Rachel Oestreicher Bernheim

Rachel Oestreicher Bernheim, Chairman / CEO, The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of The United States, has been a part of the Committee since its founding in 1981. She conceptualized A STUDY OF HEROES as a living monument to Raoul Wallenberg, and she is the program’s co-developer. She is an internationally known expert on the life of Raoul Wallenberg and has shared her expertise in settings as diverse as the United States Congress, on US Military Bases, in centers of worship, at universities, civic organizations, senior centers, television, radio, correctional facilities and at educational conferences. A STUDY OF HEROES was conceptualized by Bernheim as a result of her experiences addressing students in schools and classrooms across the country. Whenever she told the powerful Wallenberg story the classroom or auditorium would become still – no wiggles, no giggles - only rapt attention. She came to the realization that American children need heroes like Wallenberg, Dr. King, and Mother Teresa. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, she studied developmental child psychology and was privileged to study the myths of heroes with Professor Joseph Campbell. Bernheim authored the monograph, Raoul Wallenberg: A Hero for Our Time; numerous articles for publications in America and abroad, and has served as a consultant on books, films, and documentaries on the life of Raoul Wallenberg. She is listed in Foremost Women in the Twentieth Century and in Who’s Who of American Women. Rachel received The New Sweden ’88 Medal from the Swedish Consul General of New York.
 

Dr. Kathleen Dunlevy Morin

Dr. Kathleen Dunlevy Morin, Director of Education, The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of The United States, is the author, designer, and curriculum developer of A STUDY OF HEROES. Kathy has a doctorate from Columbia University’s Teachers College as well as a double master’s degree in education from Columbia University and a third master’s degree from Smith College. A graduate of Hollins College with a major in math-physics and a second major in political science, she served as an Instructor at Columbia University’s Teachers College from 1977-1983; the Associate Director of the Preservice Program; an Honorary Adjunct Assistant Professor in nutrition education; and a Research Associate at the Institute of Philosophy and Politics of Education. Kathy has been a teacher since 1968 in a variety of settings, from Appalachia to Spanish Harlem. Among her publications are: The Centennial History of Boys & Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a curricular program for the New York City Board of Education; HomeSick? Try House!, a two-volume housing education program for New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (House Sense content, design, and cartoons created by Kathy were lauded in a New York Times editorial); Women Making History, a curriculum guide for the New York City Commission on the Status of Women; a book (co-authored) for UNESCO to guide international nutrition education primarily in developing regions of the world; and Our Place, an apartment-search curricular program for foster-care youth originally published by The South Bronx Human Development Organization, Inc. and subsequently published as a prototype interactive CD by The New York State Department of Social Services. Kathy was the developer of the first summer teenage guide program for The Friends of the Zoo, which was a volunteer educational organization of The New York Zoological Society. She served as the on-site Curriculum Coordinator/Developer of an independent living skills program for a South Bronx recently-homeless adult AIDS population. Kathy has worked as a Curriculum Consultant to The Independent Living Resource Center at the Hunter College School of Social Work. For more than two decades, Kathy served as a Consultant to Teachers Network (formerly IMPACT II), assisting educators in staff development and in creation of web-based teacher-produced curricula for international online publication. She was Consultant/Coordinator for The AARP’s “Women’s History Celebration & New York City Exhibit: Who Is The Woman You Admire Most?” Kathy has been selected to receive Columbia University’s Teachers College 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award.
 

Diane Blake, Director of Research and Vice Chairman of The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of The United States, is one of the world's experts on Wallenberg. In this capacity, Diane directs STONES (No Stone Unturned) Program, assists researchers worldwide, and manages their use of the Committee’s archives. Diane shares her knowledge of Wallenberg through speaking engagements to audiences of all ages.

Diane has served as a speaker, an expert and a consultant to: journalists; authors; researchers; students; administrators and professors; international and community-based organizations; social workers and counselors; librarians and media specialists; NGOs, universities; and members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of a wide range of governments.

Diane is the researcher and author of a Chronology of Events Documenting the Wallenberg Case (1945 – present). This chronology has been published by and is available from The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of The United States.

In 1980, Diane began a soup kitchen for the West End Collegiate Church to serve the community’s homeless population. Twenty years later, that facility is still in operation.

Diane, who is originally from Ohio, attended Bryn Mawr College and New York University where she received a degree in chemistry. Diane designed and developed a line of hair accessories for little girls in the 1980s. She resides in New York City with her two children. Diane enjoys gardening, rock music, science fiction, and is an avid sports fan.