Meet our Board, Staff, & Committee Members

We are pleased to introduce you to our esteemed Board of Trustees, dedicated staff, and engaged standing committee members, that are helping impact and improve lives in Cleveland, Israel, and 70 countries around the globe, each and every day. If you need to connect with someone but can’t find their information here, please call our main phone line at: 216-593-2900 or send an email to info@jewishcleveland.org Todah!

Board of Trustees

As of February 15, 2024

Executive Officers

Daniel N. Zelman

Daniel N. Zelman
Board Chair

Bradley A. Sherman

Bradley A. Sherman
Vice Chair

Erica G. Starrfield

Erica G. Starrfield
Vice Chair

Jeffrey J. Wild

Jeffrey J. Wild
Vice Chair

Dara G. Yanowitz

Dara G. Yanowitz
Vice Chair

Jeffrey Weiss

Jeffrey Weiss
Treasurer

Amir Jaffa

Amir Jaffa
Associate Treasurer

Executive Committee

Rabbi Binyamin A. Blau • Susan R. Borison • Beth Wain Brandon • Reneé Chelm* • Philip M. Cohen
Robert Goldberg* • Gary L. Gross* • Harley I. Gross* • Rochelle Gross • J. David Heller* • Michelle Hirsch
Mark Holz • Shoshana Dessler Jacobs • Suellen Kadis • Ira Kaplan • Ilana Isakov Katz • Erica Lazzaro • Kevin D. Margolis
Amy Morgenstern • Jonathon Nisenboum • Albert B. Ratner* • Chuck Horowitz Ratner* • Brian D. Robbins • Sharon Rosenbaum
Bradley J. Schlang • Michael D. Siegal* • Michal Soclof • Brian S. Stein • Richard P. Stovsky
Stephen J. Weinberg* • Sally H. Wertheim* • Morris Wheeler • Danielle Wild • Timothy F. Wuliger*

Trustees

Jordan D. Berkowitz • Barnett N. Bookatz • Rabbi Naphtali Burnstein • Michael Cantor • Jennifer E. Cohen • Rabbi Yael Dadoun
Mindy Davidson • Cheryl L. Davis • Jeffrey S. Davis • Amy Einhorn • Barry S. Feldman • Lydia Frankel • Margaret Richards Frankel
Adam H. Gimbel • Adrienne Goldberg • Larry P. Goldberg* • Alan D. Gottlieb • Roe Green • Penny Greenberger
Aaron Gross • Rabbi Rosette Barron Haim • William H. Heller* • Evan Hirsch • Robert A. Immerman*
Gabrielle Jerusalem • Justin Kadis • Mara Kamat • Ethan Karp • Nathan Klein • Yoni Klein • Terri Kline
Adena J. Klineman • Hallie Bram Kogelschatz • Stewart A. Kohl • S. Lee Kohrman* • Noreen Koppelman-Goldstein • Susan D. Krantz
Karen Krause • Laura Kuntz • Norma W. Lerner* • Eliana J. LeVine • Gregg A. Levine • Ryan G. Levine
Jan Lewis • Keith Libman • Mariely Luengo • Milton S. Maltz* • Tamar Maltz* • Susi Y. Meisel • David P. Miller
Jared S. Miller • Cameron Orlean • David B. Orlean • Abbie Pappas • Ervin Pavlofsky • Kim M. Pesses • Marla K. Petti • Dan A. Polster
Dorothea M. Polster • James A. Ratner • Robert S. Reitman* • Beth Rosenberg • David M. Rosenberg • Betty Rosskamm* z”l
Peter Rzepka* • Evie Safran* • Harvey Sass • Mitchell C. Schneider • Marcy Schwartz • Paula R. Schwartz
Elisabeth W. Sherman • Scott J. Spiegle • Todd Stein • Jeanne Tobin • Moish Tohn • Richard Uria
Neil R. Waxman • Penni Weinberg* • Rachel Weinberg • Judith Weiss* • *Morry Weiss* • Mitch Wolf • Warren L. Wolfson
Jason A. Wuliger • Sandra Wuliger* • Donna Yanowitz* • Darrell A. Young z”l • Andrew Zelman • Don Zigdon

President Emeritus

Stephen H. Hoffman*

Emeritus Trustees

Thomas W. Adler • George N. Aronoff • Jules Belkin • Richard Bogomolny • Reuven D. Dessler • Leslie D. Dunn 
Peggy Garson • Lois K. Goodman • Robert D. Gries z”l • Susan R. Hurwitz • Marvin L. Lader • Enid Rosenberg
Barbara S. Rosenthal • Gordon H. Safran z”l • David J. Strauss • Philip Wasserstrom

* life trustee

Standing Committees

As of January 1, 2024

Allocations Committee
Recommends allocation of funds from the Campaign for Jewish Needs (CFJN) that support the community's objectives for health and human services, education, national and overseas agencies. The Committee helps to ensure the effective and efficient use of funds by Federation's beneficiary agencies and surfaces systemic and agency-specific issues for community review and consideration.
Michelle Hirsch, Chair
Loree E. Potash, Subcommittee on Overseas Chair
Jared S. Miller, Subcommittee on Human Services Chair
Elisabeth W. Sherman, Subcommittee on Education Agencies Chair
Gregory A. Marcus, National Agencies Liaison Team Chair

Community Planning Committee
Responsible for identifying unmet service needs and gaps in the community, facilitating a process whereby these needs are addressed, and validating the underlying community need when agencies launch, expand or end major programmatic or capital investments.
Kevin D. Margolis, Chair
Robert Danzinger, Jewish Community Housing, Inc., President

Community Relations Committee
Develops and implements Federation's public affairs agenda, both international and domestic, through advocacy, projects, and relationship-building.
Susan Borison, Chair
Scott D. Garson and Alan Rosskamm, Vice Chairs

Development Committee
Coordinates and oversees all Federation development activities, policies, and procedures, including endowment development, the Campaign for Jewish Needs, participatory and multi-generational family philanthropy, special campaigns (e.g., Centennial, Exodus, etc.), corporate and foundation support, and agency supplemental appeals.
Suellen Kadis, Chair
Beth Wain Brandon, 2023 Campaign for Jewish Needs General Chair
Elaine B. Eisner, Professional Advisory Council Chair
Ilana Isakov Katz, Women IN Philanthropy Chair
Jonathon Nisemboum, Young Leadership Division Chair
Jules Belkin, Shari Perlmuter, and Danielle Wild, Life & Legacy Co-Chairs

Endowment Fund Committee
Created in 1955, gifts to the Endowment Fund represent a commitment to the well-being and security of the Jewish community and to the future of its health, welfare, cultural and educational services. The Endowment Fund Committee recommends grants in order to meet emergencies, to support new and innovative projects, services, studies and scholarship needs or to support other projects. Endowment Fund assets occasionally are also used in support of programs in the general community.
Philip M. Cohen, Chair
Matthew F. Kadish, Donor Advised Fund Advisory Committee Chair
Alan E. Yanowitz, Foundation Advisory Council Chair

Finance and Investment
Manages the Jewish Federation's investments.
Morris Wheeler, Chair

Human Resources Development Committee
Provides strategic counsel and support to the Federation on the vision, goals, resources and deliverables that will frame the work of the Federation’s Human Resources Development department based on trends and best practices in the human resources and leadership development fields for both professional staff and lay leaders. Responsible for assisting with the design and implementation of a comprehensive set of programs to respond to the human resources needs of the Federation and its system of services including: formal training programs, leadership development programs and placement coordination.
Brian D. Robbins, Chair
Sandra Wuliger, ALeRT (Agency Leadership Roundtable) Chair
Marcia Levine, Gries Committee Chair
Sharon Rosenbaum, Andrew Zelman, Mandel Symposium Co-Chairs

Marketing & Communications Committee
Provides strategic counsel and support to the Federation on various marketing and communications initiatives designed to reach and engage target audiences in Jewish Cleveland and the general community. Serves as a sounding board for new ideas and alternative approaches to supporting the organization’s growth agenda through marketing and communications, as well as serves a source for market intelligence, resource identification and relevant best practices.
Brian S. Stein, Chair

Overseas Connections Committee
Develops and funds a wide range of programs and activities that strengthen Jewish Life in Cleveland, Israel, and St. Petersburg, Russia. It aims to involve Clevelanders in an international agenda to build and strengthen the worldwide Jewish community. Its cutting edge projects are developed to create sustainable change and improve Jewish life.
Mark Holz, Chair
Mark Holz, Cleveland/Beit Shean Partnership Subcommittee Chair
Debbie Hoffmann, Cleveland/St. Petersburg Partnership Chair
Scott J. Spiegle, IDF Education Corps/Havat HaShomer Partnership Chair
Judge Dan A. Polster, Jordan/Cross-Border Initiative Chair
Michael D. Stovsky, STEM Subcommittee Chair

Strategic Planning Committee
Produces fundamental decisions and action steps that shape and guide the Jewish Federation of Cleveland; sets strategies to guide the Federation for the next 3-5 years; oversees the development of a plan to implement those strategies; and monitors the implementation.
Danielle Wild, Chair

Senior Staff

Oren Baratz

Oren Baratz
Senior Vice President /
External Affairs

216-593-2788
obaratz@jewishcleveland.org
Tami Caplan

Tami Caplan
Senior Vice President /
Chief Human Resources Officer

216-593-2864
tcaplan@jewishcleveland.org
Mozelle Jackson

Mozelle T. Jackson
Senior Vice President /
Chief Financial Officer

216-593-2906
mjackson@jewishcleveland.org
Abbie Levin

Abigail Levin
Senior Vice President

216-593-2840
alevin@jewishcleveland.org
Rachel Lappen

Rachel Lappen
Senior Vice President /
Chief Development Officer

216-593-2841
rlappen@jewishcleveland.org
Dan Strom

Dan Strom
Senior Vice President /
Chief Information Officer

216-593-2807
dstrom@jewishcleveland.org
Melanie Halvorson

Melanie Halvorson
Vice President /
Community Planning and Allocations

216-593-2868
mhalvorson@jewishcleveland
.org

Marc Ashed

Marc Ashed
Assistant Vice President /
External Affairs

216-593-2790
mashed@jewishcleveland.org
Rob Berick

Rob Berick
Assistant Vice President /
Chief Marketing Officer

216-593-2794
rberick@jewishcleveland.org
Ann Garson

Ann Garson
Assistant Vice President /
Funds and Foundations

216-593-2814
agarson@jewishcleveland.org
Ilanit Kalir

Ilanit Gerblich Kalir
Assistant Vice President /
External Affairs/International Operations

216-593-2815
ikalir@jewishcleveland.org
Shelley Marcus

Shelley Milin Marcus
Assistant Vice President /
Development

216-593-2847
smarcus@jewishcleveland.org
Kari Blumenthal

Kari Blumenthal
Managing Director /
Finance

216-593-2893
kblumenthal@jewishcleveland
.org
Adam Hirsh

Adam Hirsh
Managing Director /
Community Planning and Allocations

216-593-2787
ahirsh@jewishcleveland
.org
Jeremy Pappas

Rabbi Jeremy Pappas
Managing Director /
Campaign

216-593-2871
jpappas@jewishcleveland.org
Aviva Roland

Aviva C. Roland
Managing Director /
Community Relations (CRC)

216-593-2926
aroland@jewishcleveland.org
Jennifer Schwarz

Jennifer Schwarz
Managing Director /
Philanthropic Planning

216-593-2816
jschwarz@jewishcleveland.org
Howard Wolf

Howard Wolf
Managing Director /
Assistant Controller

216-593-2889
hwolf@jewishcleveland.org