Dana Simpson and her husband Tzvi moved to New Rochelle in 2020. They have four daughters, Maya, Sara, Laya and Ella, and as soon as they enrolled their children in WTA, Dana immediately began volunteering at the school.
Dana hails from Springfield, NJ and Boca Raton, FL. She graduated from Brandeis University, with majors in both Business and in Education, with a minor in Judaic Studies. After graduation, Dana worked at Unilever in sales and brand management, and then pivoted into a role as an Employer Relations Manager and Career Counselor at Yeshiva University and Stern College. She then worked in Human Resources in a New York City accounting firm. Throughout these years, Dana and Tzvi were involved in Chabad of Midtown NYC and now feel fortunate to be a part of Young Israel of New Rochelle, where they’ve volunteered in various capacities. Both Dana and Tzvi also serve on the board of Teach NY.
Since joining WTA, Dana has been privileged to become an active part of the WTA family. She was invited to lead an eighth-grade elective class called Better Together, which connected students to elderly members of the broader community. Over the last few years, Dana has spent time studying and training in Montessori pedagogy, incorporating what she’s learned into her home, parenting philosophy, and outlook on Jewish education. Dana was most excited to help develop WTA’s Early Childhood Montessori program, with the support of Tzvi, who is a member of the WTA Board of Trustees.
Dana has tremendous hakarat hatov towards the WTA community and hopes to continue contributing in any way the school needs for years to come.
Mrs. Lauren Bochner
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Mrs. Dana Simpson
Vaad Horim Co-Chairs
Lauren Bochner has been an enthusiastic member of the Westchester Torah Academy community since enrolling her oldest daughter, Hannah, in WTA’s Pre-K in 2020. Lauren lives in New Rochelle, together with her WTA Board Member husband Andrew and their five children Naftali, Hannah, Dovi, Coby, and Benny. Hannah is currently in second grade at WTA, Dovi is in Kindergarten, Coby is in Shorashim, and Benny is in Zra’im. Lauren was first drawn to WTA by its warm and personal environment and the school’s strong focus on Torah, Avodah and Medinat Yisrael.
Lauren grew up in Cedarhurst and attended HALB, SKA, and Stern College. Lauren and Andrew moved to New Rochelle in 2017 where Lauren quickly became involved in the Young Israel of New Rochelle community by heading the Hospitality Committee and running the annual challah bake. Lauren also worked as Executive Director of the West Side Institutional Synagogue and Director of Special Events at Manhattan Day School where she used her creative and organizational skills in a professional capacity. She currently heads the YINR Women’s League and is constantly planning social events and chesed opportunities for the New Rochelle community.
Lauren is not only a leader in her shul community, she is also a leader in the WTA community. Lauren has led the Vaad Horim for the past three years, spearheading numerous social and fundraising initiatives including the welcome back carnival, the lulav and etrog sale, faculty chanukah and end of year gifts, the annual mishloach manot project, and exciting parents’ nights such as last year’s ax throwing and the prior year’s pizza social. She is always bringing creative new ideas to WTA in order to bring people together, introduce new families to the WTA community, and raise funds for programming.