Rabbi Sue Laikin Shifron grew up in Indianapolis.  She attended Indiana University as an undergraduate and majored in social work.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work degree.  Rabbi Sue attended the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and was ordained in 1988.  While she was a student, she was the Hillel Director at the University of Delaware.  She spent one year in Israel and returned to the United States to become the Executive Director of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center at Indiana University in August of 1989.  She loves IU Hillel and the students here.  Rabbi Sue is also committed to promoting diversity on campus.  She helped to found Bloomington United, a grassroots community organization dedicated to building diversity and responding to incidents of hate. 

Congratulations to Rabbi Susan Laikin Shifron for her recent award at the Indiana Commission for Women’s Torchbearer Awards

Amy Jackson
Associate Director
amyjack@indiana.edu

Amy Jackson serves as the Associate Director for IU Hillel.  She grew up in Detroit, Michigan and Boca Raton, Florida and received her BA from the University of Florida, where she studied Anthropology with a concentration in Jewish Studies.  Amy comes to Hillel with many years of Jewish professional leadership, including as a Synagogue educator, the Executive Director for Hillel at the University of Oklahoma, and the North American Coordinator for the Strategic Dialogue Center of Netanya, Israel.  Having lived in Bloomington since 2004, Amy and her family (including her husband, an IU faculty member, and her two young children) are firmly rooted in the community.  In her spare time, Amy sings in two local bands.  Amy is thrilled to be a part of IU Hillel, and to share her passion for leadership development and community-building. 

Leah Hedrick Aft
Program Director
leahaft@indiana.edu

Leah Hedrick Aft currently serves as the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center’s Program Director.  Since graduating from Indiana University in 2004, she has spent time teaching in Camden, New Jersey through Teach for America and working as a Program Manager at City Year Washington, DC.  She is passionate about youth leadership, education, and social action.  Leah joins the IU Hillel staff being very excited about engaging and empowering students to discover their own paths and develop powerful leadership skills.

Jen Abzug Zaligson
Engagement Director
jazaligs@indiana.edu

Jen Abzug Zaligson joins IU Hillel as the new Engagement Director.   She is originally from Minneapolis, and made her way to Bloomington through Peoria, IL and Austin, TX.  She received her B.A. in psychology and sociology from Bradley University , and went on to complete her M.A. in sociology from The University of Texas - Austin (hook em'horns!).  She is very happy that IU and Texas don't normally play each other in sports so she can root for both teams.   You can find Jen cooking pancakes during JHOP, delivering matzoh ball soup, and planning Alternative to Services programs.   She loves dogs (come see her pup, Casey, at tailgates!), social action, peppermint tea, and talking about the wonders of Minneapolis and/or Austin.  Jen is so excited to meet all of the incoming and returning students at IU, and looks forward to collaborating with students on interesting and exciting programs throughout the school year. 

Carlie Weisbrod is a recent graduate from the University of Florida where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in voice with an outside concentration in psychology.  Carlie was raised in Rockledge, FL and loves relaxing on the beach with her family.  She enjoys singing, dancing, and spending time with her friends.  Carlie is excited to be working at Hillel and looks forward to meeting many new people.