Razom unites various Ukrainian activists throughout the U.S. and maintains a global network of over 2,000 people of diverse background – doctors, engineers, educators, as well as legal and financial professionals.
OUR BOARD
Olya Yarychkivska
Co-chair and Co-founder
Olya is one of the co-founders of Razom, serving on the board of directors from 2014-2018 and again from 2021 to today. Olya was born in Nadvirna, Ukraine and moved to the United States after graduating high school and received a PhD in Genetics and Development from Columbia University. Currently, Olya is a post-doctoral fellow and a National Institute of Health Pathway to Independence awardee at Rockefeller University studying the genetic basis of cell death. In 2021, Olya joined a campaign to raise $2 million dollars for life-saving medication for little Dmytro from Odesa, who was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The campaign grew into a national campaign in Ukraine called “Children, We Will Make It”, and in October 2021a UN-level event was organized to raise SMA awareness globally. Olya is very passionate about Razom’s work in Ukraine and in the U.S. She dreams of building a cross-continental U.S.-Ukraine research team to unravel the mysteries of cell death in human diseases.
Anastasia Rab
Co-chair
Nastia Rab was born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine and currently resides in Wisconsin, not far from the Chicago area Ukrainian-American community where she grew up as a teen and a proud Plastunka. Nastia gained a degree in Political Science and French from Barnard College in New York City and started her career in tech at PowerToFly, a mission-driven startup in the diversity, equity and inclusion space. Earlier, Nastia gained valuable experience working at the Council of Europe in France, the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative in Romania, and the Athena Leadership Center at Barnard College. Nastia got hooked on Razom through the Razom IT project, inspired by the incredible ideas and change-makers coming out of Ukraine that the project exposed her to. She went on to help host the Razom IT Trip in 2016 and Razom IT Speaker Series aimed at amplifying the voices of people from Ukraine in conversations in the US, and to build a community of people in New York who are interested in the intersection of tech and Ukraine. Nastia helped organize and manage many events throughout the years and later served as Secretary to the board for three years.
Maria Genkin
Born and raised in Lviv, Maria moved to the United States to attend university. Maria started her professional career at Goldman Sachs where she worked in project and program management for the Investment Banking Division, and qualified for the CFA. After her son, Aaron, was born in 2004, she left Goldman Sachs and pursued a variety of projects in education and culture, serving on several boards and volunteering before joining Razom as a board member in 2020. As the organization and Ukraine faced an unprecedented challenge in the wake of full-scale invasion, Maria established and led Razom’s development team that went on to raise 78MM in 2022, as well as the team that grew into a Razom Relief program. Maria is a voracious reader and started the Razom Literature project. She also regularly moderates book events. Maria earned her BS from Cornell University. She lives in New York with her husband, and has two college-age children.
Olena Nyzhnykevych
Inspired by Razom’s impact and bias towards action in productive, dignified and healing ways to support a prosperous Ukraine, Olena joined Razom’s volunteer efforts in February 2022. Olena was born and raised in an active Ukrainian American community in Newark, N.J. Olena moved to Ukraine on a Fulbright fellowship in Kyiv in 2003. For ten years, she worked as the Country Director of the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund (CCRF) in Ukraine, a nonprofit organization that supported orphanages for children with disabilities and worked to develop state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care units at children’s and maternity hospitals in every region of Ukraine. Passionate about providing the best care and cures possible to children with complex and rare diseases, Olena currently leads fundraising for Seattle Children’s Research Institute. She is wholeheartedly committed to Ukraine’s future – its thriving medical system, innovative reconstruction projects, and freedom for all Ukrainians.
Maria Soroka
Co-founder
In 2014 at the peak of protests in the Maidan, Mariya joined several fellow Ukrainians living in New York City to create Razom, a young, energetic, and progressive start-up which seeks to amplify the voice of Ukraine to an American audience. An active member of the board, she has been long responsible for organizing cultural events as well as cooperating with government representatives, activists, and various civic groups and human rights organizations in support of Ukraine’s quest for democracy. Currently, Mariya is the lead of the Co-Pilot Project, which aims to raise the bar of neurosurgical training in Ukraine. Mariya is also heavily involved with fundraising for Razom’s projects via crowdsourcing, charity events, and online petitions. After graduating from Penn State University with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations and a dual minor in Entrepreneurship and International Studies, Mariya spent several years in Manhattan working within the content marketing industry. She believes in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world working to rebuild Ukraine one project at a time.
Nonna Tsiganok
Nonna Khouri (née Tsiganok) was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and is a proud half Ukrainian and half Georgian. She was introduced to Razom for Ukraine while looking for ways to get more involved in the Ukrainian community in NYC. Nonna is currently a Senior Vice President at BCW, one of the largest PR firms in the world, with a focus on driving media strategy, corporate reputation, executive visibility, thought leadership, and leading award-winning campaigns on behalf of her clients. She has been bringing her expertise to Razom across PR, media training and media relations and is passionate and committed to helping build a free and prosperous modern Ukraine. Nonna graduated cum laude from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University with a BA in PR and Writing and resides in Hoboken, N.J. with her husband, son and rescue pup.
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Dora Chomiak
CEO
Dora has been a passionate advocate for the global contributions of Ukraine since her first trip there in 1989. She cooperated with numerous international organizations in Ukraine including Soros, USAID and Internews. She co-founded a media incubator that launched several major non-governmental news organizations in newly independent Ukraine. She led a $7 million grant from USAID until 1994 with Internews and co-founded Internews-Ukraine. In the United States, she contributed to growing businesses at global companies through strategic marketing and innovation. Dora earned her AB from Princeton University and an MBA from Columbia University. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.
Oksana Falenchuk
CFO
Oksana’s passion for supporting the young generation of Ukrainians brought her to Razom in 2016. After serving as Razom’s board member and treasurer from 2018-2022, she became Razom’s CFO in 2023. In her prior career, Oksana worked as a management consultant with Capgemini in London and as an equity analyst with Neuberger Berman in New York. A native of Ternopil, Ukraine, Oksana received a BA in Economics from Kyiv Mohyla Academy and MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Lydia Kokolskyj
VP of Development
An accomplished leader in nonprofit advancement, Lydia (Lida) is a passionate believer in philanthropy and has dedicated her career to making a positive impact in the world. She has raised nearly $300 million for many deserving causes and holds a comprehensive background in nonprofit management, institutional and business development, strategic planning, marketing, communications, public relations and events planning. Lydia was born and raised in New York City where developed a strong sense of civic duty as an active member of the Ukrainian diaspora community. Her life’s journey provided her the opportunity to serve as an advocate for education, human rights, social justice, and equity. Lydia takes a personal interest in educational, environmental and animal rescue organizations as well as, all that is Ukrainian. She is currently a member of the women’s executive group, Chief and serves on the board of the Grand Center for Education and Economic Opportunity in El Salvador.
Zoe Ripecky
COO
Zoe Ripecky grew up in Chicago’s Ukrainian American community and regularly visits the country of her grandparents. She lived in Kyiv, Ukraine during a year-long Fulbright Fellowship focused on reforms in Ukraine’s energy sector. During that time she partnered with leading Kyiv-based NGO DiXi Group to develop a multilateral energy diplomacy strategy for the Ministry of Energy. Upon returning to the U.S., Zoe got her first gig volunteering with Razom: authoring a chapter on Ukraine’s energy sector in Razom’s first congressional report. Since then, Zoe has worked on U.S. government grants in the nonprofit sector, consulted companies and investors on ESG and sustainability strategies, and most recently worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. Zoe holds a BA from Vassar College and an MBA and MEM from Duke University. She is excited about applying her diverse experiences in nonprofits, business, and finance to bolster Razom’s immediate and long-term impact.
Evelina Kurilets
Executive Director of Razom Dlia Ukrainy (Razom affiliate in Ukraine)
Evelina was born, grew up and lives in Ukraine. A graduate of MAUP and KNEU. She worked in the financial sector for a long time. She volunteered all her conscious life, but 5 years ago she completely switched to work on the implementation of charitable projects. At one time, she founded a support foundation for children with scoliosis. As a member of Razom, she volunteered at different times in various projects: Co-Pilot Project, Razom Toy Drive, Save SMA Children, and the Emergency Response. Evelina was elected as an Executive Director of the Ukrainian part of Razom called Razom Dlia Ukrainy (Разом Для України) in 2021, and started in this role in early 2022.
Vitalii Svichinskyi
COO of Razom Dlia Ukrainy (Razom affiliate in Ukraine)
Vitalii is an active participant in Ukraine’s political and social landscape, having been one of the central activists in the Odesa region during the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. He founded and led the Odesa Self Defense organization, a key group in the region’s defense efforts in 2014. Subsequently, he worked under Mikheil Saakashvili, the former President of Georgia, on a reform team in the Odesa region, and served as the head of the Savran District State Administration from 2015 to 2018. In a significant personal initiative, Vitalii raised $2 million for his child’s treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), which later evolved into the national SMA rights movement “Children, We Will Make It in Time,” recognized as the year’s best social project by Ukrainian Pravda. Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, Vitalii joined the Razom team to assist with the war efforts in Ukraine. He is currently based in Kyiv, Ukraine where he continues his work with Razom to support various initiatives across the country.
PROGRAMS TEAM
Xenia Ferencevych
Director of Development & Engagement
Xenia is a nonprofit professional with nearly 25 years of experience in the sector. She comes to Razom as a former volunteer and lifetime member of the Ukrainian American community. Over her career, Xenia has worked in various capacities in public media, education and in human services. Her broadcasting career began in the late 1990s as host of “Ranok z Namy”, a morning drive-time radio program produced by the Ukrainian Broadcasting Network (UBN). Most recently, she spent six years raising funds to address food insecurity in her state. Xenia was born and raised in New York, completed her BA in Political Science at Stony Brook University, and currently resides with her husband and two children in suburban New Jersey.
Taras Hatalyak
Program Director, Razom Heroes
Taras graduated from Lviv Polytechnic Institute in 1993 with a degree in radio engineering. During the 1990 Granite Revolution, he participated in the student hunger strike in Kyiv. From 2008 to 2010, he served as an assistant to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the Lviv region, coordinating the establishment of Public Councils at 16 ministries from 2010-2011. Active in the Revolution of Dignity since 2013, he provided aid to injured activists and coordinated legal assistance. From 2015 to 2016, he was the Executive Director of the NGO “Advocacy Advisory Group,” representing the interests of those injured during Euromaidan. He initiated and managed a pilot project for police reform in the Lviv region in 2014. From 2019 to 2020, he coordinated the Platform for Interaction with Security Structures in the Lviv region, and provided assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 2017 to 2023. In March 2023, he joined Razom for Ukraine, leading the Razom Heroes program.
Mykola Murskyj
Program Director, Razom Advocacy
Before joining Razom, Mykola was an International Affairs Specialist at the Department of Justice Criminal Division and a program analyst at the U.S. Secret Service. Previously, Mykola was a Managing Editor of the Harvard Kennedy School Review and a U.S. Presidential Management Fellow. He was a lecturer at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine, in the Program on Ethics, Politics, and Economics. Mykola holds master’s degrees in Physics from MIT and from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and in International Affairs from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Mykola also serves as archivist of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus.
Dan Solchanyk
Program Director, Razom Heallth
Dan is a global health expert, researcher, and medic specializing in disaster response with over ten years of experience, particularly in active conflict settings. He has delivered patient care and contributed his expertise to organizations in Ukraine, Yemen, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, and Pakistan. Dan holds two BS degrees in Human Development and Clinical Public Health Science from UC Davis and the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health respectively, as well as an MS in Global Health from Northwestern. He is also a wilderness medicine instructor and publishes in academic journals that focus on global health, disaster response, and medical education. Dan’s work is guided by a deep commitment to working with local organizations to enhance health system resilience in crisis-affected regions.
Anna Solovei
Program Director, Razom Relief
Anna has volunteered with Razom in different roles since 2022 and helped to create the Razom Relief team. Since working in an NGO in Ukraine as a student, Anna has always been passionate about Ukrainian civil society. Previously, Anna worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and was a board member of several charities. Anna has an MBA from the London Business School.
