Where Hope and History Intersect
Hilary Levine, Co-Founder
Hilary Levine taught elementary school students in the Fresno Unified School District in Fresno, CA for 25 years. She leads professional development seminars focused on Holocaust education, and holds a Masters degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Gratz College. As part of her commitment to Holocaust education, Hilary wrote an educator's guide for Living Among the Dead: My Grandmother's Holocaust Survival Story of Love and Strength by Adena Bernstein Astrowsky. She has also recently published a curriculum about the Bosnian Genocide. Teachers can use these educational resources to help students broaden their understanding of genocide and its impact on humanity.
Throughout her career, Hilary has conducted extensive professional development across California, working with numerous educational institutions including Fresno Unified School District, Monterey County Office of Education, Sacramento County Office of Education, and Stanislaus County Office of Education. She is an active member of the California Teachers Collaborative on Holocaust and Genocide Education, working in partnership with Jewish Child Family Services and the California Department of Education.
When not leading professional development, Hilary is passionate about genealogy and spends her spare time working with friends on their family trees. Her commitment to understanding history and cultures has taken her across the globe, with travels to Canada, Mexico, England, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Romania. Together with Tosha Tillotson, she is the co-founder of Avenues for Change: Holocaust and Genocide Education, a joint venture aimed at supporting teachers in the state of California with high-quality Holocaust education.
Tosha Tillotson, Co-Founder
Tosha Tillotson began her career in education in 1999. She has taught social studies in grades 6-12 and was a principal of a K-8th grade school. She has an MA in Education from Chapman University. Tosha currently serves as an Associate Superintendent for the Diocese of Sacramento. She has been actively engaged with various Holocaust organizations including serving as a fellow for USHMM, TOLI, and the Vladka Meed Teacher's Resistance Group over her educational career. She also served as the Director of Education for CVHEN for five years and was a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Regional Education Corps. In 2021, both Hilary and Tosha formed Avenues for Change: Holocaust and Genocide Education a joint venture aimed at supporting teachers in the state of California with high quality Holocaust education.
Educators are innovators.
(Hilary and Tosha in Bosnia; photo right)
The mission of Avenues for Change is to connect educators with respected scholars and experts in the field who share our mission to teach the Holocaust, other genocides, and various human rights topics while promoting empathy and the ability to take action during future human rights issues.