Andrés Spokoiny

President and CEO
[email protected]

Follow @spokoiny

Andrés Spokoiny is a longtime 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.

Read articles by Andrés >>

David Ezer

Vice President of Programs
[email protected]

David Ezer 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 as 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

Executive Director, JFN Israel
[email protected]

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 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 her husband Ido are parents to Shani, Ella, Alon, and Gali.

Ari Rudolph

Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement
[email protected]

Ari has been in the Jewish communal field for the last 15 years, both in the US and Israel. Prior to joining JFN, he was the Chief Program Officer at the Legacy Heritage Fund, and before that was the Planning Director of the Jewish Life Planning Department at UJA-Federation of New York, overseeing a team of grant and program officers. Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ari completed his undergraduate degree there in Finance and Economics. In 2002, he moved to Israel where he served as a lone soldier in the Israeli Army. Ari completed his Masters in Diplomacy and National Security at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, after which he moved to Washington D.C. (2007) to serve as the Israel Affairs Associate at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. From 2009-2010, Ari worked in the Department for Combating Antisemitism at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Legacy Heritage Fellow, and from 2011-2013, was the Director of the Israel Research Fellowship in Jerusalem. Ari now lives in Riverdale, NY with his wife and three kids.

Shannon Alexander

Membership Communications Manager
[email protected]

Shannon Alexander'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 eighth-generation Texan and did not own a winter coat until she was 13. This purchase was necessitated by her family’s move to Buffalo, N.Y. 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
[email protected]

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 nonprofit theater company in the city dedicated to developing a collaborative and uniquely theatrical voice. He is excited to be a part of this team.

Debra Feldstein

West Coast Associate Director
[email protected]

Following a brief career as an attorney in the Boston area, Debra entered the field of nonprofit management and development. She built her 25-year career as an executive director and consultant, working to increase the capacity of nonprofits. She also specializes in rebuilding organizations with management and infrastructure challenges following leadership transitions.

Debra relocated to Silicon Valley in 1999 to lead Hillel at Stanford, and she then served as executive director for City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley and as a consultant for several local and national nonprofits. She has worked extensively with organizations that deliver programs in youth development, the arts, environmental education, academic support, and Jewish engagement.

Debra lives with her family in Santa Cruz, Calif. Debra graduated from Tufts University with a degree in international relations, received a Juris Doctor from the Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, and completed a Master of Management degree at the Heller School at Brandeis University. She is a member of the Massachusetts and Illinois Bar Associations.

Tamar Frydman

Director of Peer Programs
[email protected]

Tamar Frydman's 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.

Sarah Horowitz

Project Manager
[email protected]

Sarah Horowitz has been in the Jewish nonprofit field since 2012, both in New York and Chicago. Before joining JFN in 2021, she was part of the advancement team at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago, attending to multiple fundraising campaigns and cultivating relationships with donors and stakeholders. Prior to this, Sarah coordinated international missions for UJA-Federation of New York, including the Rosenwald Centennial Mission in 2017 that brought 350+ participants and staff to Israel in celebration of UJA's centennial year.

Sarah is from Long Island, New York, and she attended Binghamton University (SUNY) for her Bachelor's Degree in human development. Most recently, she earned her Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.

Sarah enjoys reading, taking walks, spending time with friends and family, exploring Chicago and New York, and cooking with her husband, Jonathan. 

Alana Rahmani

Project Manager
[email protected]

Before joining JFN in 2020, Alana was the Program Director for the Center for Jewish Living at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, where she worked to build a vibrant hub for Jewish life on the Upper West Side through the JCC’s many Jewish learning classes, symposiums, and holiday events. Alana started out her career in Jewish communal work as the Program Assistant for Millennial Engagement at the Jewish Theological Seminary and subsequently joined the Rabbinical Assembly as its Communications Assistant and Project Manager in 2016. Alana is a recent alumna of the Pardes Center for Jewish Education (2018-19), where she completed the One-Year Program in Experiential Education. She received her B.A. in English from Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College and completed a Master’s in Israel Studies through the Rothberg School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In her spare time, Alana enjoys cooking Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, weaving, learning halakha, and taking walks in Prospect Park. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn.

Nan Rossien

Director of Finance and Administration
[email protected]

Nan Rossien is responsible for oversight of all finance, accounting, and reporting activities including functional responsibility over accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and grants administration.

Immediately prior to joining JFN, Nan was Controller at the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, a nonprofit based in Princeton, N.J. focused on cultivating new approaches to address societal needs through education reform and innovation.

Previous positions included Controller at a privately held company in the Boston area that was general partner in numerous limited partnerships, nearly ten years with various investments houses (Bankers Trust, Merrill Lynch, and Fidelity) in finance and accounting roles, and six years in public accounting with Arthur Young.

Nan has a BA from Vassar College, where she majored in history, and holds an MBA. from Cornell University with a concentration in accounting and finance. She is a CPA, licensed in New York, and is a member of both the AICPA and NYSSCPA. She recently relocated back to New York City with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.

Tzivia Schwartz Getzug

Director of the West Coast Office
[email protected]

As Director of the West Coast office of JFN, Tzivia 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 five years as the founding executive director of Jewish World Watch, an innovative nonprofit 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.

Talia Topper

Accounting Assistant
[email protected]

Before joining JFN, Talia worked in public and private accounting in New York. Talia is originally from Belgium and has lived in Israel and Los Angeles. She earned a Bachelor's degree in accounting from Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business. Talia lives on Long Island, New York with her husband and two daughters.

Julie Wiener

Director of Communications
[email protected]

Julie oversees all aspects of JFN's communications, including media relations, blogs, newsletters, podcasts, speeches, creating and managing various websites, op-eds and other thought leadership, and eblasts. A longtime journalist, primarily at Jewish publications, she was managing editor of My Jewish Learning, online editor at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and associate editor at The New York Jewish Week, where she reported on education and wrote "In the Mix," a column and blog about intermarried life. 

Julie has a BA in history from Oberlin College. She lives in Jackson Heights, Queens with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys writing, biking, cooking, solving crossword puzzles, and exploring New York City.

Sharon Dwek

Membership Director, JFN Israel
[email protected]

Sharon joined JFN Israel after living in the Bay Area and Vancouver for 13 years. She worked at the San Francisco Federation staffing the Israel and Overseas Committee. In Jewish day schools, Sharon worked as Development and Program Director inspiring donors through social and emotional experiential programs. She was co-founder of Gvanim in the Bay, developing local Israeli leadership integrated into Jewish community life. As the Head of Strategy for the Vancouver JCC, Sharon served as a liaison between the Jewish community and local government to develop a Jewish community campus. Most recently she served as the Development Director of the Legal Clinics of Tel Aviv University.

Sharon is a lawyer by practice and served as corporate counsel for Evergreen Venture Partners and later became Investor Relations of the Fund. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of British Columbia.

Sigal Yaniv Feller

Deputy Director, JFN Israel
Senior Director, Advisory Services

[email protected]

Sigal is the deputy director of JFN Israel and senior director of advisory services, heading the center for strategic philanthropy and assisting Jewish funders from around the world 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 served as the Israeli representative of KH-UIA (Keren Hayesod) in Hong Kong and the Far East. Sigal has over 20 years of experience with the Israeli and global philanthropic sectors; 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 New York to Israeli parents and moved to Israel at the age of 6. She holds degrees in biology and environmental science from Hebrew University.

Sarit Lior

Operations & Finance Manager, JFN Israel
[email protected]

Sarit Lior holds a B.A in psychology & human services, mediation certificate and studied Applied Behavioral Analysis at Tel Aviv University.

Prior to JFN, Sarit was a part of the Naor Family Office and Foundation, where she served as private assistant to the founder and administrative executive.

Sarit lives in Ganey Tikva with her husband and three daughters.

Maya Golan

Director of Family Philanthropy, JFN Israel
[email protected]

Maya serves as Director of Family Philanthropy at JFN Israel. As part of her role, she is responsible for developing programs and services for multigenerational giving and leading the first Israeli Center for Family Philanthropy within JFN Israel. Maya has a rich experience of over a decade in various projects in the nonprofit sector.

Before joining JFN Maya worked six years at the Ramon Foundation, founded by Rona Ramon, ultimately serving as the VP of Space Education. As part of that role, Maya established the space education department that includes programs in Israel and outside it, training, conferences, and events. Maya also established strategic relationships between the educational, business, and academic fields, as well as working with leading partners around the world.

Today, Maya continues to take an active part in various educational projects, including as a consultant on the educational mission of the first Israeli on the International Space Station.

Maya holds a BA in political science and education, and an MBA in social leadership, through a joint program of Ben-Gurion University and the Mandel Foundation. She lives in Tel Aviv with her husband Yotam and son Tomer.

Reut Stoller

Program Director, JFN Israel
[email protected]

Bio coming soon.

Wayne Green

Executive Director, Honeycomb
[email protected]

Follow @WayneKGreen

Wayne relocated to New York in 2017 from Melbourne, Australia after having worked in London and across Australia. Wayne came to New York under the auspices of 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 nonprofit 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 is obsessed with finding the perfect milkshake.

Alana Hollander

Community and Special Projects Manager, Honeycomb
[email protected]

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 the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of Queens. 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.

Alisha Mikluch

Communication and Engagement Manager, Honeycomb
[email protected]

Inspired by her passion to harness the power of young people to create change in a global movement for good, Alisha is very excited to work to support Honeycomb’s vision to create generations of engaged, empowered, and experienced Jewish changemakers and givers. While studying political science at Baruch College, Alisha began her career in youth empowerment on the DoSomething.org campaigns team, where three million young people join volunteer, social change, and civic action campaigns to make a real-world impact on causes they care about.

Danielle Segal

Senior Programs Manager, Honeycomb
[email protected]

Danielle is from London, United Kingdom, and moved to New York in 2010. Inspired by her love of the Jewish community and combining her teaching, program management, and theater skills, Danielle has worked in the nonprofit Jewish field for 15 years as a Jewish educator, camp director, and non-profit manager. She has developed several curricula, including teen leadership courses, and has led workshops on teacher training, team management, and improvisation. Danielle presents at conferences and seminars nationwide about Jewish youth philanthropy, experiential education, and teen engagement. She was awarded the Jack Petchey Award for Outstanding Service to Young People in 2009. Danielle is Vice Chair of the JPRO NY Board and is a trained StorahTelling Maven with LabShul. She presents and produces the Honeycomb podcast, “Outside The Tzedakah Box.” Danielle is currently completing the Certificate in Jewish Leadership For Educators with Spertus Institute and Northwestern University. 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.