Dana Talmi, Executive Director of Yahel – Israel Service Learning, has close to 15 years of experience working in the fields of experiential education and service learning. Born in England and raised in the Netherlands and Israel, Dana began her career as a tour guide in Israel in Hebrew, English, and Dutch. After several years in that role, Dana moved to the United States and continued her involvement in Jewish education. She was an educator at the Teva Learning Alliance and a teacher at the Florence Melton School.
In 2002, Dana led her first service learning trip to Honduras and the Ukraine with American Jewish World Service (AJWS). For the next few years, she continued leading service learning programs for Jewish college students. In 2005, she joined the AJWS staff and was responsible for hiring, training, and managing group leaders for service-learning trips to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2007, Dana returned to Israel with her family and soon after, founded Yahel – Israel Service Learning – an Israeli nonprofit which brings young people from around the world to take part in service learning and social action programs in Israel. Dana holds a BA in Israel studies from Bar-Ilan University and an MSW with a focus on community organizing and group work from the University of North Carolina. She currently serves on the board of Atzum – Justice Works.