Staff

Executive Director

Jordan Herskowitz created Richie's Spirit Foundation in 2008 to honor his younger brother, Richie. For over a decade, he has seen the foundation's growth from a start-up to a national organization promoting organ donation. Jordan's previous non-profit background includes work with AIDS Services of Dallas, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Hillel of Northeast Oklahoma. In addition to his role as Executive Director, Jordan is Creative Director of Jordy Pordy Productions.

Foundation Coordinator

Rose Shapiro manages the Foundation's day-to-day operations, which includes program management, donor engagement, and strategic planning. Rose joined RSF in 2017 as the Outreach and Engagement intern. Rose is also an Ensemble Member at Imagination Theater, where she teaches students about various social issues through participatory theater. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics from Washington University in St. Louis. Rose is inspired not only by Richie’s story and legacy, but also by the passion and dedication of the Richie’s Spirit Foundation team.

PROGRAMS ASSOCIATe

Bridget Llull joined RSF as an intern in 2020 and currently works on the Significant Challenge College Scholarship Program and the summer Transplant Games. She is an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh and plans to attend PA school after graduating in 2023. Bridget’s passion for organ donation awareness stems from her family history with organ transplants, including her dad successfully being a living kidney donor for her mom in 2014.

COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH INTERN

Brandon Chen is a graduate student at the University of California, San Diego, where he is studying for his Masters of International Affairs. Originally from San Jose, California, Brandon has always been passionate about giving back to others, with broad experience in community service, and views Richie's story as not only inspiring but a powerful message to call for others to give back as well.

GRANTS & PARTNERSHIP INTERN

Lydia Turner graduated in May from The University of Cincinnati with a BA in political science and a minor in sociology. She is also an intern for The Bail Project. She is passionate about nonprofit work, the importance of organ donation, and exploring the disparities in accessibility to transplants and medical care.

2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Joshua Brenner assists with RSF's financial operations. Joshua brings a strong financial and operational skills to the organization which he has acquired in his military and private sector career. Joshua holds a Bachelor's Degree in Financial Economics from Columbia University in New York. He lives in Bergen County, New Jersey, with his young family.

Leanna Darland is a Lung Transplant Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and completed her residency training at WVU Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH). While at TCH, Leanna developed a passion caring for transplant patients while working under the tutelage of Dr. George Mallory, who coincidentally was one of Richie's doctors! Leanna lives in Cincinnati with her fiancé and dog, Lainey. She enjoys sports, all things outdoors and bourbon.

Aaron Jacobs grew up in Dallas, Texas, and received his Bachelor's in Film Production from the University of Arizona. After years of working on children’s television programming, Aaron pivoted his career toward working with youth, helping to inspire them to leave their unique and positive impact on the world. His own inspiration comes from his cousin, Richie. Aaron lives in Los Angeles with his wife, daughter, and dog. 

Conika Majumdar is an in-house litigation attorney at Fidelity National Financial. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from Rutgers University and graduated from the Rutgers School of Law in Newark. She has seen firsthand the impact of organ donation on the lives of her close friends and their families. In her spare time, Conika enjoys spin class and running, including running two half marathons with Team Richie.  Conika lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with her husband, Alex, and their dogs, Charlotte and Oscar.

Miriam Stein lives in the suburbs of Washington, DC and runs an independent consulting firm, Saddlerock Strategies, which focuses on school admission strategies, organizational structure, meeting effectiveness and individual employee coaching. A native of New Jersey, she brings Jersey spirit wherever she can. She is a registered organ donor and gives blood as often as she can. Miriam is honored to serve with her friend, Jordan, in Richie's spirit and memory.

Honorary Chairmen

Barbie and Mark Herskowitz are Richie's parents and have been married for 37 years. In addition to Richie, they have two sons, Neil and Jordan, and a daughter, Bryna. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Mark has worked for Lindenmeyr Munroe (formerly Olmsted-Kirk) Paper Company for over 30 years. Barbie has a background in Education. Both Barbie and Mark are huge supporters of organ donation and keeping Richie's memory alive.