After serving for many years as the Center's Executive Director, Maura Resnick has opted to leave her full-time role and transitioned to a part-time position, Senior Advisor, as of September 1, 2026.  As Senior Advisor, Maura will advise on and work to implement new strategic initiatives, further the Center’s development goals, and expand its cultural programming.

During her tenure as Executive Director, Maura strengthened the center’s presence at UCLA, in Los Angeles and in the larger Israel Studies academic network; managed the Center’s public programming on diverse aspects of Israel; coordinated Center-supported teaching in Israel Studies; and served as chief administrative officer. She will turn over many of her previous responsibilities to the Center's new Deputy Director, Dr. Elizabeth Stein, while continuing to work closely with the Center's director and community leadership. 

Maura joined the Center in 2010 with a strong background in non-profit management and a knowledge and love of Israel. Her professional career includes extensive experience in development, including positions at the Arthritis Foundation, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and the UCLA International Institute. She also has a strong background in government and in the private sector.

Maura is a native of Los Angeles, but attended high school in Jerusalem, graduating from the Hebrew University Secondary School (Tichon L’yad Ha’universita). She maintains close ties to Israel through friends and family around the country, and through her professional work. She is a member of the international Association for Israel Studies and a former trustee of Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles and member of its annual "Yom Limmud" (Day of Learning) committee. In other philanthropic and community activities, Maura is an active supporter of Polyphony Education, a non-profit based in Nazareth, Israel that works to bridge the divide between Israeli Arab and Jewish communities through classical music education, and a founding member of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA)'s Southern California Chapter.

Maura holds a B.A. in Economics from Wesleyan University (Connecticut) and an MBA from UCLA.