Our Founders
Yael Denbo
Yael Denbo is an elected Community Education Council District 3 School Board Member on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. In this role, Yael spearheaded a groundbreaking Resolution on Antisemitism, which was unanimously passed in October and featured in the New York Post article titled “NYC parents at war over ‘antisemitism’ concern at their children’s schools.” This resolution marked the first of its kind to be passed by any NYC School Board.
In addition to her work on the School Board, Yael collaborated with the Congressional House Education Committee to help prepare for the Hearings on Confronting Pervasive Antisemitism in K-12 Schools in May 2024. Locally, she served as the PTA president for two school years at PS 165 in Harlem, advocating for parents. On a national level, Yael played a pivotal role in political campaign efforts, including organizing get-out-the-vote phonebanks for Joe Biden’s 2020 Presidential campaign and working as part of the Advance team for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 Presidential campaign. The Advance team is tasked with overseeing all logistics surrounding events like town hall meetings and rallies. This includes managing travel arrangements, event schedules, media connections, and ensuring appropriate security.
Additionally, Yael served as the Manager of Special Projects at The Creative Coalition, a leading national nonprofit advocating for the arts and entertainment industry. There, she managed media and public relations and led a team in the planning and execution of high-profile events, including the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Dinner and several events for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Yael has also consulted for organizations such as the Glasshouse New York and the Charity Network of New York. Before her nonprofit work, Yael spent a decade as a development executive in the film industry, working with top-tier companies such as Madonna’s Maverick Films and MGM Pictures.
Yael holds a BA from Brown University and spent her junior year studying at the London School of Economics. A lifelong New Yorker, Yael is a proud graduate of Riverdale Country Day School and Rodeph Sholom Day School. She has two children, one of whom currently attends public school on the Upper West Side.
Johanna Lindsay
Johanna Lindsay is a Canadian professional whose dynamic career spans entertainment, media, activism, and visual arts. With a strong foundation in production, publicity, marketing, and communications, she has held key roles at some of North America’s most influential cultural and media institutions.
At The Second City, Johanna served as Associate Producer, where she helped shape live sketch comedy performances and toured shows across Canada. She later played a central role in the launch of Radio 3 at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), where she deepened her expertise in media relations and broadcast strategy.
Her work in marketing and publicity brought her to Broadway, where she collaborated with The Marketing Group (TMG) on several Tony Award-winning productions, including The Producers, Hairspray, and Little Shop of Horrors.
Beyond the arts, Johanna is a committed advocate for social change. She served as Co–New York State Legislator Leader for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (volunteer). During the 2020 U.S. presidential election, she co-founded Badass Babes, a widely attended weekly phone bank in support of the Biden/Harris campaign. Following its success, she co-created Badass Babes for Georgia, an initiative that mobilized voters for Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock in the critical January 2021 Senate runoff elections, victories that helped secure Democratic control of the U.S. Senate through robust voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts.
Johanna is also an accomplished photographer. Her work has been published in This Is Happening: Life Through The Lens of Instagram (Chronicle Books) and The Pictorial List: A Visual Journey Through New York, a 276-page hardcover volume that merges the artistic legacy of Pictorialism with the energy of contemporary visual storytelling. Her photography was sold for several years at Hammertown, a lifestyle store in Upstate New York, and continues to be featured on Instagram at @fromthewestvillage.
In May 2025, Johanna was invited to participate in NORPAC’s Mission to Washington, where she met with members of Congress as part of the bipartisan political action committee’s efforts to strengthen U.S.–Israel relations. She also serves on the JP Leadership Council for independent schools in New York City.