To accomplish our mission, JCFS Chicago is led by an insightful group of community leaders whose vision, passion and tenacity help guide our organization, in tandem with gifted professionals from diverse backgrounds and education.
The 2022-2023 Board of Directors
Executive Committee
- Chair Michael Capone
- Secretary Todd Grayson
- Treasurer David Lowenthal
- Immediate Past Chair Jennifer Lucas
- Chair Elect Simon Fleischman
- Vice Chair Robert Brimm
- Vice Chair Rachel Ferber
- Vice Chair Marshall Pred
- Vice Chair Victoria Stender
- At-large Executive Committee Member Carol Henriques
- At-large Executive Committee Member Alan Alport
- At-large Executive Committee Member Neil Posner
Board Members
Neil Berg, Robert Brimm, Hillary Coustan, Laura Elkayam, Rachel Ferber, Glenn Ferencz, Robert Ferencz, Stanley Friedell MD, David Greenbaum, Carol Henriques, Mitchell Kaufman, Emily Keith, Jessica Lorber, Gayle Miller, Doug Novack, Rabbi Elisha M. Prero, Liz Roberts Turnipseed, Louis Robinson, Randee Romanoff, Erich Sternberg, Howard Suskin, Adam Tarantur, Barbara Wolf, Jeanette Zemsky; Jill Katlin (Response Advisory Council), Lori Lavin (North Shore Auxiliary)
Honorary Board Members
Pamela K. Adelman, Stephen R. Ballis z"l, David Bardach, Patricia Cantor, Jules Cogan, Robert Don, Judith Feldman, June S. Finder, Marvin Fitch, Bruce Goldman, Marla Gordon, Alan S. Gratch, Ted R. Jadwin, James B. Klutznick, Thomas Korman, H. Debra Levin, Leonard Levine, Fran Levy, Mark Levy, Stanley L. Pollock, Stephen L. Schar, Susan Schulman, Midge P. Shafton, David Smerling, Andi Srulovitz, Jeffrey E. Stone, Don C. Trossman, Marc R. Wilkow, Gregg F. Witt, Brenda J. Wolf
JVS Honorary Directors
James A. Alter, Richard M. Bendix, Jr., Jack R. Bierig, David L. Blumberg, Donald P. Cohen, Seth A. Eisner, Paul L. Epner, Vernon Fox, Janet Jablon, Adrienne Meisel, Ellard Pfaelzer, Jr., James M. Schultz, Jack D. Tovin, Michael R. Treister, M.D.
HIAS Honorary Directors
Albert I. Zemel, Peter B. Sherman, Ralph Ruebner, Randy Felsenthal, Jeffrey Kriezelman, Irena Persky, Azita Mojarad
Business Advisory Committee
Alan Alport, Rick Bendix, John Daniels, Danny Dolgin, Susan Duman, Robert Ferencz, Andrew Glick, Cheri Grossman, Marc Jacobs, Adrienne Meisel, Michael Season, Martin Smith, Michael Treister
JCFS Chicago Staff Leadership
The professionals at JCFS Chicago possess diverse backgrounds and education, bring a myriad set of skills and interests to their roles, and are located throughout JCFS offices. Our employees are social workers, psychologists, counselors, special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, early childhood and infant mental health specialists, career counselors and more. Behind the scenes, finance, human resources, administration and other staff round out our team. Yet, for all these differences, they share a single, common goal: To deliver JCFS Chicago services and programs to thousands of adults, children, families, students and volunteers from throughout the community.

Stacey Shor, President and Chief Executive Officer
Stacey has been a member of the JCFS Chicago staff for more than 20 years. Most recently, Stacey served as Chief Operating Officer. She previously served as Chief Development Officer with responsibility for grants, individual giving, events, volunteers and marketing. She also served as the coordinator of volunteers and as a group home childcare worker. Stacey began her career at The Cambodian Associations of Chicago teaching GED and ESL classes, providing court advocacy, outreach and gang intervention. During her tenure at the YMCA of the USA, she coordinated a nation-wide youth worker training and retention program and served as a consultant for youth volunteerism. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Alliance/University of Michigan Executive Leadership Institute. She completed her MBA with a focus in Non-Profit Management from National Louis University.

Vincent Everson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Judd Holzman, Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Judd oversees fundraising for JCFS Chicago and is passionate about human services, social justice, and Jewish communal services. Prior to joining the organization, he spent over a decade scaling philanthropic programs at multifaceted organizations. Judd served as the Director of Advancement for the Chicago Region of the American Jewish Committee and was the Director of Philanthropic Leadership for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. He also served as the Executive Director of Link Community Development USA, the US division of a global organization working to improve education for children in Africa. For this work, he received the Charles C. Stewart International Humanitarian Award. Judd obtained his Master’s in Anthropology & Development Studies from the London School of Economics and his Bachelor’s in Religious Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also studied religion at the University of Oxford as a year-long Visiting Student.

Kameka Love, Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer
Kameka most recently was the Sr. Director of Human Resources for Chicago Zoological Society. There, Kameka oversaw the labor and management relationship and proper execution of the collective bargaining agreement, ensured federal, state and local legal compliance, Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, addressed employee relations matters, managed a portion of the Human Resources team and partnerships with executive leadership to provide strategic guidance. Prior to joining Chicago Zoological Society, Kameka worked at HealthSpring (now Cigna) where she assisted legal on the personnel side with mergers and acquisitions that expanded over multiple states, oversaw HR compliance, and worked closely with internal regulatory executives. A certified mediator, Kameka has an extensive HR background working in healthcare and staffing. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology with a minor in African American Studies, Masters of Business Administration and a PHR certification.

Marlies Gramann, MA CCC-SLP, Vice President of Disability Services and Chief Program Officer
Marlies has been with JCFS Chicago for over 20 years and currently serves as the Chief Program Officer, focused on keeping all programs connected with one another, while ensuring that our services remain central to all agency strategic decisions. In addition, Marlies oversees all disabilities services across the agency, including pediatric therapies, residential supports and recreation and customized employment. Also under her leadership is new program development to further broaden and strengthen support for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Prior to this role, she was the director of outpatient services overseeing pediatric therapies, psychological testing and evaluation, and counseling.
Trained in the treatment assessment of children and adults with autism and related disabilities through use of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, her continuing education includes topics such as Floortime, TEACCH, the Kaufman Intervention, Sensory Integration, feeding therapies, the Impact of Gastrointestinal Disorders and Nutrition in people with special needs and Augmentative Communication Systems. Supervision of multidisciplinary teams and coordinated care is an expertise she continues to use within the agency. Most recently, Marlies has engaged in multiple experiences and training to further embed inclusion practices into the agency while also demonstrating community building as a regular aspect of the work of JCFS staff. She received her B.S. in Neurobiology and Communication Disorders and her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Cincinnati.

Kathleen Gerhold, Associate Vice President of Programs and Operations
Kathleen is responsible for overall strategy, program development and execution of plans for career services, citizenship and immigration services, and other workforce development initiatives, and facilitates agency projects to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. She is passionate about finding meaningful employment for people with disabilities, and since starting at JCFS Chicago in 2016 has overseen career and employment services, business services that connect clients to employers and the Business Advisory Council. Prior to JCFS, Kathleen worked at the Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities, leading their residential department as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, and has consulted nationally with The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) on best practices in providing human services. Kathleen holds a B.S. in Special Education from Indiana University Bloomington, and a M.A. in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern. She was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya, East Africa teaching in schools for the Deaf.

Genève Hein, PhD, LCPC, Associate Vice President, Emotional Well-Being
Genève holds a PhD in International Psychology with an Organization and Systems concentration. Her clinical focus has been rooted in trauma-informed care and she is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She comes to JCFS Chicago from Lakeshore Hospital where she served as Director of Clinical Services overseeing inpatient and outpatient services. Prior to that position she was Director of Therapy and Case Management for Maryville Academy, Scott Nolan Hospital. In her current role, Genève has oversight of the therapeutic day school (Knapp School & Yeshiva), counseling and psychological services for children, adults, teens and families; child welfare services, and programs for the Jewish community.

Sandra Crasko, Assistant Vice President, Quality, Accreditation, and Compliance
Sandee has spent her professional life in healthcare and human services, focusing on Quality Improvement, Accreditation and Compliance in a variety of settings and with numerous accrediting and regulatory bodies. Having served as Vice President for Home and Community-Based Services at a local senior service agency, she has a deep appreciation for working with staff across locations, shifts and the challenges of engagement and compliance without direct contact. Prior to that, Sandee spent years in program administration at CJE SeniorLife, giving her a strong understanding of the affiliated environment in the Jewish Federation. Sandee holds a Master's degree in public health, and brings significant experience in evidence-based practices, outcomes, and articulating impact in communities.

Pam Austin, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
Pam joins JCFS Chicago with over 20 years of non-profit marketing and communications experience. She previously served as the Director of Creative Services and the Senior Director of Communications and Special Events at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI). In the latter role, Pam oversaw the creative development, communications, and branding at LSSI. As part of a fundraising team, but always with an eye on marketing, the focus on brand identity, consistent messaging, along with strategic communications allowed Pam to shape the public view of LSSI. She also served on the board of Carlson Community Services, a non-profit providing after-school programming for children in at-risk Chicago neighborhoods. Pam holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University.

Craig Nakamoto, Director of IT Services
Craig has held several positions with JCFS Chicago, but he currently focuses on shaping the agency’s vision and implementation of its technology to gain maximum effectiveness, efficiency and agility. He has also worked with other businesses and nonprofit organizations to optimize, expand and modernize their technology environments.
Prior to joining JCFS Chicago, Craig managed networked computing for the Galvin Library at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is also a recovering Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Craig’s volunteer work includes coordination of several user groups and forums relating to software, computing, cloud technology and their use in the public/not-for-profit sectors. Previously he has provided services and expertise to local arts, music and literary organizations. Craig holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Illinois.

Dana Rhodes, Director of Strategy, Planning and Grants
For 25 years, Dana has worked in the Chicago Jewish community in the areas of resource development, strategic planning and program development. Prior to coming to JCFS, Dana served as Assistant Vice President of Grants and Community Services at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. She earned her MSW and Certificate in Jewish Communal Service from the University of Michigan and BA from the University of Illinois.