Jackie Shimshoni Reese

Chief of Staff

Jackie Shimshoni Reese is Tree of Life’s inaugural chief of staff, bringing nearly a decade of marketing and nonprofit management experience.

As chief of staff, Jackie will work directly with the CEO to build the new institution dedicated to countering antisemitism. She will manage the day-to-day operations of the organization, including supporting development efforts and the REMEMBER. REBUILD. RENEW. campaign. Jackie will also serve as a public ambassador for the reimagined Tree of Life and facilitate the growth and deepening of community partnerships on behalf of the organization.

Jackie joins the new Tree of Life after more than five years at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, where she most recently served as manager. During her time at the Holocaust Center, Jackie led efforts related to marketing, grant writing, exhibits, digital programming and assets. She also managed special educational projects, including the writing and designing of the CHUTZ-POW! Teacher’s Resource Guide.

Prior to the Holocaust Center, Jackie designed and ran Startable Pittsburgh, an intensive teen entrepreneurship program of Innovation Works. She has also held various roles in nonprofit marketing, grant writing, exhibit curation, digital programming, and education at various organizations in Pittsburgh and in Florida.

Jackie holds a master’s degree in arts management from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree in art education from University of Florida. In 2017, she was an honoree in the inaugural class of “Who’s Next in Education” from The Incline, a Pittsburgh news outlet.

  • REVOLVING DOORS| HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH | 2022

    Researched and oversaw the design of an original, semi-permanent exhibit for the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.

    JACOB’S TORAH | HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH | 2021

    Researched and designed original exhibit for the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Jacob’s Torah tells the story of a piece of the Holocaust Center’s archive, dubbed “Jacob’s Torah,” which was saved from the Holocaust and kept by Jewish refugees in Shanghai before making a journey to Pittsburgh. In addition to telling the story of a German town, the exhibit tells the lesser-known story of Jewish refugees to China during World War II.

    HC40: 40 YEARS OF HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH | HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH | 2020-2021

    Researched and assembled an exhaustive catalog of newspaper articles and organizational documents covering the 40-year history of the organization, using to assemble a comprehensive, searchable spreadsheet of important events and individuals to provide concrete institutional memory that has formed the basis of public events, interactions with our community, and donor relations

    CONNECTING HISTORY WITH THE INJUSTICES OF TODAY: INSIGHTS FROM THE HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH | UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH DIVERSITY FORUM | 2020

    Spoke on a panel with other Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh staff to discuss past efforts and future approaches to combating antisemitism, racism, and other forms of hate.

    FOR YOU WERE STRANGERS: JEWISH IMMIGRATION TO PITTSBURGH, 1880-1990 | HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH | 2020

    Researched and designed original exhibit for the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. For You Were Strangers explores a 100-year history of Jewish immigration into Pittsburgh, and notes historic world events that drove distinctive waves of Jewish immigration to the region. Through documents, images and stories, the exhibit examines changing United States policies during the 19th and 20th centuries, along with the formation of local attitudes and institutions as Jewish immigrants and refugees came to become integral to our society today.

    CHUTZ-POW! TEACHERS’ RESOURCE GUIDE | HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH | 2018

    Lead project coordinator, writer, and designer for this book published by the Center, designed to build context and provide foundational information for teachers teaching about the Holocaust using CHUTZ-POW!, the Center’s comic book series.

    CITY THROUGH MY EYES | AJAPO | 2017

    Pro bono proposal as part of a two-person management professional team to design a program for exposing immigrants to interdisciplinary arts and opportunities in the community.

    5X5 ROBOTICS CAMP | INNOVATION WORKS | 2017

    Established partnership with TechShop to develop robotics curriculum for spring break camp to provide ten students between ages 12-16 with free educational programming.

    DIVERSITY AND EQUITY IN MAKING | MAKER FAIRE PITTSBURGH | 2015

    Sat on a five-person panel discussing equitable access to resources and education for young makers.

    TEACHING ARTS THROUGH TECH | ARTS MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY | 2014

    A three-part podcast series interviewing women making contributions to the field of integrated arts and technology. Interviewed Jane Alexander, Chief Information Officer of the Cleveland Museum of Art; Jessica Wilt, Director of ArtsEdTech NYC; and Dr. Kylie Peppler, Director of the Creativity Labs at Indiana University Bloomington.

    CAPSTONE PROJECT: ALLOY ARTS | CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | 2014

    Using international case studies and educational best practices, worked as part of a six-person consulting team to recommend an organizational structure for Alloy Arts, an entity that seeks to put arts programming in Pittsburgh's now-defunct Carrie Furnace.

    COMMUNITY INTERNSHIP PROPOSAL | CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH | 2014

    Over the course of a semester of research, developed a proposal and job description for the internship position of a Program Coordinator for Buhl Community Park that was presented to the directors of the Children's Museum.

    CAPSTONE PROJECT: FINAL TEACHING PORTFOLIO | UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA | 2013

    Created a 50-page portfolio with lesson plans, photography, samples of student work, and other evidence of satisfying high school educator benchmarks.