As Resetting the Table’s Creative Manager, Anne leads the organization’s visual storytelling, brand management, and materials design. She is passionate about bringing Americans out of their silos to work together across differences and believes RTT’s work is crucial to building a resilient, pluralistic society. Prior to joining RTT, Anne worked in communications at the Stimson Center – a nonpartisan think tank that enhances international peace and security – and the North Carolina Study Center, a Center for Christian Life and Thought. She also worked for Cru in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and served an Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding organization as a volunteer for Embodying Peace. Anne holds a B.A. in Hispanic Linguistics and minors in German and Communications Rhetoric and Digital Literacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, where she enjoys tending to her garden, game nights, and playing pickleball.

Blair Lineham is a facilitator, coach, and community builder committed to helping people build meaningful relationships and thriving communities. As Associate Facilitator and Trainer at Resetting the Table, he leads trainings that equip communities and individuals with skills for communicating effectively across charged differences. Previously, Blair served as Networks Manager at Gather, Inc., where he taught hundreds of politically diverse professionals practices for deepening relational skill-building and community engagement. Before that, he spent four years in sales as a Senior Account Executive at CareMessage, working with community health clinics to strengthen communication with patients and improve health outcomes. 

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Blair brings to RTT an eclectic array of training and tools, from business school to certification as a leadership/life coach to experience teaching mindfulness meditation. At the heart of his work is a deep curiosity and commitment to welcoming people as they are, helping them truly connect across differences, and cultivating cultures of belonging.

A systems builder who enjoys employing logistical precision to create meaningful programming, Carson brings over a decade of nonprofit experience to Resetting the Table’s (RTT) program management team. Before joining RTT, Carson served as Director of Program Operations for the Oklahoma Arts Institute, overseeing all aspects of program implementation for their state-wide educational programming. He has also managed fundraising operations for multiple organizations, including an international ag-tech nonprofit empowering smallholder farmers to lift themselves out of poverty through mobile savings, climate-smart inputs, and agricultural training. Carson graduated summa cum laude with honors from Oklahoma Baptist University, where he earned a B.A. in Psychology. Carson believes in the power of courageous conversation across divides and is proud to work alongside the program management team to support transformative training experiences.

Christie joined RTT as a seasoned writer in international development, most recently serving as Principal Writer at Management Sciences of Health where she led multidisciplinary teams in developing proposals for federal, philanthropic, and multilateral funding ranging from < $1M to over $700M. Serving in staff and consultant roles at several nonprofits over 14 years, her proposal writing experience has covered topics from global health to human rights and press freedom to agricultural value chains. Previously, Christie served as Director of Programs at the World Affairs Councils of America. Work in peace and conflict has been woven through Christie’s life, encompassing a high school peer leadership program, a gang intervention program in Boston, and both consulting and board membership at the International Peace Research Association Foundation. She holds master’s degrees in International Studies from the University of Denver and in International Conflict Analysis from the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies; she also has a BA in Sociology from Brandeis University. Christie lives with her partner in Washington, DC, where she has resided for over 20 years.

Cicella is a training and development leader with over a decade of experience designing and facilitating interactive, participant-centered training for in-person and online audiences. Most recently, as Training Director for Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) International, she was responsible for training the organization’s diverse leadership spanning 6 continents and over 120 nations. Previously at BSF, Cicella served as a Regional Director (eastern US and Canada), area advisor (Florida), teaching leader (Michigan and Florida), and field training manager (global). Cicella is a Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner and has “Train the Trainer” certification from The Bob Pike Group. As a lifelong learner, her goal is always to facilitate an experience that results in transformation for both the participants and the trainer. Her passion is to help people live authentically in community, and she wholeheartedly believes the principles of RTT are foundational in that vision being fully realized. A native of Chicago, she currently lives in the Dallas area with her husband, where she enjoys reading, and long walks when life allows.

Claire is committed to building spaces for robust deliberation and the meaningful exchange of ideas by creating organizational systems that drive engaging, high-impact programming. At RTT, Claire oversees operations for all in-person and virtual programs. Most recently, Claire was the Senior Producer of Virtual Programs at the LA World Affairs Council, a nonprofit civic forum that educates the public on pressing issues through engaged nonpartisan conversation. At the Council, Claire developed and produced over 250 expert-led, interactive webinars across all stages of production, including selecting and preparing world-class experts, managing event technical processes, and facilitating audience participation. Previously, Claire worked at Crooked Media where she assisted three of the country’s most listened-to political podcasts, including Pod Save America and Pod Save the World. Claire graduated summa cum laude from Occidental College with degrees in Political Science and Sociology, where she wrote two honors theses focused on political polarization and dialogue on contentious issues. At Occidental, Claire also co-founded two student organizations fostering community across ideological and identity-based differences, and twice won Occidental’s Student Program of the Year.

Dani is a facilitator with a passion for leadership development, relational psychology, and productive conflict. As an Associate Facilitator and Trainer, Dani currently leads RTT trainings and workshops for professionals and communities nationwide. Since 2018, Dani has played several roles at RTT, most recently serving as the Senior Program Manager, building the systems that support RTT’s programs. Dani has worked at a variety of non-profit organizations and schools throughout New York City, including UJA-Federation, MDRC, and Quest2Learn, providing research, teaching and programmatic support. Dani holds a B.S. in Applied Psychology from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Iona University. During her time at NYU, Dani was awarded the Student Exemplar of Excellence Award for her campus bridge-building work, and she is a proud alumnus of RTT’s Campus Internship program. Based in Brooklyn, Dani enjoys biking through her neighborhood, dancing, and trying new vegetarian recipes.

DJ Reed is the Assistant Director of Entertainment at Resetting the Table, working with writers, directors, and Hollywood executives on combating polarization and division through creative and courageous storytelling. Having spent years in the industry, he has become an experienced DEIA and TV and film development expert who is deeply committed to authentic narratives that help shift perspective and uplift marginalized and underrepresented communities.  He previously served as the Senior Manager of Entertainment at Define American, consulting on projects for Disney, Netflix, USA, ABC, and more.  He has also worked as a story producer and development manager for networks and production companies such as MTV, 11^th Street Productions, Firelight Films, and Amazon Studios. DJ is a proud graduate of HBCU Morgan State and received his master’s in film at The New School. He is LA-based, deeply loves horror films, morning runs in the park, and 90’s R&B, and has a puppy named Omar.

Ella supports Resetting the Table as a Grant Writing & Management Associate, bringing interdisciplinary skills in research and writing and a commitment to strengthening social resilience and countering polarization. As Executive Editor of the New York University Journal of Law and Medicine, she helped build the journal's editorial infrastructure from the ground up and led a team of writers and editors, refining scholarship into accessible narratives for publication. Alongside her editorial work, she conducted field research on political violence across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East as an Extremism Examined fellow at NYU. Across every country, the same question surfaced: how does an ordinary person become politically extreme, and what would have had to be different earlier to change their trajectory? She pursued that question further through archival research at the American Irish Historical Society, studying Northern Ireland's peace process and how communities divided along religious lines moved toward post-conflict transformation. She is excited to join Resetting the Table, a leading organization whose evidence-based framework is redirecting political conflict in the U.S. toward a more generative course. Ella graduated from NYU with Honors in History and Politics and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Eyal is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Resetting the Table. A mediator, facilitator, coach, and trainer, Eyal co-created RTT’s unique methodology for communicating across divides and oversees RTT’s conceptual framework and practice. Prior to Resetting the Table, Eyal trained hundreds of corporate and non-profit professionals, philanthropists, and community leaders as an independent consultant. In addition to his work on Israel, Eyal has partnered with national and local non-profits to design multi-stakeholder deliberations on polarized issues from abortion to elder abuse. A published author and certified mediator, Eyal has worked as a private and community mediator in civil and criminal court. After completing his B.A. at Brown University and PhD in Sociology from UCLA, Eyal served as an Assistant Professor at Wesleyan University and Baruch College, where he taught courses on conflict transformation and democratic theory and practice.

A systems-builder and bridge-builder who loves connecting the big picture to the operational details, Helen manages impact and strategy for Resetting the Table and also contributes to external partnerships, communications and fundraising. Helen served as an associate producer of RTT’s short film, PURPLE, and managed Resetting the Table's grassroots screening campaign that has reached more than 330 community organizations. Prior to Resetting the Table, Helen worked with diverse peace and dialogue organizations, including the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Interfaith America, and the Sustained Dialogue Institute. Helen is a Humanity in Action Senior Fellow and an Interfaith America Innovation Fellow. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Helen holds a B.A. mathematics and a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies from Oberlin College, where she was awarded the Edward T. Wong Prize in Mathematics and the John Henry Barrows Medal for Interfaith Leadership.

As the Senior Director of People and Talent at Resetting the Table, Helen leads the organization’s people strategy, supporting staff development, organizational culture, and talent systems that help RTT’s growing team thrive. She most recently served as Head of Development at OneGoal Metro Atlanta, where she led philanthropic strategy and built partnerships with individuals, foundations, businesses, and higher education institutions to expand postsecondary opportunities for young people. Helen also served as a Human Resources Business Partner, advising senior leaders on workforce design, talent development, and organizational culture during a period of record growth, helping establish new leadership development pipelines and advancement opportunities. She began her career as a high school educator and brings an eye for recognizing and nurturing people’s unique gifts, supporting mission-driven organizations to strengthen how teams work, learn, and lead together.  As a first-generation college graduate and immigrant, Helen's doctoral work focused on the experience of first-generation immigrant professionals navigating the transition from blue-collar backgrounds to white-collar work. Helen draws on these insights to help organizations support team members from a wide range of cultures and life experiences to bring their full gifts to the workplace. Helen holds a Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California and a BA in English and Economics from Wellesley College. A proud Georgian, she enjoys nature walks and exploring new restaurants with her husband and three children.

Jen Richards brings decades of experience in Hollywood and nonprofit leadership to expanding RTT’s impact in the entertainment industry. Jen is an actor and screenwriter best known for writing and starring in the web series Her Story, the first independent web series to be nominated for an Emmy and which also won Peabody, Gotham, and GLAAD awards. She has been a writer for HBO, Amblin, and LucasFilm – including serving as a writer on Acolyte, the recent Star Wars series—and has appeared as an actor in The Mayfair Witches (AMC), Mrs. Fletcher (HBO), Tales of the City (Netflix), Better Things (FX), Blindspot (NBC), and Nashville (CMT). She was featured in the documentaries Disclosure and Framing Agnes as well as the docuseries I am Cait and More than T, the latter of which she also wrote and produced. Prior to coming to Hollywood, she had 20 years of experience in advocacy work and nonprofit administration. Jen was born in Mississippi and currently resides in Los Angeles with her wife and two dogs.

Jen is giddily excited by the work of Resetting the Table and the project of translating their powerful techniques and approach to Hollywood storytelling.

Juliana, Resetting the Table’s Special Projects Coordinator, is a committed convener with a passion for bringing out the best in communities through deeper recognition and understanding. Before Resetting the Table, Juliana served as an Advance Lead for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency, leading complex on-the-ground operations, preparing stakeholder briefings, and convening events showcasing community problem-solving with local, state, and federal partners. Her travel and logistics work brought her to over 35 states and 4 continents, from the northernmost city in the United States – Utqiagvik – to Navajo Nation in the Southwest to McDowell County, West Virginia. Her deep belief in community strength and resilience was fostered in college where she wrote a thesis on theories of social change and how community leaders in Denver convened across differences to combat housing instability. At Harvard, she graduated cum laude in Social Studies, served as one of eight Class Marshalls elected to lead her graduating class, and was awarded the “Spirit of Harvard College” award for her community-building work across broad sections of the campus. Today, she loves cheering on the Denver Nuggets, yoga, volleyball, and dinners with friends. 

As Resetting the Table’s Senior Director of Operations, Justin oversees HR, finance, and organizational administration to support staff to do their best work and ensure that organizational culture remains a top strength as RTT grows. Justin most recently served as the Executive Director for Organizational Transformation at AdventHealth, a $15B health care system operating facilities in nine states. While at AdventHealth, Justin served as the planning lead for the system-wide, cross-disciplinary command center responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Justin served as a school principal for two private, Christian high schools, where he led significant transformations to multi-campus program delivery through video-connected classrooms. Throughout his professional experience, Justin has led organizations through critical transformations to meet challenges, achieve greater impact, and fulfill their missions. Justin holds an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a BA in Mathematics and English from Union College.

A trauma therapist, facilitator, and educator, Leah's diverse professional background and expertise have shaped Resetting the Table’s unique methodology for effective communication and facilitation across divides. In her work at RTT, Leah has trained thousands of leaders, from award-winning TV writers to influential clergy to leaders in philanthropy. Prior to Resetting the Table, Leah served as a clinical social worker specializing in treatment for trauma and PTSD at Westchester Jewish Community Services. Leah also formerly worked as program director for LitWorld, a global literacy non-profit, where she built social-emotional literacy-based programming. In this role, Leah created and implemented arts- and mindfulness-based programming at the Hand in Hand School: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Jerusalem. Leah holds an MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, where she graduated with honors. She also has a professional background in theater: she toured with the national Broadway production of Mamma Mia! and holds a BFA from The Boston Conservatory, where she graduated as salutatorian. Leah lives in Westchester, NY, with her husband, Daniel, and their two children.

McKenna supports Resetting the Table as a Program Associate and is passionate about creating opportunities for social dialogue in our divisive society. Prior to joining RTT, McKenna worked as an Operations Specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development and as a Project Associate at Nickol Global Solutions. In these roles, she supported programs addressing global conflict transitions and political stability through program management, communications, operational support, and event planning. 

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A peacebuilder and researcher by training, McKenna is passionate about community-focused solutions to conflict, which began while on a team advising the Colombian government on their truth commission process and researching geopolitical conflicts. McKenna holds a masters in Conflict Research, Management and Resolution from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a bachelor’s of Sociology and International Development from Brigham Young University. In her free time, she can be found with her nose in a nonfiction book, running, or playing violin in her community orchestra.

Melissa is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Resetting the Table. Melissa is a veteran social entrepreneur and peace-builder, having founded and built two successful non-profit organizations (RTT and Encounter Programs) that open up transformative communication across divides; overcome dehumanization and distrust; and work toward shared societies and democracies. Melissa was also the founding director of Encounter, an organization dedicated to strengthening the capacity of the Jewish people to be agents of change in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Melissa spent two decades working on people-to-people initiatives surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; for her work with Encounter, she was awarded the Grinnell Prize “for extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change.” A noted speaker and educator, Melissa has lectured and taught in hundreds of public forums on four continents. She was ordained as a Conservative Rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary and graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude.

Michele is dedicated to empowering people to create change for themselves and in their communities and to bringing people together across divides and difference. An experienced facilitator, trainer, and community builder, Michele most recently served as the Associate Director of National Young Leadership at ADL (Anti-Defamation League), where she engaged and mobilized young professionals across the country to address issues of bias, discrimination, and hate. Before her time with ADL, Michele was a Fellow at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies supporting the foundation’s North American Jewish communal portfolio and leadership development work. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in Psychology and Judaic Studies and a minor in Community Action and Social Change. Her facilitation, program development, and training experience spans multiple frameworks of dialogue, intergroup relations, and community building, including experience with Resetting the Table, ADL’s World of Difference Institute and The Program on Intergroup Relations at the University of Michigan. Based in Michigan, Michele loves playing basketball, exploring national parks, and cheering on the US Women’s national soccer team.

With a background in strategic communications and conflict analysis, Nora supports RTT's development, communications, impact assessment, and research. Prior to joining Resetting the Table, Nora served as a Communications and Knowledge Management Assistant at the George Mason University's Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, where she produced digital content for publications and managed social media platforms. A certified mediator in Virginia, Nora has a passion for alternative dispute resolution and communicating creatively to reach cooperative solutions. Her multilingual background has brought her to be a lifelong advocate of intercultural communications, and she has trained as an intergroup dialogue facilitator in cross-cultural and interlinguistic settings. Nora holds an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University and holds a magna cum laude B.A. degree from George Mason, where she focused on building peace in divided societies and minored in History.

Rebecca is an educator and facilitator committed to the intersection of pluralistic community building, creative arts, and social change. As Resetting the Table's Program Director, Rebecca brings RTT's methodology to communities across the country while also overseeing RTT's program management team. She formerly served as the Student Activities Director at Harvard Hillel, where she oversaw undergraduate student life and integrated several Resetting the Table programs into the campus community. She has also worked as an educator at Roundabout Theater Company, Capital Camps, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Rebecca received her Masters in Experiential Education & Jewish Cultural Arts at GW and a B.A. in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. She will always be connected to her California roots, but currently lives in Chicago with her husband and two children.

Sarah’s love for learning has led her to work in a variety of program and operations roles in non-profit organizations over the past 10+ years. Before joining RTT, she was the Director of Finance at Learning Equality, an edtech nonprofit supporting equitable access to education. Previously, she was Director of Girard Foundation, a grantmaking foundation, where she supported innovative community leaders focused on improving K-12 education for San Diego students. Sarah is an advisory board member of The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego, where she loves learning with and from other nonprofit leaders. A recent transplant to Brooklyn, Sarah is proud to have roots in both the Midwest and in Bali, Indonesia. In her free time, she delights in stumbling upon live music, extra spicy food, off-street bike paths, and stoop chats with neighbors.

Seanne brings two decades of Hollywood experience to her role as Senior Advisor, Entertainment at Resetting the Table. An award-winning writer, director, and producer, Seanne is best known for writing Netflix's hit "Nowhere" and directing "The Falconer," which garnered 14 festival awards. She began her career at Warner Bros., where she served as Executive Producer on "The Lego Movie" and played a key role in franchises grossing over $2 billion. Seanne co-founded The Creative Salon with Dan Lin, an underground community of over 200 A-list filmmakers, and hosts Good Egg Dinners, fostering idea exchange among industry insiders. Seanne is excited to connect her peers with RTT's powerful methodology, helping fellow creatives tell stories that not only entertain but also bridge cultural divides and promote empathy across them.

Simone brings experience as an educator, event producer, and program manager to RTT and a deep commitment to bridge-building and conflict resolution. Simone spent seven years in Vietnam teaching English, creating inclusive learning experiences for students of all backgrounds and abilities. Most recently, she served as Program Manager & Operations Coordinator for Hanoi Community Radio, where she oversaw programming, coordinated timelines and deliverables, and built systems for scheduling, task management, and record-keeping. In addition, she has served as a stage director and producer for community-driven events in Vietnam, guiding projects from early planning through to performance.

Sumit translates RTT's conflict transformation expertise into storytelling and content to advance its mission and impact. A former journalist with more than 15 years in mission-driven communications, he brings experience across RTT's core sectors of media, faith communities, philanthropy, and higher education.

Most recently, as Senior Communications Officer at Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, he led multimedia campaigns, ghostwrote executive communications, and provided strategic counsel to program teams and grantees. Earlier, he directed communications for Women Deliver's Youth Engagement program; served as lead storyteller at American Jewish World Service, guiding story-gathering trips across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean; and reported on press freedom as Senior Asia Researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists. He began his career reporting for CNN International and covering religion in Israel and Palestine through a Scripps Howard Foundation-funded project. His work has appeared in CNN.com, HuffPost, The Forward, and other publications.

Sumit earned an M.S. in journalism and an M.A. in human rights studies from Columbia University, and a B.A. in international relations and journalism from New York University. A New Yorker by way of Kabul and New Delhi, he now lives across the river in Jersey City with his spouse, daughter, and dog.

As an educator and facilitator, Tresa has spent her career at the intersection of community-building and storytelling as vehicles for social change.  Before joining the staff of Resetting the Table, Tresa served as Vice President for Thriving Communities at Reconstructing Judaism, where she headed the team that designs programs, trainings, and resources for all affiliated Reconstructionist congregations. She consulted with boards and congregations in crisis, helping them to have hard conversations and to work through contentious decision-making processes. She led professional development workshops for clergy, educators, and administrators, and taught community classes on everything from governance to strategic communications to poetry. Throughout her career, she has facilitated meaningful communication across religious, racial, and ideological lines of difference, working with young adults, elders, and children alike. Tresa holds a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and has taught in such diverse settings as Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Temple University, the University of Michigan, and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She currently lives with her family in Philadelphia, PA.