Alphabetical list
Shannon Alexander | Samantha Anderson | Scott Casper | Seth Chalmer | Sharon Dwek | David Ezer | Sigal Yaniv Feller | Emily Friedman-Novak | Tamar Frydman | Elizabeth Gerber | Tzivia Schwartz Getzug | Wayne Green | Alana Hollander | Sarit Lior | Judy Mann | Maya Natan | Efrat Oppenheimer | Melissa Rosen | Lenore Schlossberg | Laura Schultze | Danielle Segal | Andrés Spokoiny | Reut Stoller
Executive Team
Andrés Spokoiny
President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny is a long-time Jewish communal leader with a history of leading successful organizational transformations. He served as the CEO of Federation CJA in Montreal and, prior to that, Andrés worked for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Community (JDC) in Paris. As Regional Director for Northeast Europe, he was responsible for a number of pan-European projects. While at JDC, Andrés also served as the Director of Leatid Europe, a leadership training institute for Jewish lay and professional leaders, and directed the International Center for Community Development, a partnership of JDC and Oxford University to produce applied research and knowledge management for community development practitioners. Before his Jewish communal work, Andres worked for IBM and was responsible for training, development, hiring, and recruitment for IBM's Latin America Southern Region during a period of major restructuring. Originally from Argentina, Andres has a multidisciplinary academic background including business, education and rabbinical studies in different institutions around the world. He is fluent in Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Yiddish, and is proficient in Russian and German. |
Judy Mann
Chief Operating Officer Judy is the Chief Operating Officer at Jewish Funders Network. She most recently served as the first Executive Director of Synagogue 2000. Before joining Synagogue 2000, Judy was CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, one of the family planning organization's largest and most influential affiliates, and served as Executive Director of the Milwaukee Jewish Council. In an earlier term with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Judy served as its first lobbyist, while also developing its public policy and media relations capabilities. While CEO of the Milwaukee Jewish Council, she was instrumental in creating the Wisconsin Jewish Conference, an advocacy coalition of Jewish communities that represented its members in both the Wisconsin State Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Judy lived in Israel from 1990 to 1997. During the Gulf War, she worked as a Special Correspondent for the NBC Television and Radio affiliates in Milwaukee. She went on to be the Director of Development and Director of the Center for Encounter with Israel for Melitz, an informal education institute in Jerusalem. Judy's background includes public policy development and lobbying, media relations, interfaith and intergroup relations, and informal education as well as training and organizational development. A Milwaukee native, she received her B.S. and Teachers' Certificate from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. |
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Samantha (Beinhacker) Anderson
Vice President, Philanthropic Engagement Samantha is Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement and Executive Director of the Center for Jewish Philanthropic Excellence at Jewish Funders Network, where she engages with the network, creating opportunities to cultivate interconnectedness and strengthen the network's impact on the Jewish philanthropic community. She comes to JFN with a deep background in the field of philanthropy and social innovation. Previously, as Managing Director of Arabella Advisors, the philanthropic advisory firm, she led the New York office and managed a range of engagements for the firm's institutional foundation and family clients. Before that, at the Skoll World Forum at Oxford University, she curated the thematic content for the largest global convening of social entrepreneurs and philanthropists that had ever been assembled. Prior to that effort, she directed the Yale School of Management/Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, a $6 million venture fund that capitalized social entrepreneurs with start-up funds and educated nonprofits about building sustainable organizations. Samantha is certified by 21/64, a division of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies in New York, as a philanthropic consultant to multi-generational families, and is a member of the 13th National Cohort of the Selah Leadership Program. She is the editor of Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income: A Guide to Successful Enterprise Strategies (Jossey-Bass, 2004), and has written and spoken extensively about nonprofit management and philanthropy. Samantha graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and earned her master’s degree in U.S. Women's History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She and her husband Scott Anderson enjoy a busy blended family life with their six children. She lives in Brooklyn where she is a member of the congregation Kolot Chayeinu. |
David Ezer
Vice President of Programs David Ezer is Vice President of Programs at Jewish Funders Network. He leads the team that programs the annual conference as well as other programs of the Network. He is also directly responsible for the events' marketing and logistics. Prior to joining JFN, David was conference manager for Chamber Music America, a membership association for the professional ensemble music field. He produced their annual conference, developing more than 150 workshops and sessions over five years, and conceived and produced numerous other training seminars and concert events. He also worked a talent agent for classical musicians, and produced two seasons of the Bard Music Festival at Bard College in Annandale, NY. A native of Los Angeles, David was Treasurer of the Jewish Alumnae/i of Vassar College from 1999–2004, during which time the group produced an on-campus conference for students and alumni on Jewish identity. He also received an MBA in Marketing through the honors program of the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in New York City. |
Maya Natan
Director, JFN Israel Maya Natan opened JFN’s Israel Office as its first manager of activities and projects in November 2008. She came to JFN with extensive experience working in Israel, the United States and in England. Maya worked for the Jewish Agency for Israel over a number of years in a variety of capacities, starting with working with youth movements’ summer in Israel programs, and progressing to being the Director of the Jewish Experience Israel Unit. For three years, Maya was the shlicha of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. She managed the community’s Partnership 2000 initiative with Bet Shemesh/Adulam, and developed and implemented a wide variety of educational and issues related programs. And for one year, she worked as the Director of Short Term Programs for the UJIA in England. There, too, she worked with youth movements, in various educational settings and with lay leadership. Maya has an MBA from the Inter Disciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzeliya. She lives in Moshav Olesh where she and husband Ido are parents to Shani, Ella, Alon and Gali. |
U.S. Staff
Shannon Alexander
Membership and Database Manager Shannon Alexander works as the Membership and Database Manager. Shannon's prior work experience includes: Booking Assistant at a classical music artists’ representation company, Development Assistant at the Hunter College High School Alumnae/i Association, and Private Vocal and Piano Instructor at a community music school in Long Island City. Shannon is an 8th generation Texan and did not own a winter coat until she was 13. This purchase was necessitated by her family’s move to Buffalo, NY. Shannon earned a M.MUS. degree in Vocal Performance from the University of New Mexico and B.A. degrees in Vocal Performance and Communication from SUNY Geneseo. In her spare time, she enjoys singing and playing guitar, seeing live music, volunteering at Lincoln Center, cooking, and exploring the city. |
Scott Casper
Office Manager Scott Casper is the office manager and executive assistant of the Jewish Funders Network. Scott comes to JFN with a background in theater, psychology and arts management, earning his BA from New College of Florida and his MFA from Florida State University. He also serves as the artistic director for taxdeductible theatre, a non-profit theatre company in the city dedicated to developing a collaborative and uniquely theatrical voice. He is excited to be a part of this team. |
Seth Chalmer
Director of Communications A native of Vermont and a graduate of NYU's Wagner-Skirball dual Masters program in Nonprofit Management and Judaic Studies, Seth also holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Wright State University. Before joining JFN, Seth was Assistant Director of the Berman Jewish Policy Archive. Other past work includes such roles as Cultural Arts Director of the Dayton Jewish Community Center; Retention Specialist at the Center for Employment Opportunities, where he helped empower people returning home from prison to succeed in careers; and performer in the national stage tour of Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Coloring Book (Oscar the Grouch and Professor Art, 2004-5). Seth's writing on religion and culture has appeared in publications including The Los Angeles Times, On Being, First Things, The Times of Israel, The Jewish Week, eJewish Philanthropy, and The Journal of Ecumenical Studies. |
Tamar Frydman
Senior Manager, Programs and Member Education Tamar Frydman is JFN's Senior Manager for Programs and Member Education. Her work is centered on developing an understanding of the interests, passions, and needs of our membership in order to design impactful yearlong programs and engagement opportunities. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from Towson University and an M.S.W. from the University Of Maryland School Of Social Work. Tamar is a licensed clinical social worker and her previous experience has included positions as a social worker in Baltimore City Public Schools. She has also held numerous roles at UJA-Federation of New York, most recently as Director: Network Planning and Optimization & Information and Referral Center. In that role, Tamar developed and implemented a comprehensive network structure set up to be dynamic and capable of evolving to meet the needs of the community. She also led a team that annually connected over 4,000 people to services they needed in the community. Tamar has been published in The Jewish Week and has presented at the Jewish Federations of North America-General Assembly. She enjoys spinning and is currently working on a children's book. |
Elizabeth Gerber
Director of Finance Elizabeth Gerber is Director of Finance at the Jewish Funders Network. In this capacity, Elizabeth manages all aspects of JFN’s financial operations. For almost fifteen years, Elizabeth has had a consulting practice serving the financial operational needs of nonprofits and small businesses. She has also engaged in a number of consulting projects, including an audit of the USAID loan portfolio in Bosnia. Prior to that, she was a Vice President at The Bank of New York; and Assistant Commissioner of Finance of the City of New York, where she ran the Bureau of Treasury, overseeing the city government’s extensive network of banking operations and was responsible for cash management of the City Treasury. Previously, she held various positions in international banking and business consulting at The Chase Manhattan Bank. During her time at Chase, she spent two years in Bogota, Colombia, and traveled widely in Latin America and the Middle East. A dedicated New Yorker born and bred, Elizabeth is a proud product of Jewish camping (Camp Welmet and Camp Louemma). She holds a B.A. from the City University of New York and an M.A. from Harvard Unversity. |
Melissa Rosen
Senior Manager, Matching Grants & Special Initiatives Melissa Rosen is the Senior Manager for Matching Grants & Special Initiatives at the Jewish Funders Network. In this role, she is responsible for all programmatic initiatives relating to JFN’s matching grant programs, and also other member services for the JFN network. She comes to JFN with a strong background in Jewish communal life, including nearly ten years at UJA-Federation of New York’s Jewish Communal Network Commission, where she engaged with the nonprofit organizations in UJA-Federation’s network, cultivating interconnectedness and strengthening UJA- Federation’s impact on the Jewish and broader community. Originally from New York’s Hudson Valley, Melissa received her B.A. in Psychology and Music from Rutgers University, New Brunswick and later her M.P.A from the Baruch College School of Public Affairs. While at Baruch, she completed a marketing and fundraising consultancy project for The Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished Principals at Teachers College, Columbia University as well as a thesis project about change management in nonprofit organizations. In her spare time Melissa is an avid volunteer and coffee enthusiast. |
Lenore Schlossberg
Accounting Assistant Lenore Schlossberg is an Accounting Assistant at the Jewish Funders Network. Lenore’s background includes many years of managing a variety of social service programs for the NYC Human Resources Administration and more recently work with non-profit organizations involved in preserving/expanding public open space in NYC. Lenore is a life-long New Yorker; her Social Work degree is from Hunter College School of Social Work. She is also a Mom and Grandmom. |
Tzivia Schwartz Getzug
Director of the West Coast Office Tzivia Schwartz Getzug is the Director of the West Coast office of JFN, where she creates opportunities for network members to connect, to engage and to strengthen and leverage their philanthropic work. Tzivia has a degree in Jewish Studies from UCLA and a law degree from Loyola Law School. She practiced labor and business law for several years before becoming the Western States Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League. There, Tzivia was responsible for the civil rights work of ADL’s seven offices in the 13 Western States. She left the ADL to work with DreamWorks’ founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, as the Community Liaison on DreamWorks Animation’s first animated film, The Prince of Egypt. Tzivia's extensive experience includes 5 years as the founding executive director of Jewish World Watch, an innovative non-profit working to combat genocide and mass atrocities through targeted community engagement. Tzivia also served as the Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, responsible for the interfaith, Israel advocacy and political work of the Jewish Community Relations Committee. She is an active member of the Los Angeles Jewish community. |
JFN Israel
Sharon Dwek
Membership Director, JFN Israel Bio and photo coming soon. |
Sigal Yaniv Feller
Director, Advisory Services, JFN Israel Sigal is the director of advisory services at JFN-Jewish Funders Network Israel, consulting to Jewish funders from around the world and assisting them in the development of philanthropic strategies for their Israel giving. Sigal joined JFN in 2015 after returning from living in Hong Kong for three years where she and her family were based as Israeli diplomats, during these years Sigal served as the Israeli representative of KH-UIA (Keren Hayesod) in Hong Kong and the Far East. Sigal has over 15 years of experience with the Israeli philanthropic sector; between the years 2001-2011, Sigal served as the founding Executive Director of the Green Environment Fund (GEF), a unique philanthropic model of five foundations supporting the environment in Israel through a joint strategy. Over the course of these years, GEF was a significant player and leader in building the environmental movement in Israel. In 2006, Sigal was chosen as one of the 10 most influential people on the environment in Israel by the "The Marker" Israeli magazine. Sigal was born in NY to Israeli parents, and moved to Israel at the age of 6, she holds degrees in Biology and Environmental Science from Hebrew University. |
Emily Friedman-Novak
Director of Membership and Programs, JFN Israel Emily is the Director of Membership and Programs at JFN Israel. She has extensive experience working in the philanthropic field in Israel and North America, as well as social entrepreneurship and strategic consulting experience. In her last role, Emily served as Executive Director of the David Foundation. Prior to that she worked as a senior consultant at BenOr Communications, a consulting firm for NPOs in Israel. Emily spent many years in Toronto working in the Jewish community, including programmatic work for the JCC, while obtaining her B.A. (International Relations & Middle Eastern Studies). Upon completing her studies she began work at the Gerald Schwartz & Heather Riesman Foundation focusing on project management and grant evaluation. In 2012, Emily co-founded Keren BaKtana — a network of giving circles working to change the culture of giving in Israel. Emily holds an M.A. in Non-Profit Management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is a proud Tel-Avivit, a wife, and an Ima to three kids. |
Sarit Lior
Communications and Logistics Associate, JFN Israel Bio and photo coming soon. |
Efrat Oppenheimer
Director of Family Philanthropy, JFN Israel Efrat serves as Director of Family Philanthropy at JFN Israel. She is responsible for developing programs and services for multigenerational giving, as well as establishing the first Israeli Center for Family Philanthropy within JFN Israel, in collaboration with the National Center for Family Philanthropy in Washington DC. Efrat has significant experience in the field of Israeli philanthropy as well as philanthropic and cross sector partnerships. Prior to joining JFN, Efrat worked at the Naor Philanthropy Group, first as Director of Partnerships at the Shahaf Foundation and later as Director of Partnerships of the entire Naor Fund. In addition, Efrat worked for the Mandel Foundation. Prior to joining the philanthropic field, Efrat headed the educational department at the Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Tel Aviv. Efrat graduated Valedictorian from the first cohort of the MBA in Social Leadership, a joint program of Ben-Gurion University and the Mandel Foundation. She lives in south Tel-Aviv with her husband and their two children. |
Reut Stoller
Senior Program Manager, JFN Israel Bio and photo coming soon. |
Jewish Teen Funders Network
Wayne Green
Director, Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN) Wayne relocated to New York in 2017 from Melbourne, Australia having worked in London and across Australia. Wayne came to New York having received an Australia Federal government Endeavour Executive Fellowship to undertake professional development and research in youth programming and service delivery. Wayne has significant experience of over 15 years in non-profit management and has worked on programs on a local, state and national level. With a background in health and community lead programs, and more recently in working with Jewish communities, Wayne has a commitment and passion to continue his work with social justice based upon Jewish values. He has also worked to pursue equality and diversity of LGBTQ rights within Jewish communities and developed change initiatives to support inclusion. Wayne believes in teens as the next generation to lead significant change to support Tikkun Olam and is dedicated to building programs to support teen giving and connected engagement. Wayne is an avid film goer and is often seen at the local restaurants eating with friends. He also has an obsession to find the perfect milkshake. |
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Alana Hollander
Community and Special Projects Manager, Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN) With a background in Jewish nonprofits, Alana began her career in the field at the Queens Regional office for Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. She later continued on to serve as a Managing Supervisor for Hillcrest Jewish Center, a conservative egalitarian synagogue in Fresh Meadows, NY. During her seven years at Hillcrest Jewish Center, she assisted in developing and enhancing numerous programs and fundraisers. A graduate of SUNY Purchase with a BA in Theater Studies, Alana also has a great deal of experience in the arts. Early in her career, she spent several years working as a stage manager for a variety of off-Broadway productions and briefly worked as a lighting technician at MTV. In her spare time Alana enjoys playing guitar and writing music. |
Laura Schultze
Communications Coordinator, Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN) Laura Schultze is the Communications Coordinator at the Jewish Teen Funders Network. She has lived all over California and moved to New York in 2014. Laura worked many years in Jewish education, working at JCCs, synagogues, and Jewish camps, and is excited to be a part of Jewish Teen Funders Network. She continues her love of teaching Jewish teens as a Youth Director at a synagogue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Laura is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a BA in Drama, and loves writing short plays and filming sketch comedy. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the boroughs, seeing Broadway musicals, and finding the perfect brunch. |
Danielle Segal
Senior Programs Manager, Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN) Danielle Segal was born in London, United Kingdom and moved to New York in 2010. Danielle has worked in the nonprofit Jewish field for over a decade as a Jewish educator, camp director, and charity manager. She has developed several curricula, including teen leadership courses, and has led workshops on teacher training, team management, and improvisation. Danielle was awarded the Jack Petchey Award for Outstanding Service to Young People in 2009. Danielle currently sits on the board of Advancing Jewish Professionals NYC and is a trained StorahTelling Maven. She enjoys musical theater, trivia nights, board games, and eating out in New York restaurants. She resides with her husband and their son in Brooklyn. |
