Chief Executive Officer, AICF USA & AICF Israel
Iris Reff-Ronen is an entrepreneur and executive with vast experience in both corporate and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining AICF Israel, Iris led the Israeli Choreographers Association, an umbrella organization for contemporary dance artists in Israel. She also served for 15 years as the CEO of Unistream, a unique NGO fostering social and business leadership for over 1,600 young adults from Israel’s periphery through education, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Iris was the acting CFO of the Shilav Group, CFO of a high-tech company and worked for the WZO while living in the US. She is an enthusiastic promoter of arts education in Israel, and an advocate for building educational support in the periphery. She is passionate about building positive change in the Israeli cultural sector and applying her extensive background to help realize the potential of young Israeli artists, harness their remarkable talent and continue to expand Israel’s cultural presence around the world Iris holds advanced degrees in business, finance and marketing. She lives in New York with her husband Micha and her children.
Director of Development
Erin Daley is a nonprofit professional with a background in fine arts and art history. A native of New York, Erin double majored in English and Art at Simmons University in Boston. While in college, she worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Boston Office of Christie’s Auction House. After graduation, Erin began her development career and worked at such institutions as the Museum of Modern Art, The New York Public Library, and Old Westbury Gardens. Erin’s connection to music began when she played clarinet for eight years during her academic career. She passed her love of music on to her teenage daughter who plays the clarinet, piano, and steel drums. In her free time, Erin and her daughter love visiting museums, attending musical performances, and enjoying diverse culinary experiences during their travels.
Program Director | Beyond Talent
Galia has been leading AICF’s global community of artists, creating and guiding programs to support artists at pivotal moments in their careers. Galia is also a narrative and documentary creator whose work has been screened and distributed internationally, earning her accolades including the Tangerine fellowship at Stowe Story Labs, NYC TV’s Best Script award, QWFF’s InkTip award, as well as the Sundance Script Lab semifinalist recognition for her debut feature film. Additionally, she is a passionate science communicator, distilling complex concepts into accessible narratives for broad audiences.
Iris Reff Ronen
Global CEO, AICF USA & AICF Israel
Iris Reff-Ronen is an entrepreneur and executive with vast experience in both corporate and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining AICF Israel, Iris led the Israeli Choreographers Association, an umbrella organization for contemporary dance artists in Israel. She also served for 15 years as the CEO of Unistream, a unique NGO fostering social and business leadership for over 1,600 young adults from Israel’s periphery through education, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Iris was the acting CFO of the Shilav Group, CFO of a high-tech company and worked for the WZO while living in the US. She is an enthusiastic promoter of arts education in Israel, and an advocate for building educational support in the periphery. She is passionate about building positive change in the Israeli cultural sector and applying her extensive background to help realize the potential of young Israeli artists, harness their remarkable talent and continue to expand Israel’s cultural presence around the world Iris holds advanced degrees in business, finance and marketing. She lives in New York with her husband Micha and her children.
Jessica Hadler
Director of Programs & Grants
Jessica Hadler is a longtime advocate of the arts and a supporter of young artists. She was Director of Artistic Programs for Concert Artists Guild, where she worked for more than 10 years. In this role she oversaw the organization’s New York concert series, an annual international competition, record label, and commissioning program, and mentored a roster of talented musicians. She taught the Art of Engagement at Mannes School of Music at the New School, a course designed to inspire students to discover and express their unique artistic points of view. Jessica served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Look & Listen Festival, a new music festival held each Spring in NYC, and was a Board Member of AlpenKammerMusik, a chamber music festival in Austria. Jessica studied music at Indiana University, earning her BM and MM degrees in saxophone performance. She made Aliya to Israel in 2017.
Evelina Zayats
Assistant to Global CEO & Project Manager
Evelina Zayats joined AICF Israel in 2017, bringing her enthusiasm and extensive professional experience to the nonprofit arts sector. Her versatile skill set, acquired through various roles, enables her to make a meaningful impact on Israeli culture and the lives of young artists. Evelina began her career at Siemens Ltd., Energy Sector in Moscow, as a Commercial Project Manager (Economist) while completing an MBA in Industrial Business Administration through the company’s trainee program. After making Aliyah in 2009, she joined H.Stern, advancing through sales roles and completing a managerial training program. She later worked in Finance and Software Industries as a Personal Assistant to the CEO, contributing to developing technological solutions in finance in Israel.
Evelina holds advanced degrees in Engineering from the Moscow State Academy and an Industrial MBA from Siemens AG-Steinbeis Hochschule in Austria.
