Hillary Zaken lives her life in full color, and hopes to inspire others to do the same. She is an impact-focused storyteller, a creative strategic thinker, an organizer, a leader, and a decision maker who believes in being a positive, inspiring voice.
Hillary is the Assistant Director of Jewish Life at Elon University, and her role is as a mentor for all students on their diverse Jewish journeys and as a storyteller who inspires connection. She is responsible for creating and implementing comprehensive integrated development, communications, and marketing strategies to sustain, promote and advance Elon’s Jewish Life.
In 2012, Hillary moved back to the United States from Jerusalem, Israel, where she lived and worked for fourteen years, primarily as a journalist with the English-speaking media covering the Second Intifada, the disengagement from Gaza, and features about life in Israel.
Hillary lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband, J, and their blended family – three kids and a dog. She currently serves on the Editorial Board for Shalom Greensboro, the Greensboro Jewish Federation’s magazine, on the B’nai Shalom Day School Marketing Committee, and the Greensboro Jewish Federation’s Marketing Committee. She is also an amateur photographer and model, and enjoys Israeli cooking, collecting vintage hats and clothing, and creative reuse craft projects of all kinds.
Hillary attended Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is originally from Washington, DC, and has traveled widely though the Middle East and Europe, as well as much of the US.