Meet the Staff
Rabbi Evan Goodman
Rabbi Evan Goodman is the Executive Director of Santa Barbara Hillel. He loves working with college students and Santa Barbara Hillel supporters to create a dynamic “Jewish home away from home” where we explore Judaism, engage our Jewish values in the community around us, and enrich the lives of our students. He is proactive in standing up for SB Hillel's students, building bridges, and fostering a positive campus climate.
An avid hiker, Rabbi Evan can often be found on local trails - or taking a getaway to Yosemite or Tahoe. He's a big fan of the San Francisco Giants. Rabbi Evan and his wife Lori are the proud parents of two sons, Ilan and Noah. Before arriving at Santa Barbara Hillel in July 2009, Rabbi Evan served for 16 years as a congregational rabbi in San Francisco and San Mateo, California, and in New Rochelle, New York.
Rabbi Goodman’s honors include Hillel International’s 2015 Richard M. Joel “Exemplar of Excellence Award” and AIPAC's 2014 “Ally of the Year” award. He recently completed a fellowship with the Shalom Hartman Institute, and is Immediate Past President of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis. Rabbi Goodman also serves on the Taubman Symposia Program Committee at UCSB.
A graduate of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio, Rabbi Evan was ordained in 1993. He received a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters from HUC-JIR in 1991, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988.
Rabbi Evan Goodman is pleased to lead our amazing staff at Santa Barbara Hillel as we inspire the Jewish future.
Allison Granet
Allison Granet is the Engagement Associate for Santa Barbara Hillel. Growing up she spent many summers going to Jewish sleep away camp, which tremendously helped shape her Jewish identity. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelors of science degree in Family and Human Services, and was also very involved in the Hillel there.
In Allison’s free time she loves being around her friends and family, and exploring new spots in Santa Barbara. She knew that she wanted to work in the Jewish community ever since she started going to summer camp, because of the positive impact her counselors had on her. Allison is beyond thrilled to have the opportunity here at Santa Barbara Hillel to have the same positive impact on students.
Rabbi Madeline Anderson
Madeline (Maddy) Anderson spent the past five years studying to be a rabbi at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Maddy attended the University of Indianapolis, for her undergraduate studies, where she helped establish the “Precious Words Africa” project to support multiple schools in Ghana by equipping them with library books, classroom furniture, and building expansions. After college, she served as an AmeriCorps member and administrative assistant at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis. She also worked as a communications coordinator at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation (IHC), where she was inspired to go back to school and pursue rabbinic ordination.
As a rabbinical student at HUC-JIR, Maddy served in several different roles. She served twice as the rabbinic fellowships with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), and is currently serving as their Interim Assistant Director. Maddy also worked in two midwestern student pulpits in Petoskey, MI, and Kokomo, IN. She taught in multiple religious schools in the Cincinnati Jewish community. Last but not least, Maddy served as a chaplain in two Cincinnati hospitals.
In her free time, Maddy likes to be with her fifteen-year-old dog, Chase, taking walks, playing, and relaxing on the couch in her time off. She values spending time with friends and family while cooking and eating delicious foods, participating in philosophical discussions, and getting dogs together for playdates. Some of her other interests include listening to podcasts, bicycling, yoga, meditation, knitting, and practicing playing her guitar.
Madeline is particularly passionate about education and advocacy work that lead to a more compassionate and equitable society for all. She is looking forward to ordination and is excited to continue growing and learning in her new role as Senior Jewish Educator at UC Santa Barbara Hillel.
Alexandra Bull
Alexandra is delighted to join the Hillel of UC Santa Barbara as the Development Associate. Originating from Atlanta Georgia, she went to Jewish day school as well as Jewish summer camp and was raised by very active Jewish leaders in the community. Living in Colorado for 7 years after that, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Colorado State University. During her undergraduate years she was the Founding President of the first Jewish sorority on campus, SAEPi, and served on the Hillel Student Board. Now, recently moved to the southern California region with her husband, received her Masters of Nonprofit Leadership and Management from USC and sits on the National Board of Directors for Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi as President-Elect. Before joining Hillel, she was at the Santa Barbara Zoo and the Denver Zoo.
In her free time, Alexandra enjoys hiking and snow shoeing to alpine lakes with her dog as well as skiing. You can almost always find her with Jazmine, her 100-pound Alaskan Malamute/Golden Retriever mix. She also loves to read fantasy novels, eat at the best restaurants, and host dinner parties with her husband, David. Judaism and nonprofit work have been a huge part of her life and she is excited to connect the community with Hillel’s mission and values.
Sophie Lerer
Sophie Lerer is joining the Santa Barbara Hillel team as the Operations Manager. Sophie originally joined the staff part-time after finishing school in March, and is excited to be coming on full-time for the 2022-2023 year.
Sophie graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Sociology. Growing up, Sophie attended Sunday school in her hometown of Long Beach, California and quickly developed a meaningful relationship with her local Jewish community. Before attending UCSB, Sophie was a madricha for 5 years, served on her youth group board as Social Action Vice President for 2, and was active in NFTY SoCal throughout high school. After coming to UCSB, Sophie became involved with Santa Barbara Hillel by serving on the Student Board. Sophie spent two years as Student Board President and routinely led Friday night Shabbat services.
In her free time Sophie enjoys going on walks outside, reading a good book, and having movie nights with her friends. An avid music-lover, Sophie played the flute for 9 years and frequently participated in school choir and musical theatre programs. Now, Sophie plays ukulele and has been slowly teaching herself guitar over the past 2 years. She loves finding friends to jam with, whether to Jewish camp songs, show tunes, or popular music. Sophie is thrilled to extend her time in Santa Barbara and continue discovering all it has to offer. Sophie also plans on teaching Sunday School at CBB this year.
Now Sophie transitions from her role as a Student Leader and looks forward to continuing her work in a staff position to keep the day-to-day operations of SB Hillel running smoothly.