Meet Our Executive Committee: Dedicated to Advocating for Women
Laura Marks - Co-Chair
Laura has been involved in supporting the empowerment of women for many years - chairing the Commission on Women in Jewish Leadership in 2011. She set up a Jewish/Muslim women’s charity, Nisa-Nashim in 2017 recognising the power of women in building bridges and more recently the Women’s Faith Forum, a multi-faith group of women committed to bringing the voices of women of faith the policy table.
Laura has been involved with AJWO since her time as SVP of the Board of Deputies and she looks forward to working with ever more of the capable, creative and thoughtful women in the Jewish community, and beyond.
Laura was honoured to receive her CBE in 2023 which cited her work on the empowerment of women.
Nicky Goldman- Co-Chair
Nicky is the Chief Executive of the Jewish Volunteering Network. he has worked professionally in the Jewish community for over 40 years in leadership, volunteering and community development, family education, HR, youth and student work, engaging volunteers in each role. She has volunteered throughout her life; co-leading Shabbat and festival services on Jewish Care’s Sandringham campus and her long term commitment to Bushey United Synagogue.
She has an MA in Jewish Communal Service from the Hornstein Program at Brandeis University, Boston, USA (1992) as well as being a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (FCIPD).
In 2020-21, Nicky participated in the first UK cohort of The Growth Project, a leadership programme for charity and business leaders and she was one of the first cohort of Sacks Scholars.
Mia Hasenson- Gross- Co-Chair
Mia Hasenson-Gross is the Executive Director of René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights, with over 25 years of experience in human rights campaigning and leadership development. Mia has a BA and MA in international relations from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is a graduate fellow of the Minerva Centre for Human Rights at the Hebrew University and a graduate fellow of Wizo’s Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Programme. Mia is also an alumnus of the first Dangoor Senior Leadership Programme for lay and professional leaders in the Jewish community.
Mia is a trustee of the Coalition for Genocide Response, co-founder and Chair of Stop Uyghur Genocide UK, is on the Advisory Council of World Uyghur Congress UK and is on the Executive Committee of the Alliance of Jewish Women and their Organisations.
Mia is the proud mother of Lyri, Yuval and Daniel and has lived with her partner Amir in the UK since 2004.
Merav Shany- Co-Chair
Merav serves as the Director of the Hebrew University Alumni community in the UK. Previously, she directed Peoplehood programmes at the Jewish Agency's and led the Global School Twinning Network. Her career includes managing partnerships between Israeli and worldwide Jewish communities.
As a distinguished communal and social leader, Merav brings extensive experience in collaboration, collective project management, programme development, and working with volunteer leadership across diaspora Jewish communities and governmental offices. She is also a qualified mediator and mediation instructor.
Daniella Flowers
Daniella is a dedicated Volunteer Manager at Kisharon Langdon Charity, bringing a passion for community engagement and nonprofit operations. Previously, Daniella worked as an Operations Coordinator at Mitzvah Day, fostering impactful volunteer initiatives.
A graduate of Birmingham University with a degree in Media, Culture, and Society, Daniella has always been committed to making a difference. They have served on the JBD Young Persons Committee and demonstrated their dedication to charitable causes by running the Race for Life five times and completing a 30km run for Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Outside of work and volunteering, Daniella enjoys family life with their spouse, two young daughters, and their beloved French bulldog. Their passion for giving back, coupled with a strong background in community-driven projects, makes them a valuable advocate for meaningful change.
Sally Patterson
Sally Patterson is a journalist and documentary filmmaker, dedicated to amplifying underheard voices. She has worked in the UK and US, covering some of the most pressing issues facing women - including access to reproductive healthcare, maternity care scandals, and childcare costs. Sally served as Women’s Officer at the University of Bristol and St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, and as Equality, Liberation, and Access Officer at Bristol Students' Union, where she worked to bring marginalised voices to the forefront.
Sally holds a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge, with her thesis examining cyber-abuse towards female Members of Parliament. As a journalist, she is passionate about uncovering untold stories and placing people at the heart of her reporting. She has been on the AJWO exec since 2021, with a particular focus on bringing in younger members.
Ronit Ribak-Madari
Ronit Ribak-Madari, has recently been appointed World WIZO co-representative for the European Federations alongside her role as honorary president of WIZO UK. Ronit made history during the charity’s centenary celebrations, by becoming the first Israeli chairperson of WIZO UK. Initially joining WIZO at age 25 as part of Aviv, an Israeli group, she soon progressed to leading it, before becoming a world representative in 2004.
Professionally, Ronit is an events producer as well as an artist, getting her degree in fine arts & art therapy from Saint Martin’s, she once owned an art gallery. Ronit’s focus has been on modernising WIZO UK's engagement with younger supporters. Her vision includes showcasing Israel's positive impact and adapting the organisation's activities to accommodate working professionals which she does via her work in the Israeli Forum & being a member of the Israeli Leadership in the diaspora.
Sam Clifford
Sam is the CEO of Jewish Women’s Aid.
Fortunate to have a varied and challenging career within the Jewish charitable sector, Sam has held posts in Finchley Reform Synagogue, as well as being the Interim Co-Director of the Jewish Museum.
Sam also spent five years working as a freelance project manager supporting organisations such as the Office of the Chief Rabbi, Lead, JVN, JLC, Women in Jewish Leadership, Nisa-Nashim: the Jewish Muslim Women’s Network and Moishe House alongside working as the first professional director of the Yoni Jesner Foundation. Sam was one of the founding professional staff of Lead, the Jewish Leadership Council’s leadership development division working on their leadership programmes and events.
In a lay capacity, Sam was one of the founding partners of Wellspring which is working towards opening a cross-communal centre for Wellbeing with Mikveh at its heart. She featured in The Jewish News’ “40 under 40” at number 22 and is a graduate of the JLC’s Dangoor Senior Leadership Programme.
Emily Grabiner- Wolfson
Emily grew up in Glasgow and enjoyed her time in RSY-Netzer. Passionate about women’s safety and empowerment- she is currently doing her MA in Women and Child abuse; having worked at JWA and Surviving Economic Abuse.
Her expertise lies in providing minoritised women a platform to share experiences in order to improve systems and for cathartic release. Striving to challenge everyday misogyny and interrupting the continuum of violence that women experience throughout their lives.
She proud to support AJWO is brining Jewish women’s voices to the table where we are often left out.