Staci Barber

Co-Chair of JFNA's Holocaust Survivor Initiative

Staci Barber serves as a Co-Chair of JFNA’s Holocaust Survivor Initiative and is a steadfast advocate for supporting Holocaust survivors in need.

Staci Barber is a retired attorney who left the practice of law in 2004 and has since been focused on volunteer and philanthropic efforts. She was formerly a partner in the litigation department of Weil, Gotshal, & Manges, and after that worked at GE Capital Corporation as Litigation Counsel for four years. Staci is on the board of UJA/Federation of New York, where she is Co-Chair of UJA’s Community Initiative for Holocaust Survivors, which raises and allocates more than $3 million per year for survivors. She also serves in lay leadership as Vice Chair of UJA Women and Co-Chair of KDS Women, and is on the Campaign Steering Committee. In addition, Staci serves on the Board and Executive Committee of Selfhelp Community Services Inc., where she chairs the Holocaust Survivor Services Committee of the Board and serves on the Development Committee. Staci is passionate about Selfhelp’s vow to be the “last surviving relative” for the survivor population in New York and particularly loves attending and bringing friends to coffee houses, thereby bringing joy to all parties.

Todd Morgan

Co-Chair of JFNA's Holocaust Survivor Initiative

Todd Morgan serves as a Co-Chair of JFNA’s Holocaust Survivor Initiative and is a steadfast advocate for supporting Holocaust survivors in need.

Todd is a founding member of Bel Air Investment Advisors LLC. Prior to starting Bel Air, Todd was a Limited Partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in Los Angeles, where he launched the Private Client Services’ investment advisory business for high-net-worth individuals and families. Prior to the Los Angeles office, Todd was a General Partner in New York (1984-1991) where he was responsible for Private Client business for that region. Todd began his investment career in 1970 and is regularly sourced for expert commentary on publications such as The Associated Press, Bloomberg Business Week, Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC.

Todd currently serves as a lifetime Trustee of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and is a member of its Investment Committee. In 2001, he completed his term as the Chairman of the United Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles. He has also served in various roles of several charitable organizations including General Campaign Chairman and Chairman of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation; Honorary Trustee of the Jewish Community Foundation; member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles; member of the Board of Governors of New York Hospital; and Vice Chairman of the Coalition to Free Soviet Jews. Todd received his BA from the University of Minnesota. Todd is married and has two children and three grandchildren.

Shelley Rood Wernick

Managing Director

Shelley Rood Wernick is the Managing Director of the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Her work changes the way aging services are delivered by recognizing how a history of trauma impacts people as they age; and by promoting person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) care as the universal strategy for serving all older adults and family caregivers. Previously, Shelley lobbied on behalf of The Jewish Federations of North America and the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, conveying policy priorities to Congress and the White House and training communities to advocate for the diverse populations they serve. On behalf of Federations, Shelley led the public movement to install the Jewish Chaplains Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Before joining the nonprofit sector, Shelley was a foreign policy advisor on Capitol Hill. Shelley earned an MBA from Georgetown University and a BA in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Florida. Shelley graduated from the Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership, Executive Leadership Program, and she serves on the board of Hillel at the University of Florida. Shelley shares her work at national aging and trauma conferences, and as the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, she shares her grandfather’s story with classrooms and the general public.

Leah Bergen Miller

Director

Leah Bergen Miller is the Director at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma and helped to launch it. Leah manages program operations, coordinates the grant award process, coaches subgrantees and develops a supportive cohort, presents at conferences, facilitates webinars, and plans the national JFNA Training Workshop. From 1999 to 2015, she dedicated herself to the field of refugee resettlement, working as a case manager at Church World Service-Joint Voluntary Agency in Nairobi, Kenya and Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area in multiple greater Washington, DC area locations. She also worked for nearly seven years at HIAS — which aided her Holocaust survivor grandparents — as both a program manager and an advocate for refugees. Leah volunteered as a GED instructor to immigrants at Centro Hispano in Milwaukee, WI, a disaster action team volunteer for internally displaced people at the American Red Cross in Arlington, VA, and as a religious school teacher in Mequon, WI and Alexandria, VA. Before graduating from American University’s School of International Service with a BA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, she processed asylum applications at the Arlington Asylum Office.

Karen Edell Yoskowitz

Director, Partnerships and Grants

Karen Edell Yoskowitz is the Director for Partnerships and Grants at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Karen oversees the development of the Center’s partnership strategy with internal and external partners. She also leads strategic grantmaking for supportive services for Holocaust survivors, older adults with a history of trauma, and family caregivers by distributing subgrants to Federations and national human service agencies, and by providing coaching, technical assistance, and capacity building support to subgrantees. Previously, Karen worked on Capitol Hill; as well as for the Montgomery County (MD) Council Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) and at a DC-based, women-owned lobby firm advocating on key issues for cities. She earned an MPA from the American University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Arizona. She is proud to be a third generation Jewish communal professional and feels privileged to be able to give back to the organization that assisted her Holocaust survivor grandparents upon arrival to the United States.

Carmel Rabin

Director, Research and Evaluation

Carmel Rabin is the Director for Research and Evaluation at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. She oversees research projects and program evaluations of Center and subgrantee initiatives. Prior to joining the team, Carmel worked on monitoring and evaluating of domestic and international development programs across private, public, and social sectors. She specializes in empowering, person-centered, and trauma-informed evaluation. Carmel holds a Master of Arts in Development Studies from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Syracuse University.

Amanda Jarvis

Project Manager

Amanda Jarvis is a Project Manager at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Her responsibilities include technical assistance, strategic guidance, and program oversight. Amanda previously worked at Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services after serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA and NCCC Corps Member. Amanda has a background in marketing from her time working at Cruise Lines International Association. Amanda has a BA in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations from Florida Gulf Coast University, where she also specialized in Psychology.

Abby Neft

Project Assistant

Abby Neft is the Project Assistant at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Her responsibilities include internal and external scheduling, writing and distributing memos, tracking reports, and organizing speakers for webinars and for our bi-annual training workshop. She is also involved in the Center’s Innovations Program Review for Proposals (RFP) and is responsible for working with the review committee and supporting the Programs team in developing new cohorts. Abby holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland and previously studied and worked in Australia.

Elissa Mittman

Financial Oversight Advisor

Elissa Mittman is the Financial Oversight Advisor at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. She was previously employed in various senior roles at several international non-governmental humanitarian organizations and by the U.S. government, where she provided programs, services, and protection for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations in the U.S. and overseas. In these capacities Elissa managed multi-year multi-million-dollar grants and programming, and supervised operations, finance, human resources, advocacy, and legal services. Most recently she worked on a program assisting evacuated at-risk Afghans in the United Arab Emirates seeking refugee resettlement in Canada. Elissa has a JD with academic honors from Hofstra Law School, and a BA from Johns Hopkins University.

Vanessa Rubenstein

Assistant Manager, Research and Evaluation

Vanessa Rubenstein is the Assistant Manager for Research and Evaluation at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. She is responsible with the writing of articles and reports, program evaluation efforts, and data analysis. She also ensures that the Center is kept up to date on the latest research in the field of aging and trauma. She holds a Master of Public Health from Sacred Heart University and a B.S. in Public Health from Fairfield University. Prior to coming to JFNA, she worked as a research assistant at both of her academic institutions focusing on maternal and child health, health disparities, and nutrition.

Hayley Herzog

Assistant Manager of Research and Evaluation

Hayley Herzog is the Assistant Manager for Research and Evaluation at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Hayley enhances the research and evaluation team by advancing program evaluation efforts, conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis for best practices and lessons learned, and building the field of PCTI evaluations. Prior to joining the Center, Hayley worked as a research assistant in academic and non-profit settings focusing on and publishing in the areas of reproductive health, sexual- and gender- based violence, and gender equity. Hayley has a Masters of Public Health and Masters of Public Administration from New York University.

Carly Bruski, LMSW

Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships

Carly Bruski is the Assistant Director for Strategic Partnerships at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Carly has worked in the non-profit sector for 15 years with a focus on person-centered trauma informed care. She is committed to providing culturally sensitive services to under-resourced communities, immigrant, and refugee populations in particular. Carly’s areas of expertise include older adult services, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Women’s Studies from The Pennsylvania State University, and in 2014, Carly received her Master’s degree in social work from Temple University.

Bradley Heller

Project Manager

Bradley is a Project Manager at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. His responsibilities include providing technical assistance, coaching, and grant oversight to subgrantees. He conducts visits to subgrantee project sites to ensure good stewardship of grant funds and to strengthen partnerships. Bradley holds a Master of Social Work degree from San Jose State University. He has dedicated his career to improving the lives of people in the United States and globally, focusing on housing, social services and health care. Previously, he spent 11 years managing housing programs for homeless families and individuals in Washington DC and New York City. Bradley worked with Doctors Without Borders for five years, in charge of human resources and finance in diverse African countries such as South Sudan, Nigeria, Malawi, and Mozambique. These programs addressed the health care needs of people in crisis. Bradley spent two years in the Peace Corps, in Costa Rica, working with at-risk youth. In conjunction with the Costa Rican child welfare agency, he created a volunteer program in which Costa Rican nationals were recruited and trained to improve the lives of children residing in group homes.

Liliana Wisniewski

Assistant Manager, Partnerships and Grants

Liliana Wisniewski is the Assistant Manager for Partnerships and Grants at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Liliana supports efforts to develop and grow strategic relationships and diversify funding sources with various government, non-profit, corporate foundations, and private philanthropists working in the aging and/or trauma field to advance the Center’s mission. She is also responsible for assisting with the writing and review of reports to funders, grant proposals, and general correspondence to the Aging Network. Liliana has worked in the non-profit sector for over a decade. Previously, Liliana served as a Program Coordinator for older adults with a history of trauma at Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia. Before this, she worked at Philadelphia Legal Assistance, where she helped underserved communities facing legal and housing challenges remain in their homes. Liliana holds a BA in Sociology and a Master of Public Health from Temple University.

Alana Knoppow

Project Manager

Alana Knoppow is a Project Manager at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. Her responsibilities include technical assistance, capacity building, systems improvement, and program analysis. For over a decade, Alana has managed programs across the nonprofit field, at hospice organizations, Habitat for Humanity, and the Older Adult Services department at Jewish Family Services in Ann Arbor, MI. Alana earned her BA in Psychology at the University of Michigan and returned to earn an MSW with specializations in Aging and Management. She is a Fellow with the University of Michigan School of Social Work Geriatric Scholar program and completed a Certificate in Advanced Clinical Dementia Practice there. Alana holds professional certificates in Human Resource Management as well as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace.

Jake Scott

Assistant Manager, Finance and Grants

Jake Scott is the Assistant Manager, Finance and Grants, at the Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma. His responsibilities include monitoring the financial health of grant-funded projects, providing technical assistance to subgrantees, and managing internal and external financial processes. Jake previously worked on the grants team at the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, where he oversaw grants and finances for programs that serve vulnerable populations, including older adults, immigrants, and refugees. Prior to his tenure at JUF, Jake was a paralegal at an immigration law firm. He holds a BA in English from the University of Chicago.