Director of Jewish Student Life, Division of Student Success
Hillel
langsner@hartford.edu 860.768.7956 Hillel Center, Park River Apartments, Ground Floor https://www.hartford.edu/jewishlife
Education
B.A. Communication and Rhetoric, University at Albany
Lisa was born and raised in New York and began her Jewish professional journey well before college, participating in the UAHC Kutz Camp’s leadership academies during her teenage years. She attended the University at Albany where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Rhetoric, while joyfully advising local and regional NFTY youth.
Lisa began her career with Hillel in 2007 at the University of Rhode Island Hillel as Jewish Student Life Coordinator, returning to her alma mater, University at Albany Hillel, two years later as Program Director. She moved to Israel in 2011 to participate in the WUJS Institute through Masa, where she worked for JFNA’s Israel office developing programs for underserved communities in Israel.
Upon her return to the US Lisa continued her work with JFNA’s Israel Office in New York, focusing on programmatic initiatives meant to identify and solve key challenges facing the continental and global Jewish community.
Lisa loves working with students, is deeply committed to Jewish pluralism and community building, and enjoys fostering opportunities for young adults to explore Jewish traditions, ideas, and identity in new and meaningful ways. She is particularly passionate about immersive experiences, training student leaders, and helping students nurture their individual identities in whatever way speaks to them. Lisa, her husband, and two young daughters live in West Hartford. Lisa spends her free time cooking, baking, gardening, and celebrating her family’s Jewish identity in the local community.
Interest Areas: Hillel Student Leadership and Training, Community Building, Jewish Holidays and Observances, Interfaith Relationship Building