Dr. Kira O’Brien, LSW

New York Director & Chief Human Resources Officer

Bringing with her a passion for community, empowerment and education, Dr. Kira O'Brien joins the Emma's Torch team as its New York Director. Before joining Emma's Torch, Kira's career as a Social Worker spanned from welcoming newly arrived refugees at the International Rescue Committee to supporting undergraduates in social justice work at Princeton University. A recent graduate from the Rutgers School of Social Work, Kira's doctoral research focused on the role of experiential education in empowerment: how learning through doing can shape who we are and how we see ourselves in the world. She can think of no better example for this than right in the kitchen at Emma's Torch.

A Brooklyn native and Queens transplant, Kira spends most of her free time trying new foods, debating the characteristics of the perfect slice of pizza, reading science fiction and being bossed around by her cat, Yoda.