ABOUT THE MUSEUM AT ELDRIDGE STREET

Veronica D. Ball, Director of Development

Veronica joined the Museum at Eldridge Street in March 2022 as the Director of Development and oversees all fundraising efforts to sustain and maintain the historic synagogue and support the educational and cultural programming of the Museum. She spent 15 years at The New York Landmarks Conservancy as Assistant Director of Development where her primary responsibilities included foundation and corporate giving, major gifts, and social media.

 

Over her nearly three-decade career as a professional fundraiser, Veronica has worked for several of New York City’s premier arts and cultural and educational institutions including Big Apple Greeter, Candid (formerly known as The Foundation Center), and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Veronica received her Bachelor of Science, Mass Communications and Public Relations from Boston University.

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Scott Brevda, Senior Manager of Education & Accessibility

Scott is a historian and museum educator who uses his understanding of his native city to bring its history to life. He first became involved with Eldridge in 2016 as a docent and joined the Museum’s staff in 2017. In the years since, he has held a variety of positions with the Museum, developing and managing the Museum’s school programs and day-to-day operations. 

 

In his current role, Scott plans and leads the intensive CASA program, creates new educational content and public programs, and has taken on the development of new access programs to ensure that the Museum bridges gaps and engages all audiences. Scott was formerly a Senior Educator at the Tenement Museum and holds a B.A. and M.A. in History from Fordham University.

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Jaime Cohen, Senior Manager of Education and Docent Engagement

Jaime is a seasoned educator with over 20 years of experience in museums and classrooms. She taught in private religious schools in Pittsburgh, her hometown, and was a docent at the New-York Historical Society for 5 years. Her time at the Museum at Eldridge Street began as a docent in 2019. Her role expanded in 2020 when she joined the staff of the museum.

 

Jaime manages the invoicing and group tours logistics and has doubled down on the Museum's work in education, developing family programs, creating new walking tours, and providing programs for our youngest visitors. She has grown and will continue to steward the Museum’s docent program, creating professional and cultural development opportunities and leading docent training. Jaime holds a B.A. from Brandeis University in sociology with a minor in art history and received an M.A. in education from the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a certified integrative nutrition health coach.

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Mercedes Correa, Accountant

Mercedes is an experienced financial professional with a B.A. degree in accounting from Baruch College. Over her three-decade career in accounting, Mercedes has advised a variety of businesses on bookkeeping and accounting, coordinated audits, managed payroll and a variety of other matters related to the financial health of an institution. She previously worked in the hotel and restaurant and printing industries, as well as in the garment district, which gives her a unique connection to the historical period that the museum explores.

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Bonnie Dimun, Executive Director

Bonnie brings a wealth of experience in the non-profit, corporate and university arenas. She founded and was president of Dynamics for Change, a management consulting firm focusing on client relations, business development, and alliance partnerships.

 

Bonnie also served as National Director of Education and Public Policy at Hadassah, the world’s largest women’s non-profit organization. There she created and managed the Leadership, Education and Training Center. Prior to that, she was Executive Director of Organization Advancement for Middlesex County College. Bonnie holds an Ed.D from Columbia University as well as two degrees from Rider University.

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Amanda Gordon, Communications and Special Grant Project Manager

Amanda's experiences include working as a Development Research Assistant at Baribeau Consulting, serving as a Research Assistant for jMUSE, and her role as a Digital Producer for U.S. New & World Report. She is a passionate historian and storyteller with extensive experience in digital media strategy, collections research, public programming, and development. Amanda holds an M.A. in Hebrew and Judaic Studies with a concentration in Museum Studies from New York University. She earned her Bachelor’s at Northwestern University, where she studied History, Journalism, and Critical Theory. In 2020, Amanda began studying Yiddish; she enjoys reading the Forverts and attending Yiddish music and theater events around the city.

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Franklin Heerasingh, Building & Maintenance

Franklin has a variety of professional training prior to working in the Museum. He worked on Wall Street for major brokerage houses and specialized in accounting. It is while working there, Franklin realized that success is achieved by being attentive to details and client needs are a priority. Franklin later developed an interest in technology and worked in the IT industry for various firms, including a forensic company. After working in the brokerage and IT industry for over twenty years, Franklin transition into the legal industry as an office manager, where he handled every aspect of the office including accounting and billing. Franklin later ventured into real estate while looking for his own family home, as he obtained his license and became an agent. He ventured into the Property Management industry when an opportunity to utilize his managerial and financial experience presented itself through an acquaintance. Franklin has a degree from Baruch College in Business Administration as well as an associate degree in information technology from TCI College.

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Nancy Johnson, Archivist & Curator

Nancy has been curating the Museum’s temporary art and history exhibition series since it began in 2016.  As the Museum’s archivist, she looks after its historic documents, objects and art collection.  Favorite projects since coming to Eldridge Street in 2009 include editing Beyond the Façade, an illustrated history of the Eldridge Street Synagogue and its restoration, developing the permanent exhibition in 2014, and curating exhibitions ranging from the art of Kiki Smith to Harbin, China/Past-Present, combining both history and contemporary art. Nancy has worked as an archivist, curator, editor and writer for longer than she cares to admit. She has been a consultant on major projects at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Montclair Art Museum, Alan Lomax Archives, Lotos Club and many other arts-related organizations. She holds an M.A. in art history from The Institute of Fine Arts at NYU and B.A. degrees in history and art history from Stony Brook University.

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Sophie Lo, Deputy Director

Sophie brings over a decade of experience working between the intersections of arts and culture and education. Prior experiences include overseeing programs and events at The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU and managing programs and communications at the Museum of Chinese in America. She has consulted on projects for Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and diversity initiatives for children’s education materials at Scholastic Inc.

 

Sophie sits on the Board of Directors for the Museum Association of New York (MANY), was an Art Commissioner for Queens Council on the Arts from 2021-2022, participated in New York Foundation for the Arts incubator for Executive Leaders of Color Program, an initiative aimed to foster equity and diversity in the arts. She earned her B.A. in Culture and Media Studies from The New School, her M.S. in Human Capital Management and Organizational Effectiveness from NYU, and has a certificate for Managing Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace from Cornell University.

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Maya Locker, Public Programs & Special Events Coordinator

Maya has six years of museum experience working in various capacities, from public-facing to behind-the-scenes roles such as cataloging museum objects, researching material for exhibitions, and assisting in event execution. Maya holds an M.A. in the History of Design and Curatorial Studies from Parsons School of Design, where she also worked as a Fellow at The Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, and a B.A. in Classics and Art History from Franklin & Marshall College.

 

While earning her Bachelor’s, she spent a summer abroad in Europe to study museology and art history. She also conducted an independent study program in Croatia to focus on how institutions and cities present historical and cultural information to the public. These experiences fueled her desire to pursue museum work and engage with different audiences. Maya holds four certificates from Sotheby’s Institute in art law, valuation, research and provenance, and the inner workings of the art world. Prior to joining the Museum at Eldridge Street, she was an Assistant Fine Art and Personal Property Appraiser.