention initiatives in Louisiana. Heather received her Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and English from Tulane University.

Jessica Guerrette, MA
Program Associate, Religion and Diversity Education
Before joining Tanenbaum, Jessica worked with educational non-profits and foundations in New York and as a teacher for two years in San Francisco.  She has a BA in Comparative Religion from Fordham University.  During her undergraduate education Jessica spent time in India and Nepal volunteering with a number of NGO’s that supported refugee children. When she returned to New York she interned at The Office of Tibet.  She has an MA in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco where she did research on refugees, identity development, and education using the participatory dialogue method with the Tibetan community in the San Francisco Bay Area.  She has lived and studied in Paris, France.

Rachel Maryles, MA
Program Associate, Religious Diversity in the Workplace
Prior to joining Tanenbaum Rachel worked in marketing at Working Mother magazine, which advocates for the advancement of women, increased diversity in the workplace, and family-friendly policies.  Most recently, she studied organizational psychology, group dynamics, and conflict resolution at Teachers College/Columbia University and received her MA in Social-Organizational Psychology in 2006.  Rachel gained experience in organizational development while serving as an intern at The Visiting Nurse Service of New York.  Rachel received her BA with honors from the University of Pennsylvania.

Zach Larson
Development Coordinator
Zach is a Tibetan Buddhist scholar who lends his writing and leaderships skills to Tanenbaum as a grant writer and event coordinator.  Before joining Tanenbaum, he spent 18 months in South Asia conducting research and translation projects in Tibetan refugee communities.  His efforts were published in two separate volumes: Nonviolence in Tibetan Culture (2000, University of Wisconsin) and Compassionate Action by Chatral Rinpoche (2007, Snow Lion Publications).  He holds a BA in Buddhism and Politics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Prin Bacalan
Coordinator to the Executive Office
Prior to joining Tanenbaum, Prin studied abroad with the University of Virginia’s Semester at Sea program, circumnavigating the globe in 100 days.  Upon returning to the states, she became involved with writing a grant proposal for the Lehman Alternative School to send American students to Guatemala for a cultural immersion project.  At Tanenbaum, Prin provides support, research, analysis and materials for the Executive Office and Development department.  Prin graduated from Ithaca College with a B.A. in writing and art history.

Caity Goodman
Administrative Assistant
Caity has a background in 20th century Asian and Middle Eastern history and spent a semester studying abroad in Istanbul, Turkey. Before joining Tanenbaum she volunteered at an orphanage in Nepal and traveled through Asia and South America. Upon returning to the U.S., Caity spearheaded fundraising and website development projects for the orphanage. At Tanenbaum, she supports the Religion and Diversity Education program as well as the Communications and Operations departments with research, analysis, and the creation of materials as needed. Caity graduated with a B.A. in History from Northwestern University.

Laura Fedoryk
Intern, Religion and Conflict Resolution
Laura is currently in her last semester at Rutgers University, studying History and Political Science with an emphasis on Middle Eastern Studies. In the summer and fall of 2008, she held the position of Program Intern for the Business Council for Peace working with female entrepreneurs to promote peace through job creation in transitional countries. Prior to joining Tanenbaum, she was also a Research Assistant at Rutgers University investigating the correlation between unemployment and instability in post-Ba’athist Iraq.

Mario Alvarez
Intern, Administration
Mario is in his senior year at the Horace Mann School. He is interested in politics, economics, and sociology. At Horace Mann, Mario is a member of various socially themed clubs and publications. He currently provides office support at Tanenbaum as an Administration Intern.