Our Staff
Rabbi David Komerofsky, Executive Director
David Komerofsky (AKA D-Kom) joined the Texas Hillel staff in January 2006 after seven years as dean of students and director of the rabbinical school at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). David earned a degree in history, specialization in 20th century African-American, from the University of Cincinnati in 1993 before enrolling in HUC-JIR’s rabbinical school. He studied in Jerusalem, Los Angeles and Cincinnati and earned a master’s degree and ordination. His most notable achievement is that he is the father of nine year-old twins who can sometimes be spotted amongst the Longhorns at Texas Hillel on Shabbat. His ambition is to own a scooter that gets 80 miles to the gallon and won’t tip over when he sits on it.
Margo Sack, Director of Jewish Student Life
For sixteen years, Margo Sack has been the heart and soul of Texas Hillel. She is universally loved and respected in the Hillel world for her dedication to making students feel warm and welcomed, and is one of a handful of Hillel professionals across the globe who trains JCSC (Jewish Campus Service Corps) Fellows. Margo earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at Case Western Reserve University and worked in student affairs at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, among other places, before coming to Texas Hillel. She has two grown sons. She is also the nicest person on west campus.
Devora Brustin, Senior Jewish Educator
Devora came to Texas Hillel in August 2008, having lived and worked most recently in Tucson, Arizona. Devora is part of an exciting new informal education initiative through Hillel International , funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation . Come by and say hello.
Monica Capozziello, Office Manager
Monica is originally from Del Rio, Texas (that’s near the river, as the name implies). She runs the business side of Texas Hillel’s operations and is an alumna of UT Austin. When not tied her to desk in the maze of funky cubicles, you can find Monica enjoying the Austin music scene. She is endlessly patient and a master multi-tasker.
Daniel Alter, Development Associate
Daniel is a recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and was active in Texas Hillel as a student. His degrees are in archaeology and anthropology, two very useful disciplines for digging up materials to share with donors and then study their reactions to our publicity. Daniel is from Beaumont and the proud older brother of three sisters, two of whom are students at UT. Hook ‘em Alters. Daniel also has the best laugh in Texas.
Kerin Berger, Jewish Student Life Coordinator
Kerin graduated in 2007 from Binghamton University and became our Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellow in the summer of 2007. Being naturally outgoing and friendly, Kerin is ideally suited for student engagement. Give her a call or send her an email to get together for coffee and bagels! She owns an interesting collection of bandanas and exotic headgear.
Jonathan (Yoni) Cohen, Israel Programs Coordinator
Yoni graduated from Tel Aviv University in 2007 and speaks better English than Kerin (who is from New York). Come by and say hello. He is responsible for promoting Israel programming on campus and helping students visit the State of Israel through the many Israel trips that are offered through Hillel. He is also an inventor of useful products, and we’re all grateful that he’s applying his skills at Texas Hillel rather than at a mall kiosk. Don’t mess with the Yoni.
Rabbi Moshe Trepp, Mashgiach and Orthodox Minyan Leader
A native of England, Rabbi Trepp came to Austin with his family in 2006. He is active in the wider Jewish community teaching classes, learning with individuals and supervising the kashruth of kitchens through Dallas Kosher. Rabbi Trepp works with students at Texas Hillel to create meaningful and inspirational Orthdox Shabbat experiences and can always be counted on for good conversations over strong coffee and cans of soda. He has a nice collection of hats and a scooter.
Robert Frank, Office Assistant
Second in longevity at Texas Hillel (to Margo), Robert has been the voice of Texas Hillel for more than a decade. He was the receptionist in the previous building and is the man behind the reminder phone calls to board members and students. Robert is from San Antonio and is aiming for the world’s record for number of espressos consumed in a single day. Come by the office at 11 AM and hear his famous “lunchtime” announcement.
Hans Mayer, Senior Consultant
Hans Mayer came to Texas Hillel to help with the renaissance of the organization in 1998. He spearheaded the capital campaign that resulted in our beautiful new home and continues to help with resource development. Hans has many years of experience in the Jewish non-profit world, including an impressive tenure as CEO of the Houston Jewish Federation.
Pedro Vasquez, Custodian
If you want to know how Texas Hillel manages to stay up-and-running for year-round programming, look no farther than Pete Vasquez. Our resident expert in country music and all things Star Trek, Pete’s dedication to Texas Hillel is what keeps our new home in tip-top shape.
