Lauren Gross is the Director of Development and Communications at Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation
Lauren is a strategic thinker, storyteller, and hands-on leader with over a decade of experience in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. She helps organizations align resources with their values, advance giving goals, and strengthen donor relationships. Her approach is grounded in listening, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Before joining Atra, Lauren worked at I.G. Advisors, where she led a Gates Foundation-funded platform helping funders connect, learn, and build community to advance their giving goals. She also managed a donor-advised fund at Global Impact that launched dozens of giving circles and distributed more than $2.6 million, strengthening her skills in donor engagement and collaborative giving.
Earlier in her career, Lauren worked in communications and corporate responsibility at Teva Pharmaceuticals in Israel and later served in rural Rwanda as a JDC Entwine Jewish Service Corps Fellow at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, where she deepened her commitment to Jewish values of communal responsibility and tikkun olam.
Outside of work, Lauren is an abstract artist and previously ran The Haughty Haul, a resale business focused on sustainability. She holds a BA in International Relations from The George Washington University. After living abroad for ten years in London, Rwanda, and Tel Aviv, Lauren is excited to be back on the East Coast.