Rachel Darling

Executive Director

Hallie (she/her) graduated from Oregon State University where she studied Human Development and Family Sciences. She actively participated in Hillel at Oregon State and worked as the Greek Life Engagement Intern. Through the support of the Hillel community, she further developed her program development skills and found a second Jewish home on campus in Oregon. Additionally, Hallie has extensive experience working with teens at B'nai Brith Camp where she developed inclusive and engaging programming. She recently spent a year in Israel with a group of high school students. Hallie is excited to bring the same level of drive and passion to this job and looks forward to facilitating and leading a diverse array of programs and initiatives that enrich the lives of Jewish students across the UC Davis and Sacramento State campuses. She currently lives in Sacramento with her fiancé who is in medical school and is excited to embark on this step in her professional journey.

Seth Browner

Development Manager

Lyric Niv

Springboard Ezra Fellow: Jewish Education Specialist

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Lyric (she/her) graduated with a Bachelor's of English from UC Berkeley in 2024. Throughout her college career and beyond, Lyric has freelanced for various publications, including but not limited to HeyAlma, the Jewish Journal, the Daily Californian, and Vista and Magenta Magazine in Florence, Italy where she did her semester abroad. As our Ezra Springboard Fellow, Lyric is responsible for overseeing our Jewish educational and religious programming like holidays, Shabbat, the Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF), and much more. Outside of work, Lyric enjoys reading, hiking, and fighting the uphill battle to learn fluent Hebrew.

Bar malul

Israel Fellow

Bar (she/her) was born and raised in Eilat: Israel’s southernmost and premier tourist city. When she was 21, she moved to central Israel where she worked with children, including those with special needs, and volunteered at a rehabilitation center where she was introduced to the field of mental health. Later, she pursued a degree in Social Work at Sapir College in Sderot. Upon beginning her studies, she moved to Kibbutz Mefalsim, located in the Gaza Envelope, where she joined the kibbutz student village and organized events supporting the senior population. During her studies, Bar was an active member of an organization dedicated to advancing the field of social work and its values in Israel as well as leading various community projects. During her studies, she worked as a rehabilitative guide at a facility providing treatment for individuals with mental health disorders. Following the events of October 7th, Bar was evacuated from her home in Kibbutz Mefalsim. She participated in two delegations promoting Israel advocacy in Germany and the United States. Bar views her upcoming role at Hillel as an opportunity to strengthen the connection between Israel and the Jewish community in the diaspora, share her personal story, and build as many meaningful connections as possible. She can’t wait to get to know the students on a deeper level!

Dasha Pozdnikov

Sacramento State Engagement Associate

Dasha (she/her) graduated from UC Davis in 2023 where she earned her BA in Sociology of Law and a minor in Public Health. She was born in San Francisco, California before moving to Moscow, Russia when she was six years old. She moved back to the United States when she was in high school. Some of you may remember her as our Communications Intern at Hillel. In addition to serving as the Communications Intern, she was very involved in planning other events like Israel Week, the Matzah Ball, and Russian cultural and cooking events. She was the first person ever to serve as a Springboard Fellow at our Hillel chapter in 2023. Dasha is now serving as the first Sacramento State Engagement Associate where she will be the primary staff member responsible for engagement, programming, and supporting Jewish students at Sac State. When she’s not tabling at Sac State, you can find her around Davis exploring the cafes and restaurants downtown.

anja dingman

Office Assistant

Anja (she/her) was born and raised in Davis, though her passion for exploration took her across the country for college and lots of travel. She earned her BA in Dance Education from Columbia College in South Carolina and taught in schools in the Carolinas and the Greater Sacramento region for many years. After moving back to the West Coast in 2016, Anja spent the last eight years teaching dance and working as an administrative assistant while championing causes close to her heart: arts education, chronic illness and disability, neurodiversity, and the LGBTQIA+ community. She joined the Hillel team in September 2024 and has dived right into this amazing community! When she’s not in the office, you can find Anja practicing her arts, reading a good book, and being the proud “crazy black cat mama” to her three boys: Jasper, Jinx, and Jax.

Kugel

Hillel “Mascot”

Kugel has been part of Hillel’s team since 2020. Kugel is a rescue dog and the proud pet of our Executive Director, Rachel Darling, and her husband, Russell. Rachel and Russell adopted Kugel during the pandemic after he was found as a stray wandering on the highway in Kern County, California. He won the doggy lottery!

His main responsibilities around Hillel include helping to cheer up the staff when they need a break from work, chasing the tennis ball in Hillel’s backyard, and licking the faces of anyone who taste delicious. When Kugel’s not at Hillel, he loves spending time at home with his family, chasing lizards in his garden, and going for walks around his beautiful neighborhood in Woodland.