The TRU Team

  • Ruth Halpern

    FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • Katie Zaifert

    COMMUNITY SOURCING AND SAFETY DIRECTOR

  • Debbie Adams

    RECIPIENT INTAKE AND KITCHEN ESSENTIALS SPECIALIST

  • Amy Boss

    TREASURER AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

  • Laura Boenisch

    Laura Boenisch

    BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS AND REFURBISHING

  • Barbara Abrams

    SECRETARY

  • Michelle Bross

    FINANCIAL SECRETARY

  • Beth Sobus

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Eric Halpern

    BOARD MEMBER

  • Abby Malitsky

    GRANT SPECIALIST

  • Jessica Chasen

    ADVISORY COUNCIL

Ruth Halpern

Ruth Halpern graduated Glassboro State College with a double major in education and sociology. Ruth started her professional life as an elementary and special education teacher.

After teaching, she spent two decades in project management and developed a passion for training and mentoring people.

As the Executive Director of TRU Partnership, Ruth brings to the table not only her full-time dedication but also her boundless passion, energy, and unwavering commitment to our mission. Her vision revolves around the transformative power of repurposing donated items to enhance the quality of life for those in need. Ruth finds immense joy and fulfillment in witnessing her dream materialize through the impactful work of TRU Partnership. Her enthusiasm is contagious, igniting a sense of purpose and fulfillment among all involved in the organization. Through her leadership, Ruth inspires a collective sense of purpose and drives us forward in our mission to create positive change in our community.

Katie Zaifert

Katie Zaifert graduated Tufts University majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and World Religion. She received her Master’s Degree from Drexel University.

Katie has been a Compliance Director with University of Pennsylvania for over 25 years.

As an expert in compliance, Katie keeps us all in line and ensures we follow guidelines for IDE (inclusion, diversity and equity) as well as safety for our volunteers and recipients of donations.

Debbie Adams

Debbie graduated from the University of Florida with a Masters in Elementary Education.

Debbie taught for 17 years. She began as a teacher in Florida and finished her teaching career in Haddonfield.

Finding passion in the volunteer world, Debbie spends as much time as she can working with various non-profit organizations. Debbie’s involvement with TRU has increased greatly and she is now in charge of our collection and distribution of kitchen necessities.

Amy Boss

Amy Boss graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Finance.  

Amy spent over 10 years in finance and HR roles at Bank of America beforing moving into consulting.   

Amy has been actively involved in her community with school PTAs, local nonprofits, and as a substitute teacher. She currently serves as Treasurer and Volunteer Coordinator, where she enjoys helping connect people and resources to support the TRU’s mission.

Laura Boenisch

Laura Boenisch graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Music Education.

Laura became a Rabbi in 2016 and founded a congregation in Portland, Maine.

Laura has a passion for creating art. She studied at the Boston Museum of Art and now gets to use her love of creativity by refurbishing furniture for TRU. Her husband, Mike, handles the repairs while Laura repaints and reupholsters. Together, they create beautiful pieces for distribution from items that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill.

Barbara Abrams

Barb Abrams graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Occupational Therapy and NYU with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

Barb recently retired from Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Southern New Jersey as the Director of Disability Services where she worked for twenty two years.

As a former employee of a social service agency, she brings her knowledge of non-profit organizations and community building skills.

Michelle Bross

Michelle Bross graduated from Lafayette College with a degree in Biology.

Following post-graduate years of neurophysiology research and then clinical research for drug companies, she ran her own company helping those in need of home and/or business organizing. This led to jobs in office administration for non profit organizations.

Due to her experience in running the offices of multiple non-profits, Michelle brings her passion for organizing to helping TRU Partnership.

Beth Sobus

Beth Sobus graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Accounting and International Business. 

After working in forensic accounting and corporate investigations roles at large professional service firms, she became the Director of Operations for a nonprofit focused on college access resources, scholarships and programming for first generation college students.

Beth brings non profit administration and financial experience that will help Tru strengthen its overall profile and program offerings. 

Eric Halpern

Eric Halpern graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s Degree in electrical and computer engineering. He later received his Master’s Degree in computer science from NJIT.

Eric is a computer engineer and has worked for Lockheed Martin for over 35 years. Most of his work involves the development of 3D animation.

Eric is TRU Partnership’s fix-it pro. He has rebuilt furniture, fixed broken electronics, and much more. When Eric eventually retires, he plans on becoming a full-time volunteer with TRU Partnership.

Abby Malitsky

Abby Malitsky recently graduated from Haverford College with a degree in Anthropology, minor in Environmental Studies, and concentration in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights.

Throughout her time at Haverford, she worked with numerous nonprofit and on-campus organizations as a grant writer and fundraising team lead, and was a fellow with the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship.

She is excited to bring her grant-writing and fundraising experience to support TRU Partnership’s amazing work!

Jessica Chasen

Jessica Chasen graduated from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science with her degree in Pharmacy. After the birth of her second child, Jessica switched careers and opened a therapeutic massage practice.

Running her own business, she acquired comprehensive knowledge across all aspects of successful entrepreneurship, ranging from accounting and marketing to navigating business regulations and compliance.

With over 25 years of volunteering experience in charitable organizations, Jessica, now fully retired, eagerly brings her business and volunteer skills to our TRU Partnership team.