Anya Abramzon - Executive Director
Anya has been Executive Director of the Jewish Family Services of Ann Arbor since 1997. In 1996, Anya received her Masters degree from the University of Michigan School of Social Work and a certificate in Jewish Communal Work from the Project STaR program (now renamed the Sol Drachler Program). Prior to JFS, Anya worked as a Building Administrator for the Jewish Federation Apartments and Services in Oak Park, Michigan and participated in the establishment of JCare, a home care service for senior adults for the Jewish Federation Apartments and Services. As the Director of Jewish Family Services, Anya has been instrumental in increasing the agency's budget and staff while considerably expanding JFS' scope of services. Anya feels very strongly about the importance of JFS' role and mission in the community. It has been her ultimate desire to see JFS grow bigger and stronger, providing more services to all segments of the community. Anya lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and three children.
Lara Back - AmeriCorp Service Member
Lara graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Sociology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. She joined the JFS staff in September 2009 as the AmeriCorp Service Member. AmeriCorp, also known as the domestic Peace Corp, provides a one-year contract as a JFS staff member. She works mostly in Volunteer Services but also supports the Employment Services and International Services departments of the agency.
Marie Cope - Crisis Management Intake Specialist
Marie Tillema Cope serves as the Intake Social Worker for Crisis Management and Community Services. She acts as the initial responder to prospective clients, conducting in-takes, assessments and determining eligibility to receive services at JFS. She also assigns clients to the appropriate JFS program social worker and identifies other community resources as needed. Marie received her Masters of Social Work and Masters of Public Health from the University of Michigan, with a concentration in Health, Community Organizing, and Health Behavior and Health Education. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Earlham College, with a major in Peace and Global Studies and minor in French. Prior to JFS, Marie worked at the Washtenaw County Public Health Department, as well as a Quaker non-profit outside the city of Philadelphia. She currently lives in Ann Arbor with her husband.
Nina Dmitrieva - New American Program Coordinator for Older Adults
JFS welcomes Nina Dmitrieva as the New American Program Coordinator for Older Adults. Nina has been teaching ESL, Russian as a second language and Communication and Culture for more than 30 years to people of different ages and backgrounds. Besides teaching, Nina did research work in the fields of teenage psychology, linguistics, and methodology of teaching and communication. Nina has her Master's Degree from the Moscow State Pedagogical University and certificates as a Teacher of Russian Language and Culture and Lecturer on Culture and Communication. Since relocating to the USA, Nina continues to teach ESL and Russian as well as counseling adoptive families, helping them navigate the adoption of children from Eastern Europe. Nina and husband Fred Mayer enjoy music, dogs, gardening and cooking.
Rick Finger - CARF Accreditation and Quality Assurance Coordinator
Rick Finger serves as the JFS Accreditation and Quality Assurance Coordinator. He has over 36 years of experience in mental health services, court casework, and general health care administration including licensing and accreditation in such settings as the Washtenaw County Juvenile Court, the Center for Forensic Psychiatry, Ypsilanti Regional Psychiatric Hospital, and the University of Michigan Health System. Rick is coordinating the JFS effort to gain accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from Michigan State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Eastern Michigan University. Rick resides in a small rural community near Ann Arbor with his wife and two sons.
Regina Hunter - Office Assistant and Graphic Design Assistant
Regina Hunter comes to us with prior office experience as well as graphics and layout experience. She attended Washtenaw Community College, majoring in Graphic Design with certification in Video Production. Regina has been instrumental with the layout and design of our materials, advertisements and new program brochures. She spends her off hours keeping up with her daughter and a dog.
Lisa Keefauver - Crisis Management and Community Services Director
Lisa provides case management for individuals and families and program support to families with youth in crisis. She also organizes events related to youth and family issues including the annual Depression Awareness Workshop, JFS Youth in Crisis Conference and Stars of David adoption group activities. Lisa has a Masters of Social Work degree with a concentration in Children and Families from the University of Vermont and four years of field experience. She lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and their daughter Lily.
Abigail Lawrence-Jacobson - Older Adult Services Director
Abigail Lawrence-Jacobson establishes a new position at JFS as the Director of Older Adult Services. Abbie received her M.S.W. and Ph.D. in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan, where she specialized in gerontology and intergenerational programming. Prior to joining JFS, Abbie taught at the U of M School of Social Work, planned the first-ever Michigan Intergenerational Conference, and worked with older adults with early memory loss at the Turner Senior Resource Center. She has published articles in Research on Aging, the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, and the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, and continues to consult on intergenerational programs. Abbie lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and their two sons.
Robin Little - Development Director
Robin Adelson Little has worked in the nonprofit sector for thirty years, most recently at the University of Michigan, where she worked for the Schools of Social Work and Kinesiology, and the Exhibit Museum of Natural History. She has a B.A. in Religion from Trinity College (CT), a Diploma in Social Policy and Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Certificate in Chemical Dependency Studies from Los Angeles Mission College. Robin and her husband Rod, a professor of Biostatistics at U-M, have two adult sons. Robin and Rod are active members of Temple Beth Emeth, singing in the adult choir, Kol Halev.
Merrill Poliner - SPICE Coordinator and Migrant Services
Merrill Poliner joins Jewish Family Services as the coordinator of the SPICE program held at the Jewish Community Center. She recently received her MSW from the University of Michigan where she completed a field placement in medical Social Work and a practicum in clinical psychology with children and mothers exposed to family violence. She also has an MBA from the University of Michigan which she used in her previous career in Computer Information Systems and Finance. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Northwestern University. She is a long time resident of Ann Arbor where she lives with her husband, Robert Lougheed and her two sons, Ben and Oleg (who joined the family via Russia.)
Allison Pollock - Geriatric Social Worker
Allison Pollock, MSW, serves as the JFS Geriatric Social Worker working with seniors and their families. She provides case management, grief and crisis counseling, advocacy, information, referrals, assessments, transportation arrangements, and more. Allison received her Masters in Social Work from Yeshiva University along with a certificate in Jewish Communal Service. She comes to JFS with years of experience working with older adults both locally (through Neighborhood Senior Services) as well as in Toronto and Israel, where she worked with diverse clients including older adults with dementia, family caregivers, immigrants, and nursing home residents. Allison lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and three children.
Lori Preis - JET Employment Specialist
Lori Preis joined the JFS staff in 2009 as the Employment Specialist. Lori has a Bachelors Degree in Communications with a minor in Writing from Eastern Michigan University. Lori came to Jewish Family Services with previous experience working within the non-profit industry in management, program development and employment training. Here at JFS she implements the Jobs, Education and Training Program as well as case management services for all of her clients. When she is not working, Lori spends her time with her husband and daughter.
Deborah Renner - Volunteer Services and Community Outreach Director
Deborah Renner, MSW, serves as the JFS Volunteer Services and Community Outreach Coordinator. She brings her considerable experience as a community volunteer and board member to the work of coordinating volunteers to work directly with clients, support the JFS office, serve on JFS committees and help with events. She also works with individuals and organizations to develop and strengthen community collaborations and partnerships. Deborah received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan in 2008 with a concentration in community organizing and a Certificate in Aging. Her prior background is in survey research management and analysis, and she holds a Master’s in Applied Social Research from the University of Michigan. She lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and daughter. Her son attends the University of Michigan.
Barbara Schreier- English as a Second Language Training Specialist
Barbara grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and received her B.S. in education from Ohio State University. After moving to Michigan and teaching public school for a number of years, Barbara entered the world of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Her connection to the Jewish community has an impressive history. Besides being a past temple president, she began teaching Russian speaking immigrants at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, MI and now contributes her expertise to teaching refugees from all over the world here at the JFS in Ann Arbor. Barbara continues to touch the lives of students and their families years after they graduate from her class. Besides teaching four days a week at the JFS, Barbara finds time to travel, take classes, maintain a community presence and enjoy her six grandchildren. Her three sons are all professionals, with one living in Indiana, one in Ann Arbor and one in Connecticut.
Mira Sussman - Resettlement Services Coordinator
Mira Sussman joined JFS in 2005 as its Case Management Coordinator. She provides clients with assistance in a variety of areas, including employment, training, mental health, social services referrals and other assistance drawing upon her past work with children and families as a social worker, teacher, family educator and youth group advisor. Mira returned to the area after nine years in Los Angeles where she received her B.A. in Jewish Studies from the University of Judaism, as well as a Masters in Social Work from University of Southern California and a Masters in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College. She was born and raised in Ann Arbor, where her family still resides. She lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and children.
Andre Yastchenko - International and Transportation Services Director
Andre has been working as an English Language instructor at Jewish Family Services since 1999. He received a Bachelor's degree in Near Eastern languages at the University of St. Petersburg, Russia, and M.A. in History at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up with his parents speaking one language, Russian, while his grandparents spoke another, Ukrainian, Andre often had a difficult time determining which language was his native tongue. At the age of 8 he began learning English with a tutor. Since then, languages came to occupy a prominent place in Andre's life and professional career. Later, he studied Persian and Arabic languages at the University of St. Petersburg, also taking courses in German and Pushtu. This seemingly exotic experience proved extremely useful during Andre's work at Jewish Family Services where during the past five years he has worked with students from over fifteen different nations. Andre lives in Ann Arbor with his wife.
Elina Zilberberg - Associate Director
Elina Zilberberg was the first employee hired by Anya Abramzon in October of 1997 and currently serves as the JFS Director of Programs and HR. She received a B.S. in Business Administration, with a specialization in Marketing, from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She spent most of her professional career working for Jewish Family Services in Southfield, Michigan as a resettlement case worker and later as a Program Manager in the Volunteer Services Department prior to coming to JFS in Ann Arbor. Elina was born in the former Soviet Union and immigrated to the Detroit area with her parents in 1979. That experience shaped her future and professional interests. She is bilingual, and has many years of experience as a direct-service provider. She has extensive administrative experience working in non-profit social service agencies supervising Career Services, English as Second Language, Migrant Workers Assistance, Transportation and other Programs. Elina commutes from the Detroit area suburb where she lives with her husband and two daughters.
