Community building and strengthening through radical acceptance, compassion, and comfort with the uncomfortable.

Living at the intersection of many identities, Ari encourages UpStarters to feel empowered to be the authors of their own journeys through advocacy and storytelling. They previously served as the Director of Student Life at Hillels of Westchester in New York, where they modeled identity-first leadership for traditionally marginalized students on campus and oversaw ritual and education at Sarah Lawrence College.  

Ari leads accessibility work at UpStart and works to ensure UpStarters feel a clear sense of belonging while in UpStart’s cohort-based learning programs and in the Network. Ari holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Appalachian State University and is proud to call Atlanta home for much of their life.

When not cheerleading their chosen family, Ari enjoys designing and leading rituals with their local havurah, cooking Shabbat meals for friends, and perusing the books and zines at Charis, Atlanta’s oldest feminist bookstore.