Our Staff

Amanda Hofman, Founder & CEO From her days as a Resident Assistant at Barnard College, Amanda learned how vital strong female friendships are to maintaining a balanced and fulfilled life, and launched Urban Girl Squad in February 2008. Urban Girl Squad is a social community for women in their 20s and 30s who love to try new things, spend time with friends, and meet new people in New York City.  This interactive group delivers fun events to its members, including food and wine tastings, beauty and fashion nights, dance and fitness classes, sports events, cocktail parties and more.   Urban Girl Squad events have been featured on NBC, Gothamist, and BBC America.  ‪Before embarking on entrepreneurship, Amanda graduated from Barnard with a degree in Economics and worked as a Market Research Analyst at Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions and Columbia Business School. 

Kiva Eisenstock, Public Relations and Events Coordinator With a passion for event planning and social networking, Kiva Eisenstock has found her niche at Urban Girl Squad as the Manager of Press Relations and Coordinator of Volunteer Events.  At Urban Girl Squad, Kiva has the opportunity to apply the communications, marketing, and strategic planning skills she honed as an intern for HL Group in Hollywood, a New York-based public relations firm specializing in consumer, lifestyle, and fashion brands for global companies. She also brings experience in retail sales for a clothing boutique in her hometown of Pacific Palisades, California, and as a peer listener for Teen Line, a youth crisis hotline at Cedars Sinai-Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she produced a fashion show fundraiser.  Kiva is a sociology major at Barnard College in New York City and plans a career in public relations and event planning.   

Jackie Demby, Director of Urban Mom Squad “The city that never sleeps” means something entirely different to a mom in New York City!  As a new mom, Jackie is excited to explore and share all of the fun things for moms to do with and without their kids in NYC. Jackie is the proud mom of Daniella, Urban Girl Squad’s official CCO (Chief Cute Officer), and loves connecting with other moms, meeting their adorable kids and exploring all of the fantastic activities the city has to offer! Prior to Urban Girl Squad Moms, Jackie worked in Product Licensing for Phillips Van Heusen and the American Kennel Club. Jackie graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelors degree in Marketing & Operations Management and a Minor in Photography.

Caitlin Donovan, Events Coordinator After a lifetime of traveling, Caitlin is no stranger to approaching new people, places, and things, and as a self-proclaimed social media junkie and eternal optimist, she approaches life with a “meet anyone, anywhere, everyday” mentality. A (very proud) graduate of the University of Southern California, she holds a degree in Public Relations and has spent her career years developing a strong marketing and advertising sales background. From planning rooftop get-togethers for friends to being the Assistant Media Manager for the Grammys, Caitlin has a breadth of experience when it comes to putting together and operating successful events, and is excited to bring that knowledge to Urban Girl Squad. When she is not helping with one of the fabulous UGS events, Caitlin develops and maintains major toy retailer relationships as the Retail Development Manager at Nickelodeon and MTV Network’s Kids and Family Group. She currently resides in Manhattan and plans to stay for a while, but still attempts to travel within and outside of the US whenever possible.

Robyn Schwartz, Blogger Robyn Schwartz is an Urban Girl Squad member in absentia as she is currently in exile in Genova, Italy where she consumes questionable amounts of focaccia and gelato. Following several years as an editorial assistant at Workman Publishing where she focused on cookbooks and calendars, she migrated into nonprofit administration, serving as Executive Associate at Homes for the Homeless. Robyn left her beloved New York City in the fall of 2008 in order to accompany her husband to his dream job. She blogs about their adventures and continues to work as a freelance nonprofit administrator and editor/writer. Robyn holds a degree in Political Science from Columbia University and a Masters of Public Administration from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College.