Education Leader • Program Director • Founder
YAGIL
ELIRAZ
I build and lead programs that connect education, culture, and community impact across higher education and nonprofit organizations.
MFA, Yale University. Former Assistant Professor at Amherst College.
Leadership and
Program Development
Higher Education Leader
Former Assistant Professor at Amherst College and adjunct faculty at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.
Led departmental curriculum redesign and developed over 10 original courses.
Mentored and advised students across academic and creative work.
Led cross-departmental initiatives, including festivals and an international conference.
Contributed to enrollment growth and faculty recruitment and mentorship.
Program Director and Chief Producer
Founded and led the Festival Arena, a year-long incubator within the Israel Festival, mentoring 12 artistic ensembles from development through premiere.
Served as Artistic Director and Chief Producer of Tel Aviv University’s flagship annual festival – a multi-day, multi-venue event engaging professional artists, students, and thousands of attendees.
Founded and led an educational program for emerging theater leaders, mentoring 45 directors across three full cycles from ideation to execution.
Entrepreneurship – EdTech
Founded and scaled Theater.Academy, an online education platform adopted by more than 60 universities.
Led curriculum design, institutional partnerships, marketing strategy, and digital operations.
Community Engagement
Designed and led community-based educational initiatives across academic and civic contexts.
At Yale University, mentored underserved youth through writing and staging original work.
At Bavly Community Center, led an intergenerational storytelling project amplifying women’s lived experiences.
At Nurit Katsir Center, developed a curriculum empowering youth to explore identity through experiential and collaborative learning.
Directing
Background
I directed more than 20 productions across the United States, Israel, and Greece, managing cumulative production budgets exceeding $1M.
Collaborations include Habima National Theatre, Cameri Theatre, fringe theaters, acting studios, and universities.
Throughout, I led multidisciplinary teams, navigated complex stakeholder environments, and delivered large-scale projects under time-sensitive conditions.
That foundation continues to shape how I lead: with attention to people, collaboration across diverse voices, respect for process, and a constant focus on why the work matters.
About
Me
I am a descendant of a long line of Orthodox Jews on my father’s side, and of Holocaust survivors from Auschwitz on my mother’s side.
This heritage has deeply shaped my path. It grounds me in a strong connection to my Jewish identity and in the belief that education is a form of freedom - the ability to understand who you are and the role you play within a larger community.
Throughout my work, I have been drawn to questions of identity, ethics, and responsibility. I am particularly interested in leading initiatives that bring people together across differences. I tend to think in systems, holding a broad vision while working through the details required to bring it to life.
I strive to create environments that make space for multiple perspectives, for disagreement, and for collaborative thinking. I prioritize shared inquiry over rushing toward conclusions, and remain committed to complexity over simple answers.
Outside of work, I love playing pool, am an enthusiastic dancer of house and disco, enjoy fast walking, and am deeply grateful to share my life with my partner, Leah.