People
2020 Interview Team
Get to Know Our people.
We believe diversity is what makes us strong. Our team members come to us from countless perspectives, backgrounds, and areas of expertise.
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Meet the Team
Lobna AgbariaProgram Director
Lobna Agbaria, Program Director
Lobna was introduced to OGS as a fellow in 2017 and joined the team in 2018. Before moving to Boston, Lobna practiced law for 7 years. As the manager of her own firm, she specialized in construction law with a focus on planning and zoning. Lobna is a Palestinian Citizen of Israel and, in her early 20s, co-founded the Sana Foundation, a nonprofit that provides academic scholarships to Arab women in Israel. As an OGS fellow in 2017, she co-founded SnapLand, an online platform for real estate professionals. Lobna holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. In her free time, you can find Lobna playing middle blocker on a volleyball court. Lobna can be reached at lobna@ogspeaks.com.
Guy MargalitSenior Program and Regional Manager
Guy Margalit, Senior Program and Regional Manager
Guy is an OGS alumnus of the class of 2019. Previously, he was the Director of The Library – Tel Aviv Municipality’s Urban Innovation Space, where he founded the city’s accelerator for shared economy technologies and initiated smart city pilot projects for early-stage startups. Prior to that, he established a nonprofit named Shakuf, a crowdfunded independent journalism platform, which today is the largest independent media organization in Israel. Guy holds a Master’s in Philosophy and a Bachelor’s in Middle Eastern Studies and Philosophy from Tel-Aviv University. From time to time, you can find Guy in the Tel Aviv newspaper archives, chasing fun pieces of local politics and sports from the 20th-century. Guy can be reached at guy@ogspeaks.com.
Nicola O’SheaOperations ManagerNicola O’Shea, Operations Manager
Nicola joined the OGS team in 2020. Previously, Nicola worked for Harvard University’s FAS Science Dean’s office as a Department Administrator and as a Program Manager at Voluntary Services Overseas and the Mountbatten Institute, both based out of the UK. She is currently completing her thesis toward a Masters degree in Cultural Anthropology at Harvard’s Extension School and she holds a Bachelors degree in Communications from Russell Sage College, NY. Nicola hails from Ireland and has an identical twin sister. Nicola can be reached at nicolao@ogspeaks.com.
Liron KleinVenture Development Specialist
Liron Klein, Venture Development Specialist
Liron joined the OGS team as a consultant for corporate affairs in 2018 and today provides professional support and guidance for our budding ventures upon their return to the region. Liron is a general manager and entrepreneur specialist with a background in general management, human relations, operations, and transforming new initiatives into viable programs. Liron has a passion for human beings, creating connections, bringing ideas into practice, and drinking Guinness beer on the beach. Liron can be reached at liron@ogspeaks.com.
Izzy NickelDepartment Coordinator
Izzy Nickel, Department Coordinator
Izzy joined the OGS team in 2018. During her last year as an undergraduate at Brandeis University, she worked with the team as an intern before continuing as a permanent staff member. Previously, she held a position with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco office, as well as worked with international solicitors and humanitarians while working and studying in The Hague, The Netherlands. She holds a Bachelor’s in International Global Studies and Sociology from Brandeis University with a special focus in conflict resolution. Izzy keeps us in line with her Californian temperament and a flair for English grammar. Izabella can be reached at izzy@ogspeaks.com.
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Growth Committee
Perry SolomonCo-Chairperson of the Growth Committee
Perry Solomon, Co-Chairperson of the Growth Committee
Perry is the former CEO and Chairman of Esquire Solutions, which is a company that employs 2500 people and operates in 36 domestic cities. Perry served for 6-years as CEO of Wordwave, during which the company grew EBITDA 470% and revenue 175%. The company acquired and integrated 36 acquisitions and successfully sold to Merrill Communications. Perry has also served as the CEO of Bankruptcy Management Solutions, HR Logic, BostonCoach, and as an Executive in Residence for Battery Investment.
David MendelsCo-Chairperson of the Growth Committee
David Mendels, Co-Chairperson of the Growth Committee
David has helped build and lead several of the most innovative software companies of the last 25 years. Most recently, David worked as the CEO of Brightcove, the leading software-as-a-service online video platform. Brightcove was also named Best Place to Work in Boston by the Boston Globe. Prior to Brightcove, he held multiple leadership roles at Macromedia and Adobe for over 16 years, including leading the business units for technologies that had a fundamental impact on our experience of the internet such as Adobe Flash and PDF. David currently serves on the Board of Witness and Resilient Coders and serves as an advisor to the Movement Voter Project.
Sari RapkinRetired Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Sari Rapkin, Retired Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Sari’s career in public accounting and non-profit involvement in Greater Boston spanned over 35 years. Recently retired, Sari served as an Assurance Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in their Private Company Services practice. Sari currently serves on the boards of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston, Jewish Arts Collaborative, Jewish Family Service of Metrowest, and the Jewish Federations of North America. Sari also serves on the Heller School for Social Policy and Management Board of Overseers at Brandeis.
Lester FagenPartner at Cooley LLP
Lester Fagen, Partner at Cooley LLP
Les Fagen has been a leading attorney representing both emerging and established technology companies and investors, as well as non-profit businesses, for over 35 years. His clientele runs the gamut from entrepreneurs launching new disruptive technology to Fortune 1000 clients in the fields of life sciences, software, information technology, medical devices, health services, smart city technologies, data, and artificial intelligence. He focuses his practice on companies that have the promise for meaningful social impact and entrepreneurs who are mission-driven. He co-founded and served as the head of Cooley’s Boston office and serves on the Board of a number of non-profit organizations.
Sally Ourieff MDFounder of Translational Consulting
Sally Ourieff MD, Founder of Translational Consulting
Sally Ourieff MD has over twenty-five years of experience as a physician, health care leader, executive advisor, and management consultant. As the founder of Translational Consulting, she works with C-suite leaders and teams to improve leadership performance and organizational management. Her clients range from Fortune 25 companies to start-up ventures with a primary focus in health care, pharma, biotech, academia, and finance. Sally is an adjunct faculty member at Brandeis University in The Heller School of Social Policy and Management where she teaches in their MBA for mid-career physicians. She also is a facilitator and coach in executive education at Harvard Business School, including in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative for mayors.
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OGS Academic Team / Teaching Faculty
Lisa M. LynchProvost of Brandeis University
Lisa M. Lynch, Provost of Brandeis University
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Brenda AndersonAcademic Director
Brenda Anderson, Academic Director
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Carole CarlsonVenture Development Leader
Carole Carlson, Venture Development Leader
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Elif Sisli CiamarraTeaching Faculty
Elif Sisli Ciamarra, Teaching Faculty
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Joel Cutcher-GershenfeldTeaching Faculty
Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Teaching Faculty
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Alain LempereurTeaching Faculty
Alain Lempereur, Teaching Faculty
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Roberta ClarkTeaching Faculty
Roberta Clark, Teaching Faculty
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OGS Advisory Board
R. Nicholas Burns, Chairman, U.S. Ambassador (Ret.)
Ambassador Nicholas Burns is the Goodman Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is Faculty Chair of the Future of Diplomacy Project and also of the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship at the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Burns is Executive Director of the Aspen Strategy Group and Aspen Security Forum, and Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group. He is Chairman of the Board of Our Generation Speaks, which seeks to bring together young Palestinians and Israelis in common purpose.
Burns served in the United States government for 27 years as a career Foreign Service Officer. He was Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2005-2008), U.S. Ambassador to NATO (2001-2005), U.S. Ambassador to Greece (1997-2001), and State Department Spokesperson (1995-1997). He worked on the National Security Council as Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Affairs; Special Assistant to President Clinton; and Director for Soviet Affairs for President George H.W. Bush. Burns served in the American Consulate General in Jerusalem where he coordinated U.S. economic assistance to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and before that, at the American embassies in Egypt and Mauritania. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston College and a master’s degree in international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Robert K. Kraft | Founding Honorary Chairman, CEO of The Kraft Group
Governor Deval L. Patrick | Founding Chairman, 71st Governor of Massachusetts
Aron J. Ain | Chairman & CEO at Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG)
Hani Alami | Founder & Chairman at Jest, CEO at Coolnet
Ibrahim AlHusseini | Founder and Managing Partner at FullCycle Energy Fund
Ola Baker | Founder & CEO at Growon
Maysa Baransi | Founding Partner at BINA
Bradley M. Bloom | Co-Founder & Senior Advisor, Berkshire Partners
Stuart W. Davidson | Partner at Willig, Williams & Davidson
Laurel W. Eisner | Former Chair of the Board of Directors at The Leir Foundation
Ohad Elhelo | Founder of Our Generation Speaks, Co-Founder & CEO at Stuff
Bahaa W. Fam | Managing Partner at Greystone Partners LLC; Senior Advisor to The MITRE Corporation
Michael G. Frieze | Chief Investment Officer & Chairman of the Board of Directors at Gordon Brothers
Sandra E. Goodstein | Managing Director & Senior Financial Advisor at Wescott
John Harthorne | Founder of MassChallenge, Founder & Managing Director at Two Lanterns Venture Partners
Linda Heller Kamm | Former General Counsel to the U.S. Cabinet Department of Transportation
Rosabeth Moss Kanter | Director & Chair of Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative
Andrew Kuritzkes | Executive VP and Chief Risk Officer at State Street
Douglass E. Karp | President, New England Development
Meyer Koplow | Chair of Board of Trustees at Brandeis University
Daniel A. Kraft | President International of The Kraft Group
Randa Masri | Founder and CEO of ConnectME
David Mendels | Former CEO of Brightcove
Dale S. Okonow | Partner at The Watermill Group
Perry Solomon | Former CEO and Chairman of Esquire Solutions
Tracey Specter | Life & Leadership Coach at YOU MATTER
Geraldine Acuna Sunshine | Board of Trustees at Harvard University
Imad Telhami | Founder and Chairman of Babcom
David Weil | Dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University
Lisa M. Lynch (Ex Officio) | Provost at Brandeis University
