Amy Olson, Executive Director

Amy Olson has been the Executive Director of URI Hillel since 2005.  She is the chair of the URI Chaplains Association and serves on the URI Equity Council..  Amy was the recipient of the 2011 Diversity Award for Staff/Administrator Excellence presented by the URI Multicultural Student Services Center to honor those who advance institutional equity and inclusiveness.

Amy was a member of the third cohort of Campus Fellows at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, a prestigious program focusing on the complexity and challenges of the North American relationship with Israel and on other major issues facing the Jewish people.  She previously studied at the Pardes Summer Institute for Hillel Professionals. 

She was the Executive Director of Hillel at the University of Minnesota from 1998-2005 and worked at the University of Minnesota Hillel from 1986-1995 in a variety of capacities.  While at Minnesota, Amy was a recipient of the “Breaking the Silence” award from the University of Minnesota GLBT Programs Office for her work on behalf of GLBT students.  She served as the Executive Director of the Central States and Provinces Region of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism from 1995-1998.
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A native of Rhode Island, Amy is a graduate of the New England Academy of Torah.  She earned a BA in Theater from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA in Theater Directing from the University of Minnesota.  Amy is a professional vocalist specializing in Broadway show tunes, Yiddish theater music and Israeli songs.

​Yaniv Havusha, Director of Jewish Student Life 

Yaniv Havusha joined the URI Hillel staff in October of 2015.  A graduate of Curry College and Merrimack College, both in Massachusetts, Yaniv holds a B.A. in Education and an M.Ed. in Higher Education/Student Affairs.  He comes to Hillel from the field of residence life, and worked for several years as a Residence Director at Mitchell College, Western Connecticut University and Merrimack College.  ​

Yaniv enjoyed an extended stay in Israel in 2015, where he participated in a five month Kibbutz Ulpan program and chaperoned a Dor L'Dor trip with NFTY. In March 2016, Yaniv was honored to participate in the Birthright Israel Fellows program, which provides experiential Jewish educators with training to enhance participants’ Birthright Israel experiences.  He is excited about sharing his passion for Israel with students across campus, and is happy to be in a setting where he can combine his love of Israel with his love of working with college students.  In his spare time, Yaniv enjoys reading, spending time with family, hanging out at the beach, going to Boston Celtics games and, of course, Third Eye Blind concerts.

Stephen Slater, Rabbinic Intern

Stephen Slater is a Rabbinical Student at Hebrew College in Newton, MA and serves as the student rabbi at Congregation Shaaray Tefila in Glens Falls, NY. Hailing from Detroit Michigan, but having actually grown up in West Africa, Stephen speaks fluent French and Hebrew and has lived and traveled in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He earned a Master’s Degree at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  While there, he enjoyed learning at the Hartman Institute and the Conservative Yeshiva.​

Before beginning rabbinical school, Stephen taught Jewish thought, Chumash and Beit Midrash at Milken Community High School in Los Angeles and at Hebrew schools in Los Angeles and New York (IKAR & Romemu). He especially enjoys teaching the Hebrew language the natural way through play and interaction.
 
Stephen is married to Bethany, his lifetime study partner and they are the proud parents of Anav Ida Slater who was born in 2015. 
 
Stephen welcomes drop in visits during his regular hours on campus (most Thursday afternoons during Spring semester) and is happy to sit and meet with students over coffee, on Skype or by appointment.