Herb Amster
Herb Amster has served on our board since 2004. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Jewish Community Foundation, and played an instrumental role in the founding of the Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Center in Washtenaw County. A founder and chief executive officer of Irwin Magnetic Systems, Inc, Herb has served on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards. He is also a board member of NanoBio, ReCellular, The Bartec Group, and Arbor Hospice Foundation. The Council of Great Lakes Governors and the University of Michigan Business School have recognized his entrepreneurship, and he was named the Michigan Industrialist of the Year in 1987.
Herb has a long history of community leadership and philanthropy, and in 2003 he and his wife Carol received the Humanitarian Award from the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County. Herb holds degrees in Industrial Management and Business Administration from the Sloan School at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). JFS benefits greatly from his wisdom and experience.
Mark Berg
Dr. Mark Berg has been an active member of the JFS Board since 2001, served as Vice President from 2002 -2008, and is currently a member of the JFS Executive Committee. He is especially interested in assisting JFS to grow as a community resource well equipped to meet the increasing needs of the Washtenaw County Jewish community. Towards that end he has been actively involved in issues such as space needs, data management, and organizational structure.
Mark feels that JFS can play a unique and critical role within the Jewish community. His parents benefited from the foresight of committed members of the Detroit Jewish community who worked to make available the many services they received during their declining years. He hopes that his work with JFS will help to make equivalent resources available within our own Ann Arbor Jewish family. Mark has also served on the board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor and various committees at Temple Beth Emeth. He is the president of Berg & Associates, Inc. which provides information systems development and planning services throughout the Midwest.
Bette Cotzin (Secretary)
Bette Cotzin joined the board in 2005 being active supporters of JFS - developing a dialogue with adult children of older adult clients and opening her home for meetings and as Dinner with the Family hosts. Bette has been a physical therapist at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District for 26 years. She serves a population of students with severe mental and multiple disabilities. Bette has worked with families, physicians, rehabilitation technicians and vendors in the design and ordering of hundreds of wheelchairs, working closely with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Bette and husband Alan have been Bette has served as Vice President of Regional Board of the Union for Reform Judaism and Past President of Temple Beth Emeth. She remains active at Temple, chairing the Nachamu committee for those sitting shiva and editing the New Member Bulletin. She volunteers at the Delonis Center, a local homeless shelter. Bette and husband Alan Cotzin have two daughters, Debra, Director of Education at Temple Judea in Florida and Miriam, an ordained HUC Rabbi.
Marjorie Checkoway
Marjorie Checkoway has served on the JFS Board since 2001 and has served as Board Co-chair/President from 2002 - 2007. She also serves on the Board of the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County. She is eager to support JFS's mission, programs, and services as it attempts to meet the growing needs of Washtenaw County residents. She has been pleased to be part of the planning team during a critical period in the agency's development and looks forward to continuing to contribute to the agency's goals.
Dr. Checkoway's career in education began as a high school teacher, then continued as school administrator and educational researcher. For the past sixteen years, she has been a professor of education. Her professional interests focus on effective teaching and learning strategies, equity in education, community-school connections, and educational leadership. She also served on the Board of the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County. She is married to Barry Checkoway, Professor of Social Work and Urban Planning, and the mother of Amy, a policy analyst in Cambridge, MA, and of Laura, a magazine editor in NYC.
Karen Epstein
Karen Epstein has been with JFS since 2002 as one of our most active members of the Friends of the Family Committee. She came to JFS because of its community focus and has brought us her passion for community action and her expertise in management. She is originally from the Boston area, but first came to Ann Arbor for college. She received her PhD in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and resettled in Ann Arbor in 1989. Karen has taught part-time in the psychology department and also does career counseling with juniors and seniors in the department of Organizational Studies at the University. Karen has two daughters and in her spare time, enjoys exploring the area on foot and by bike. We are excited about the skills and energy she brings to the JFS Board.
Michael Fried (Treasurer)
Michael Fried joined the board of JFS in 2006 after serving as the campaign and the Friends of the Family Committee co-chair. Mike became involved with JFS witnessing the leadership of Jewish Family Services in helping over 150 resettle evacuees from Hurricane Katrina as part of a countywide effort. “I learned so much more about the expertise, depth, and ability of this agency as it was singled out for its efforts in the fall of 2005.” He was serving as the legal coordinator for the county – part of a coordinated team approach. Michael Fried is the former Chief of Administration at the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorneys Office. He also serves as the Board President of the Dispute Resolution Center of Washtenaw and Livingston Counties. Mike was a founding member of the Jewish Community Center and served on board of Temple Beth Emeth.
Charles Garvin
Charles Garvin has been on the JFS advisory committee, now Board of Directors, since it first began in 1993. He was also a member of the planning group that determined the need for a JFS and conceptualized how the agency would first be structured. He is a Professor Emeritus of the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan where he taught about social work practice, especially practice with groups. He continues to write about and do research on social work services. His current interests are on using groups to promote intergroup conflict resolution with adolescents and on group services in programs run by and for persons who suffer from mental illness. He is an advisory committee member for the Drachler Program that educates social work students for Jewish communal service. Charles is married to Janet Garvin, a retired social worker and are the parents of Amy and Tony, who are social workers, and David, who is the director of the Alternatives to Domestic Aggression Program at Catholic Social Services.
Steve Gerber (President)
Steve has brought his infectious energy and humor to JFS as co-chair, with his wife Joyce, of the Friends of the Family campaign since 2002 , and as Honorary Co-Chair for JFS’ 10 Anniversary Big Event. He has generously lent his time and talents to many causes and organizations in the Jewish community, having served on the boards of Hebrew Day School, EMU and U of M Hillel Foundations, the JCC, and the Jewish Federation, where he and Joyce co-chaired Super Sunday for five years. His interests and affinity for community service find him ushering for university and area theatres and festivals, and volunteering as a patient visitor at Hospice of Michigan. He has worked as an electrical engineer for Ford Motor Company for twenty-six years. Steve has been married to Joyce for over 40 years. They have two children and a grandson. He notes that JFS appealed to him as an organization that directly helped people in the community and wants to be a part of a new period of growth for this agency. We welcome his contribution toward that effort.
Phyllis Herzig
Phyllis Herzig is a geriatric social worker, U-M School of Social Work Director of Older Adult Programs, Jewish Community Center of Washtenaw Member of Jewish Family Service Advisory Board since 1993 certified substance abuse counselor, certified employee assistance counselor married, mother of 4 and grandmother of 4 member: Beth Israel Congregation, Hadassah, ORT; past Federation Board member.
Helen Kaplan
Helen moved from Miami, Florida to Ann Arbor in 1992 to attend the University of Michigan. After graduation in 1996 and taking a year off, she returned to the University of Michigan School of Social Work, earning her MSW there. She has been working for the Monroe County Intermediate School District as a school social worker since 1999. Helen and her husband Noah served as co-chairs for the Claire and Isadore Bernstein Leadership Award event in February 2009. Helen and Noah live in Ann Arbor with their two young children.
Leslie Kamil (Vice President)
“I was interested to become a Board member because I totally embrace the principles and mission of the organization.” said Leslie Kamil in 2005 when she joined the board . She brings a wealth of experience as a health professional, an attorney, and volunteer for the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association, American OT Association and former President of Community Housing Alternatives. As a board member, Leslie has connected JFS with other health care organizations within our community – forging new partnerships and exploring new funding opportunities. Her legal and professional experience has already shaped new JFS policies, assured privacy within data systems, and informed accreditation discussions. Leslie serves as a Compliance Officer for the University of Michigan Health System and has been involved in health care for over 35 years. She is married and has 2 dogs.
Syma Kroll
Syma Kroll became a member of Temple Beth Emeth almost forty years ago. She was introduced to issues in the broader Jewish community in 1979, when she served as a member of Syd Bernard's Needs Assessment Survey Committee. She then became involved in many organizations throughout the Jewish community. She was chair of the final UJA Board that guided the community through the restructuring process which merged the Jewish Community Council and the UJA. An organization called The Association resulted and evolved into the current Jewish Federation. Syma was the first chair of the Association's Fundraising Committee. She then chaired Ann Arbor's Jewish Agency Committee, whose purpose was to determine that money raised by UJA was allocated appropriately in Israel. In 1991, she was appointed to an international United Israel Appeal oversight committee, and in 1992 she was appointed to the UIA Board of Trustees. Her relationship with Jewish Family Services began when her elderly mother, always a role model for involvement in Jewish community activities, moved to Ann Arbor from Florida and benefited from JFS services. Subsequently, Syma became a JFS volunteer and then served on the Advisory Committee for 6 years before becoming a board member of the newly incorporated Jewish Family Services. Syma teaches reading privately to differently-learning students. Her husband, Phil, a psychiatrist employed by the VA hospital, also has been involved in Jewish community activities. She has two daughters who were raised in Ann Arbor and three grandchildren.
Judie Lax
Judie Lax joined the JFS in 2006 after forty years in a variety of careers and avocations. Trained as a special education teacher at the University of Michigan, she went on to both teach at the University and chair the Community Mental Health Board. After being a stay at home mom of two boys, Judie rejoined the workforce in non-profit development work. First in the advancement office of Washtenaw Community College, then as Director of Development for the Center for the Education of Women at UM and finally as Director of the Jewish Community Foundation. She has been very active with many local non-profits including the UM Wallenberg Committee, Arbor Hospice, Temple Beth Emeth, and the Ark. She has received a celebration of women award for her volunteer activities and currently consults with non-profit organizations. Judie has been married to Jerry Lax for 38 years and enjoys reading, theater, swimming, and travel.
Susan Sefansky
Susan Sefansky missed her first board meeting in September 2005, but she had a good reason. “I’m heading down to Louisiana to help the Red Cross,” emailed Sue on September 1st. She was stationed at a shelter near Alexandria, Louisiana serving as a Disaster Mental Health Volunteer for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. A few weeks later, JFS began to serve over 150 evacuees who came to Washtenaw County to be near friends, family and a supportive community. Sue started her career at the Detroit JFS and served as the first director of our JFS when it opened in 1993. She served on several other boards and committees including President and board member of Women’s American ORT, a member of the Federation’s Israel and Overseas committee, and the direct services committee for JFS. For the last 20 years, Sue has served as a medical social worker at University Medical Health Center and was adjunct faculty at the U of M School of Social Work and with the Drachler Program. She is married and has two adult children.
Aliza Shevrin
Aliza Shevrin, a former Director of JFS, became a member of the board in 2004. She is also serves on the Executive Board of University of Michigan Musical Society as well as other organizations and is a volunteer at University of Michigan Hospitals. She is the translator of eight novels and children's stories of the great Yiddish writer, Sholem Aleichem, and is currently working on another of his novels. Aliza has been a teacher of Yiddish and lectures on aspects of translating. She and her husband, Howard, a professor of psychoanalysis, have lived in Ann Arbor for over thirty years and have four grown children and seven grandchildren.
Barbara Stark-Nemon
Barbara Stark-Nemon has been an active advisory committee and board member at JFS. Strategic Planning, Board development and improved ment have been particular areas of interest. Barbara previously conducted strategic planning at Beth Israel Congregation and in numerous school and non-profit agencies. She has had a thirty year career in education, mostly as a speech language therapist and teacher consultant for Deaf students in Washtenaw County. Barbara's husband Barry Nemon is an incoming chair of the Jewish Federation Campaign. The Nemons have three sons. Barbara has also served as a board member for the Jewish Federation and Beth Israel Congregation. She looks forward to more productive years working with the dynamic, growing agency that Jewish Family Services has become.
Andrew Rudick
Andrew Rudick brings his sales, financial and organizational skills to the board of JFS. Andy continues his service on the JFS Finance committee providing “out of the box” creative ideas and ways to generate income from non-traditional sources.. As a longstanding leader of the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Washtenaw County, Andy also connects JFS to younger families and individuals in the Jewish community. Andy has a B.A. in Economics from Michigan State University and MBA in International Business Management from Wayne State University.
Beth Hirschfelder Wilensky
Beth Hirschfelder Wilensky joined the board of Jewish Family Services in 2008. She serves on the strategic planning committee and also works with the agency to draw in young families and individuals to the community of JFS supporters. Beth was drawn to JFS's dual focus on assisting families in crisis with their immediate needs and on helping stabilize families over the long term. She is particularly inspired by the new immigrants JFS aids in resettling in Washtenaw County, those who have often left behind everything they know to build a new life in a safe and free country. An attorney by training, Beth now teaches legal analysis and writing at the University of Michigan Law School. Beth lives in Ann Arbor with her husband Jeff and their two young children. Part of her motivation for joining the board was to show her children that even when life gets busy, serving your community is an obligation, not an option.
Israel Woronoff (Emeritus)
Israel Wornoff has served as an advisor and board member of JFS since 1996 sharing his background as a Professor Emeritus of educational psychology at Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Wornoff also serves as senior psychologist at the Orchard Hills Psychiatric Center, Novi and psychologist and case supervisor St. Joseph Hospital Behavioral Services in Ann Arbor. He has also served as a board member of the Jewish Federation from 1987-1993, Vice President for Education at Beth Israel Congregation 1985-1987, and member of the Advisory Board of Anti-Defamation League of Michigan since 1958.
