America Israel Cultural Foundation

Executive Director - U.S.
DAVID HOMAN

David Homan currently serves as the youngest Executive Director in the America-Israel Cultural Foundation's history.  For the past four years he has worked to increase awareness and build fundraising efforts, creating a long-term strategy for the success and longevity of AICF and its contributions to Israeli culture.  He travels around the US speaking on behalf of Israeli culture. 

A professional composer and pianist, David is comfortable in many aspects of the arts.  Prior to his work with AICF, he was a Professional Development Program and Artist Retreat Coordinator for the Creative Capital Foundation.

He has coordinated workshops for international Alexander Technique Teacher and Swimming Instructor Steven Shawm as as well as ACAT (The American Center for Alexander Technique); served as Development Director for Randy James Dance Works in NJ; and helped found the New Paths in Music Festival in NYC.  He has also worked with Modernworks, the Da Capo Chamber Players and the Bard College Student Orchestra. In Florida, in addition to his work with the March of Dimes, David’s family founded the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Regional Writers Workshop many years ago, where he served as the Manager/Coordinator for over five years.

In addition to non-profit work, David began a program in college with the Astor Home for Children in Rhinebeck, NY with the goal of encouraging the children housed there to use art-- especially music and theatre-- as a vehicle for their development. He has also volunteered his services as an actor and pianist with numerous hospitals, retirement homes and children’s groups throughout his career.

David’s goal is to bring back live performance to a broader audience, and to this purpose he founded the Live Arts Collaboration three years ago, which holds monthly artist salons and foster collaboration amongst artists of various mediums.  David works dually as an artist and arts administrator, and has only held jobs where he can work as an artist as well.

Executive Director - Israel
ORIT NAOR

Orit Naor is a graduate of the Rubin Academy of Music an Tel Aviv University. She studied with professor Uri Shoam in Israel and Professor Maxence Larrieu in France. Mrs. Naor was awarded AICF scholarships for ten consecutive years (1981-1990) and served two years in the IDF as an “outstanding musician”. Mrs. Naor was a member of several orchestras in Israel, France, Spain and Italy, and she has played extensively as a soloist in Israel and in Europe.  She also played with numerous chamber ensembles and gave recitals in Israel, Europe and the U.S.  From 2003 to 2006, Mrs. Naor served as the Cultural Attache at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C, where she developed a program for the Embassy to promote Israeli culture--including music, dance, art, literature, theatre, and film--in the Washington area. Mrs. Naor the Tel-Aviv office of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation as Development Director in 2007, and she became Executive Director in Israel in 2008.  

Associate Director  - U.S.
ELISA SPENCER-KAPLAN

Elisa joined AICF in July 2011 with more than a decade of experience working in all facets of non-profit music and theatre. She previously worked with Off-Broadway's award-winning York Theatre Company, where she served as General Manager from 2007 to 2009, and as Managing Director from 2009 to 2011. While at the York, Elisa oversaw the development and production of numerous new musicals, including Broadway-bound shows Yank! A WWII Love Story and Enter Laughing, The Musical. Elisa also spent two seasons as Managing Director of Chicago's Shattered Globe Theatre, where, under her leadership, the company more than doubled its annual operating budget, attained record fundraising levels, and mounted some of the most successful shows in its history, including the Joseph Jefferson and After Dark Award-winning revivals of The House of Blue Leaves, Dealer's Choice, The Price and Come Back, Little Sheba. As Managing Director of the Yale Cabaret in 2004-2005, she produced a twenty-show season including world premiere works by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Victor Kaufold and Yana Ross, and the American premiere of Sergei Dreznin's jazz opera Ophelia - Opera in Blue. Elisa has also held positions with Yale Repertory Theatre (Company Manager), Second Stage Theatre (Management Fellow), and Skylark Opera (Production Coordinator). She was the recipient of the Guthrie Theater's 2001-2002 Rea Theater Management Fellowship and is a former board member of the League of Chicago Theatres. She holds a M.F.A. in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama and a B.A. in English from Carleton College. Elisa is President of the newly formed Manhattan Musical Theatre, and she serves on Theatre Development Fund's (TDF) Young Patrons Committee.

Director of Finance - U.S.
KEVIN M. HIGGINS

Arts Program Coordinator - U.S.
GALIA BARKOL

Special Programs Coordinator - U.S. 
MAREN HOLMEN

Legal Counsel - U.S.
RONALD M. APPEL

Sharett Scholarships Program Coordinator - Israel
INBAL GRINBERG 

Sharett Scholarships Program - Israel
MAYA LAGUTIN 

Accountant - Israel
SHIRLEY AKSTEIN