Andrés Spokoiny
President and CEO
andres@jfunders.org
Andrés Spokoiny is a long-time Jewish communal leader with a history of leading successful organizational transformations. The CEO of Federation CJA in Montreal from 2009–2011, he helped fundamentally change the Federation’s operations and its relationship with the community.
In Montreal, as a young, ‘out of the box’ Federation executive, he spearheaded a new branding strategy and initiated and developed innovative community programs that are now being used as models across North America.
Before joining the Federation, 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, leading programs in the areas of Welfare, Leadership Development, Jewish Renewal, Education, Community Development, and Outreach, and building coalitions with local and international organizations, public and private.
Judy Mann
Chief Operating Officer
judy@jfunders.org
Judy is the Chief Operating Officer at the 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.
Maya Natan
Activities and Projects Manager at JFN Israel
maya@jfunders.org
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.
Shannon Alexander
Database Assistant, Member Services
shannon@jfunders.org
Shannon Alexander works as the Database Assistant in Member Services. 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.
Samantha (Beinhacker) Anderson
Senior Director of Member Services
samantha@jfunders.org
Samantha is the Senior Director of Member Services at the 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.
Dalia Bekerman
Communication and Logistics Associate, Israel
dalia@jfunders.org
Dalia Bekerman is the communication and logistics associate at the Israeli office of the Jewish Funders Network. Dalia holds a B.A degree in humanities and B.Sc. in life science from Tel-Aviv university. Prior to JFN, Dalia was an independent editor and took part in various movie and TV productions. Dalia is thrilled to be a part of the Israeli branch of JFN.
Scott Casper
Office Manager
scott@jfunders.org
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
Manager, Strategic & Digital Communications
seth@jfunders.org
Seth Chalmer is JFN's communications manager. 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 BFA in Musical Theatre. Past positions have included Assistant Director at the Berman Jewish Policy Archive and Cultural Arts Director at the Dayton Jewish Community Center. He has written for On Being, First Things, The Times of Israel blogs, The Jewish Week, eJewish Philanthropy, and The Journal of Ecumenical Studies.
David Ezer
Senior Director of Programs
david@jfunders.org
David Ezer is the senior director of programs at the Jewish Funders Network. He leads the team that programs the annual conference as well as other daylong or half-day 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.
Sigal Yaniv Feller
Director, Advisory Services Israel Office
sigal@jfunders.org
Sigal Yaniv Feller was born in NY to Israeli parents, and moved to Israel at the age of 6. She graduated from the Sde Boker Environmental High School, which was a critical period in formulating her commitment to Israel’s environment. She then served in the army as an SPNI Nature and Environment Educator for civilian and military groups in the Mt Hermon Field School. Sigal received her BSc in Biology and Environmental Science, and MSc in Environmental Science, from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her professional experience includes positions as Director of Field Projects for Young Judea’s Year Course and Director of YJ’s Student Leadership Program “Sharsheret.”
Between the years 2001-2011, Sigal served as the 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. In 2011, Sigal and her family moved to Hong Kong for three years as Israeli diplomats. During these years, Sigal was the Israeli representative of KH-UIA in Hong Kong and the Far East. After her return, Sigal joined the professional team of the environmental fellows program at the Heschel Center for Sustainability.
Sigal lives in Reut, Israel, with her husband and three children: Asaf, Noa and Nadav.
Merav Fine
Program Manager, Member Services
merav@jfunders.org
Merav Fine is the Program Manager for Member Services at the Jewish Funders Network where she develops meaningful programming to engage funders in the future of the Jewish community, and works to strengthen their relationships with one another to promote the Network’s impact on Jewish life. She comes to JFN with a deep background in Jewish communal life, particularly around developing inclusive programming. Merav completed her M.P.A with a focus on nonprofit management and her M.A. in Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University in the dual master’s program for training professionals in the Jewish nonprofit field. Throughout her graduate work she interned and consulted with many Jewish organizations including UJA-Federation of NY, Reboot, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
Originally from Queens, New York, she received her B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, and later spent two years working at University of Maryland Hillel developing inclusive programming for students from all walks of Jewish life. Merav continues to teach Judaics and Hebrew with a small tutoring company, and is also a yoga instructor in Brooklyn.
Emily Friedman-Novak
Program Manager, Israel
emily@jfunders.org
Emily’s manages membership and Israel programs at JFN Israel. She has extensive experience working in the philanthropic field in Israel and North America, as well as resource development 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 NPO’s 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 in Jerusalem. She lives in Tel Aviv with her husband and two daughters.
Elizabeth Gerber
Director of Finance
elizabeth@jfunders.org
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.
Alana Hollander
Program Associate, Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN)
alana@jtfn.org
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.
Briana Holtzman
Director, Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN)
briana@jtfn.org
Briana Holtzman is the Director of the Jewish Teen Funders Network. Her work with JTFN started in 2014, as the Program Director for JTFN’s Foundation Board Incubator, launching high impact Jewish teen foundations in cities around the world. Before joining JTFN, Briana was the founding associate director at URJ Camp Kalsman, outside of Seattle, WA and participated in the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s (FJC) Yitro Leadership program. An FJC Bildner Graduate Fellow, she earned her MBA from University of Washington’s Foster School of Business with a focus on marketing and management. Briana currently serves on the Steering Committee for PresenTense’s New York Accelerator, as a trustee for the Sigma Delta Tau Foundation, and is a fellow in the inaugural cohort of UJA Federation of New York’s Ruskay Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership.
Melissa Rosen
Program Manager, Matching Grants
melissa@jfunders.org
Melissa Rosen is the Program Manager for Matching Grants 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 non-for-profit organizations. In her spare time Melissa is an avid volunteer and coffee enthusiast.
Lenore Schlossberg
Accounting Assistant
lenore@jfunders.org
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@jfunders.org
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.
Danielle Segal
Program Manager, Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN)
danielle@jtfn.org
Danielle Segal was born in London, United Kingdom and moved to New York in 2010. Danielle has worked in the non-profit Jewish profession for over a decade, both as a Jewish educator and as a manager for an international Jewish charity, and is delighted to be joining the team at the Jewish Teen Funders Network. Danielle is a huge musical theatre fan, goes to see Broadway shoes as often as she can and enjoys trivia nights and eating out in New York restaurants! She resides with her husband in Brooklyn.