Dara Horn is a nationally acclaimed, award‑winning writer whose body of work now encompasses seven books—five celebrated novels, a groundbreaking graphic novel exploring Jewish civilization, and the widely lauded essay collection People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present (W. W. Norton, 2021). Named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists, she has earned three National Jewish Book Awards and has been a finalist for numerous literary prizes.

Horn’s nonfiction regularly illuminates contemporary Jewish experience for broad audiences. Her April 2023 Atlantic article, “Is Holocaust Education Making Anti‑Semitism Worse?”, sparked international discussion, adding to essays published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Smithsonian, Tablet, and The Jewish Review of Books. A sought‑after lecturer and public intellectual, she has spoken at hundreds of venues across North America, Israel, and Australia and served on Harvard University’s Antisemitism Advisory Group.

Holding both a B.A. and a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Yiddish literature from Harvard, Horn has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, Yeshiva University, and as the Gerald Weinstock Visiting Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard. She is channeling this scholarly expertise into The Tell Institute, the nonprofit she founded to introduce students—and the larger American public—to the richness of Jewish civilization.

Horn lives in New Jersey with her husband and four children, continuing to write, teach, and advocate for a deeper, more nuanced public understanding of Jewish life—past and present.

Jessica Levin has 30+ years of experience launching and leading education non-profit organizations and initiatives, developing federal K-12 education policy, serving as an instructor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, advising non-profit CEOs on strategy, and mobilizing communities around education goals. After creating the policy shop at The New Teacher Project (TNTP), she researched and wrote two widely publicized national reports on urban teacher hiring policies, which spurred policy reforms in multiple districts. She also conceptualized, co-founded, and co-built a multi-million-dollar membership/leadership organization of 250 Black and Latino education leaders seeking a less polarized, more inclusive movement to improve schools for low-income and minority students.

Jessica earned her B.A. from Harvard College and her J.D. from Yale Law School. After October 7th, as the volunteer Vice President of Education for the new Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance, she researched and co-authored a report on how Harvard’s educational program systemically planted and spread the seeds of hatred for Israel and Jews, starting well before October 7. She and her husband, now empty nesters, have three daughters.

Sherry Preiss brings over four decades of expertise in education to The Tell Institute, spanning teaching, curriculum development, teacher professional development, and educational consulting. She is a seasoned textbook author and editor, with a commitment to advancing high-quality teaching and learning. 

Sherry played a pivotal role in building and launching Pearson’s first international teacher professional development business and later served as Chief Teaching and Learning Officer at the KIPP Foundation network of charter schools. As Head of Professional Development for LEGO Education, she led the development of an innovative professional development platform. Since 2021, Sherry has worked on various curriculum and professional development projects with Tufts University, focused on play-based learning in math, STEM, and engineering design.  She has also served as a consultant to a new organization, Riveting Results,  targeted at accelerating strong literacy outcomes for early high school students. Sherry holds a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Jason E. Klein is an experienced media CEO, investor, and builder of digital and traditional businesses who has led two successful turnarounds.  He is currently founder and CEO of On Grid Ventures with a portfolio of 30+ early-stage companies.  Mr. Klein is co-President of the HBS Alumni Angels Association, and Chairman Emeritus of the largest chapter, HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York, which has over 300 members who invest about $4 million per year in startups.

Mr. Klein is currently on the boards of the Putnam County (NY) Land Trust, the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance, and Dara Horn’s new non-profit, the Tell Institute.

Prior his current focus on early-stage investment, Mr. Klein was the CEO of Newspaper National Network LP, a consortium of the largest newspaper companies in the US; and CEO of Times Mirror Magazines/Time4 Media, publisher of 25 well-known magazines  including Golf Magazine, Field & Stream, and Popular Science.  He began his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Co.

Mr. Klein is one of AlleyWatch's “25 Angels Investors in NY You Need to Know.” Mr. Klein holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB from Dartmouth College, Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude.

Ms. Dorothy Tananbaum is former Principal of the Vanderwoude Tananbaum Gallery, New York.

She is Co-Chair of Jewish Funders Network; founding member of the Center for Public Careers, Harvard College; Chair of the board of the Jewish Education Project, New York; and a board member of the Israel Campus Coalition. In the past, she served in many other capacities in the Federation and the community including as a former chair of the Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal at UJA Federation of NY.

Ms. Tananbaum has served on The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors since 2012.

Steve has over 40 years of experience in financial services, most recently serving for 20 years as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for a boutique investment management firm.  He also supports several non-profits, including serving on the Board of Dignity Matters, Inc., and working on the finance committees for MetroWest Legal Services and The Communities for Restorative Justice.

Steve received his B.S. from the University of Virginia and his MBA from Babson College.  Born and raised in Virginia, Steve and his wife, Carolyn, reside in Massachusetts. They have two adult daughters. He enjoys running, biking, tennis, and gardening with his wife.