Board of Directors

CHAIR

Leanna Harris has worked as an educational consultant since 1999, partnering with teachers and schools from around the country to improve instruction and student achievement. Before joining Diane Sweeney Consulting in 2014, she was a staff developer with the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC), and then a school-based instructional coach across grades K-12. Leanna is the co-author of several books, including The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching (Corwin, 2020), and Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (Corwin, 2016).

Leanna has an MA in Education from the University of Colorado at Denver and an undergraduate degree in Theology from Georgetown University. She also has a Certificate in Sustainability Leadership and Implementation from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver--environmental sustainability being her passion when not thinking and learning about kids, teachers, and schools.

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR/BUDGET FINANCE CHAIR

Aaron Hyatt is a Shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, and the former chair of the firm’s Real Estate Department. His work covers the lifecycle of complex and high-profile real estate transactions: acquisition, due diligence, financing, development, leasing and disposition of real estate across the asset class, including apartment, office, industrial, hotel, retail, casino and mixed-use.

In 2015 Aaron was named a 40 Under 40 honoree from the Denver Business Journal. He previously served as board member at the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education, and he is Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors of Mental Health Colorado. Aaron is the recipient of the Yana Vishnitsky Leadership Award, presented at the 2019 Faces of JFS event, co-chaired by Aaron’s wife, Niah.

Aaron was a College Scholar at Middlebury College and received his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School in 2001. Aaron and Niah’s two sons attend Denver Public Schools.

PRESIDENT & CEO

Since joining Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) as its President & CEO in November 2018, Linda has applied her vision, passion, and experience leading JFS through program optimization, pursuing new service opportunities, and an over $6M 150th Anniversary campaign. During COVID-19, Linda guided JFS in quickly adapting and transforming its programs and services to best meet the changing needs of the community. She relocated to Denver from the Chicago area, where she served as CEO & Head of School at Solomon Schechter Day School for nine years and the school’s Executive Director for four and a half years prior to that. She has deep Colorado connections and owns a home in Steamboat.

Linda has been a leader of both nonprofit and for-profit organizations and business units in a variety of industries, ensuring mission fulfillment and sound financial viability. She currently serves on the Denver Nonprofit Engagement Commission and Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She has extensive organizational, operational, and management experience, and has successfully led capital campaigns, endowment growth, and donor cultivation and stewardship efforts. Linda earned a BA degree from Wellesley College and has participated in the Kellogg School of Management Center for Non-Profit Management at Northwestern University.

“I am truly honored and humbled to lead this incredible and impactful organization and to have the opportunity to work with our committed stakeholders. JFS’s mission and core values bring together so much of what is important to me, both personally and professionally. I feel fortunate to know and work with JFS’s incredible staff, Board, donors, volunteers, and partners in building and strengthening our impact.”

SECRETARY

Dr. Gilad S. Gordon is the president of ORRA Group, LLC, a healthcare consulting company specializing in clinical development of novel therapeutics. As a physician, board certified in internal medicine, his career has primarily focused on conducting applied medical research within the private sector. Dr. Gordon has more than 30 years of experience designing and implementing clinical trials leading to the approval of new drug and vaccine candidates. He has focused on the clinical development of new therapies, devices, and diagnostics for the treatment of disease and has worked as both a consultant and as a senior executive at a number of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. In addition, he has extensive expertise in medical information systems, health economics, and health policy, and has consulted to a number of Colorado state policy makers on health policy.

Dr. Gordon, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Caring for Colorado Foundation from 2008-2016 (Chairman from 2015-2016) and is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, DC.

Dr. Gordon graduated from Harvard College, followed by Harvard Medical School and then received his MBA from the University of Washington. He has lived in Boulder since 1991, has three grown boys, and currently belongs to both Congregation Bonai Shalom in Boulder and to Congregation Bnai Vail in Vail.

DEVELOPMENT CHAIR

Carl Rossow has spent his career in developing companies that provide strategic counsel to political leaders, advocacy organizations, nonprofits and corporations, on how to connect, persuade and activate their audiences. Carl has founded four companies in the strategic polling and market research space and is currently the co-founder and CEO of Benenson Strategy Group (BSG). With over 25 years in this space, Carl has been a part of three successful U.S. presidential races, including Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, 12 premiers and presidents around the globe, and more than 5,000 corporate and advocacy and nonprofit clients. Carl was named one of the top 25 most influential young professionals under the age of 40 in Colorado in 2010.

Carl was a founding board member of the former National Foundation for Fertility Research, a member of the development board for The Joseph School in Haiti and a former executive board member of Jewish Colorado. In 2012, BSG and Carl were named “Partner of the Year" by Jewish Colorado for the firm’s work helping the former Allied Jewish Federation re-imagine its future. He continues to be very active with organizations throughout the Denver area by providing pro-bono counsel and services.

Originally from Newton, MA and having graduated from the University of Massachusetts, although in Denver since 1997, he is unwavering in his support of his Boston sport teams; GO PATS! Carl and his wife, Cindy, have two children, Hannah and Jake.

GOVERNANCE CHAIR

Dr. Heidi Wald is the Chief Quality and Safety Officer at Intermountain Healthcare. She is responsible for supporting the operational quality and safety work across three markets, including 33 hospitals and greater than 400 ambulatory sites in an enterprise-wide approach. Previously, Heidi served in the same role at SCL Health. Prior to joining SCL Health, Dr. Wald was an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Health Care Policy Research at the University of Colorado (CU) School of Medicine where she was a faculty member between 2007 and 2018. She has authored over 60 peer reviewed articles on patient safety and quality of the older adult population in hospitals and nursing homes. She served as the Department of Medicine’s Vice Chair for Quality from 2011-2016.

Heidi is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine, a NRSA Primary Care Research Fellowship, and an MSPH at the University of Colorado Denver. Dr. Wald was a 2009 Atlantic Philanthropies Health and Aging Policy Fellow. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine.

Jonathan Alpert is a partner at Westfield Company, Inc and has been with the company since 2015. While at Westfield, Jonathan helped create Stanley Marketplace, North Wynkoop, Mission Ballroom, as well as S*Park. S*Park is a sustainable condo community in RiNo (River North Arts District) with an on-site urban farm, greenhouse and retail including world class restaurant operator, Uchi. Born and raised in Denver, Jonathan has always had a passion for building innovative urban apartments, for-sale residences, and commercial/mixed-use projects. He has generated over $400 million in asset value and participated in the construction of more than 2 million square feet of commercial space over the span of his real estate career. Also in that time span, Jonathan has been involved in the sale/development of several thousand residential lots and master planning of several thousand acres of new communities throughout Metro Denver.

Looking forward, Westfield has another 500 units in development projects in the pipeline in Aurora, Castle Pines and Denver.

Jonathan received a B.B.A. in Marketing and Operations Management from Emory University and is on the Board of the Blue Sky Fund, Jewish Family Service, and Series Fest.

Mike is an auto broker at Centennial Leasing & Sales in Englewood Colorado. He joined Centennial in 2000 and has a passion for helping people in the sale or lease of autos and trucks. Centennial is like a second family to him as they are a group of people that care about what they do.

Personally, Mike grew up in Littleton and is currently residing in Greenwood Village- four short miles from where he grew up.

He began his involvement with JFS as a table sponsor at the JFS Executive Luncheon and has since served on the Executive Luncheon Committee. He currently serves on the Development committee and joined the Board of Directors in 2017.

JFS is an organization that believes in their work and Mike is proud to be a part of it.

Elise A. Barish is an experienced community leader with over fifteen years of non-profit board and committee work. She currently serves on the board of the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), the Philanthropic Services Committee at Rose Community Foundation, and the regional board of the ADL. She is an alum of the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) Society Fellowship and currently serves on the JDC Welcome Committee. She has volunteered at the JFS food pantry and participated on the JFS taskforce to redesign its disabilities services.

In 2012, Elise initiated and chaired the Inaugural Wings of Hope for Melanoma Gala in Denver and has been an active gala committee member since. Ten years later, the annual gala continues to generate significant funds to support the work of the MRF as well as educate the Denver community about the importance of sun protection and early detection in the fight against melanoma. Elise received a Leadership Award from the MRF in September 2021 to recognize her work.

Elise and her husband have four college-age children. Prior to leaving the workforce to raise them, Elise worked as an Equity Analyst in Denver and New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her MBA from Columbia University.

Derek Conn is the co-founder of ZS Capital Partners, a forward-thinking real estate investment and development firm based in Denver, CO. ZS is focused on acquiring and improving assets across the front range of Colorado with business plans that demonstrate the ability to deliver outsized returns for its investors. Prior to founding ZS, he was an executive vice president and partner at Etkin Johnson Real Estate Partners responsible for all capital markets activity. His tenure with Etkin Johnson culminated in the complete disposition of assets and associated wind down of the organization in 2021.

Derek is active in multiple real estate organizations including NAIOP and ULI and was recognized in 2018 as one of Colorado’s Top 25 Young Professionals by ColoradoBiz magazine. He was born and raised in Denver and attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Derek and his wife Megan are raising two fifth-generation Colorado natives, Devon and Cameron.

Jason Cooper is a founder and principal of Iris Companies, a Denver real estate investment, property management and construction company. He serves as its Chief Financial Officer. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Jason holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is also licensed in Colorado as both a Certified Public Accountant and a real estate broker.

Over the past several years, Jason has served on numerous nonprofit boards and he has held various leadership positions as part of his board service.

Stacey Aviva is currently the Director of Education and Community Engagement for the Jewish Federations of North America's (JFNA) Jewish, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative (JEDI). Stacey has a BA in Political Science from the University of Cincinnati, a Masters of Urban Planning and Public Policy for UIC (CHICAGO), and Certificates in Jewish Leadership and Jewish Education from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Stacey Aviva began her career as the Policy Director for Chicago’s Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) advocating for housing reform, criminal justice, and Jewish/African-American dialogue. Stacey went on to specialize in Economic Development as Senior Director of Real Estate Development for Affordable Housing, Mixed-Use Spaces, Brownfield Redevelopment, and New Market Tax Credit financing.

Stacey Aviva serves on the board of the MOED network of Jewish Federations of North America (to promote belonging and leadership for Jews of Color), Jewish Family Service of Colorado, Jewish Life Committee member of the Rose Community Foundation, and Alliance4Israel, and is a current Executive Leadership fellow with the Mandel Institute. She nurtures a college student, high school senior, and her 95-year-old grandmother.

Amanda Smith Greenberg is a commercial real estate and land use planning attorney, wife, mom, and alpine ski racing coach. As a Shareholder at Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff + Ragonetti, Amanda represents clients in sophisticated purchase, sale, and development transactions, including mixed-use projects, industrial developments, large scale residential developments, office buildings, hotels, shopping centers, and sports and entertainment stadiums and venues. Her work includes a full spectrum of services from site identification, negotiating purchase agreements and long-term ground leases, to working with regulatory bodies to obtain permits and approvals.

Inspired by a tour of the Weinberg Food Pantry in 2013, Amanda served on the Executive Luncheon Committee for the first time in 2014, and shortly thereafter joined and still serves on the JFS Development Committee. Amanda was on the Board of Directors and Strategic Planning Committee for Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado for eight years, is a graduate of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation Leadership Denver Program, and the Anti-Defamation League Partners-in-Leadership Institute. She also served on the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado’s Denver Area Campaign Committee.

Amanda grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, obtained a B.A. in Government with a Certificate of concentration in Latin American Studies from Cornell University, and her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Amanda is a weekend coach for Team Discovery at Winter Park Resort Competition Center. Amanda and her husband, Matt, are members of Congregation Beth Evergreen. Their young son attends Jefferson County Public Schools.

Steve Gross is currently a Senior Director in Institutional Advancement and Planned Giving & Endowments at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) for the past 10 years. He brings a broad range of development and financial services experience to nonprofit boards and is no stranger to Jewish Family Services. Steve was the past Treasurer then President of JFS of Greenwich, CT and recently moved to Fort Collins. He worked at various commercial and investment banks giving him the opportunity to acquire a wide-ranging knowledge of Wall Street and its financial markets both in the public and private sectors.

Prior to joining JFNA, Steve worked at Save the Children in their philanthropic services group dealing with private banks, donor advised funds, and diaspora giving. A native New Yorker, Steve completed an executive leadership program at Columbia University’s Institute for Not-for-Profit Management, received his MBA in finance from Adelphi University, and a BA in psychology from Binghamton University. He has been active in the community as an elected official for his district, served on several nonprofit and town boards, and is also immediate past board president for a nonprofit human services foundation which he helped establish.

Charles Gwirtsman has approximately 35 years of experience in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, buyouts and corporate finance. Since 1996, Gwirtsman has been a Co-Founder and Managing Director at KRG Capital Partners, a private equity firm.. Gwirtsman has served as a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee since its inception and as a lead Managing Director, Chairman served as a member of the Board of Directors for many of its portfolio companies. Since 2021, Mr. Gwirtsman and a partner have been acquiring private companies using a leveraged buyout structure.

Mr. Gwirtsman serves on the boards of four not-for-profits, including JFS, National Jewish Health and two Israeli not-for-profits..

Mr. Gwirtsman earned an MBA degree in Finance from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University.

Karyn Huberman has over 20 years of consumer marketing and brand management experience across various industries in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Currently, she serves as the director of marketing and communications at Graland Country Day School in Denver, where she leads the marketing communications team, spearheads strategic projects, and is a member of the administrative team.

Before joining Graland, Karyn held leadership roles at WOW! Internet, Cable, Phone, Quiznos, and Clorox. Her consumer marketing experience encompasses developing advertising campaigns, franchise sales marketing, new product development, and brand management.

Karyn earned an MBA in Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania. As a graduate of the Leadership Ascent program, and the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation's

Leadership Denver program, Karyn is committed to community engagement and leadership development.

Karyn is excited to continue her involvement with Jewish Family Services, having served on the

Family Concert Experience Committee and the Marketing Sub-Committee of the Board. She has also facilitated Graland students' volunteer efforts at the Weinberg food pantry. A Los Angeles native, Karyn has called Colorado home since 2003, and she enjoys skiing, running, hiking, paddleboarding.

She resides in Denver with her husband, David, their two teenage children, and their golden retriever, Zoe.

John Keith is a retired home building industry executive.

Over the last 15 years John has added value for numerous not-for-profit organizations as a board member, volunteer and supporter. In addition to his 9 years serving on the JFS Board, John has served on the boards of New Hampshire Public Radio, the Home Builder’s Foundation, Colorado Uplift and Global Access 2030.

John and his wife Leah founded and run Shine On Rwanda, a not-for-profit that distributes solar lights to energy impoverished communities in Rwanda.

Rabbi Rachel Kobrin moved to Denver in 2018 to become the spiritual leader of Congregation Rodef Shalom.

A native of Rochester, NY, Rabbi Kobrin attended the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University in Los Angeles where she received her rabbinic ordination and Master of Arts in Rabbinic Studies, as well as the USCJ award for congregational leadership in 2009. Rabbi Kobrin is active in many aspects of Jewish life and thought, including as a CLAL Rabbis Without Borders Fellow, and a contributing writer for the Denver Post, MyJewishlearning.com, huffingtonpost.com, TimesofIsrael.com, and God: Jewish Choices for Struggling with the Ultimate. She has been a scholar-in-residence and teacher at conferences and retreats throughout the country, and is often invited to speak at rallies and gatherings for social justice. Rabbi Kobrin serves on the board of Faith Forward, combining political and social activism with interfaith work.

Prior to moving to Denver, Rabbi Kobrin was the Rabbi at Congregation Adath Jeshurun in Elkins Park, PA, and the Associate Rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim (CAA) in Austin, TX. Rabbi Kobrin has a passion for serving people of all ages and bringing the joy and meaning of our 3,500-year-old tradition to the modern world.

José E. Madrid is an associate attorney in the Denver office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Mr. Madrid earned his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as an Articles Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. Prior to law school, he served as a litigation manager for a university’s office of general counsel. Mr. Madrid graduated cum laude and class marshal from Georgetown University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Georgetown College and a minor in Latin American Studies from the Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Madrid served as a law clerk for the Honorable Justice Monica M. Márquez of the Colorado Supreme Court and the Honorable Laura A. Cordero of the District of Columbia Superior Court.

Mr. Madrid keeps an active pro bono practice representing victims of sexual assault in immigration cases and asylum petitions. He has previously served on the Board of the Cristo Rey Network with the mission to open high schools that provide college preparatory education to low-income students in major metropolitan cities throughout the country.

He is also involved in the community and serves as a mentor for first-generation aspiring law students through the program Law School Yes We Can.

Nneka McPhee has more than 16 years of experience in resource development and non-profit management. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff & Strategic Initiatives for Americans for Ben-Gurion University, or A4BGU. A4BGU raises awareness and philanthropic support for an innovative and inclusive university in the South of Israel. Nneka's prior roles have included Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff for JEWISHcolorado.

Born and raised in Denver, Nneka is passionate about her community. She is the co-founder of the Sisterhood of Philanthropists Impacting Needs, a giving circle of African American women, held at the Women's Foundation of Colorado, who pool their resources to affect change for marginalized women and girls. Nneka is also the current Board Chair for the Colorado High School Charter and the Treasurer/Secretary for Lincoln Hills Cares.

Nneka is a 2017 graduate of Leadership Denver and a 2013 graduate of Chamber Connect, a program of the Urban Leadership Foundation. She holds a BS in Marketing from Metropolitan State University and has four children.

Marty was born in Winnipeg, Canada. His work as a health care actuary brought him to Denver 35 years ago and he now lives in Lone Tree. He is married to his wife Melissa and has four children—Adam, Leora, Micah, and Aaron.

Marty enjoys traveling, being a member of AIPAC, reading, and long walks.

Ron Sherman is a retired Computer Systems Engineer, last employed at Charter/Spectrum. He has an extensive background working in the IT/Telecom sectors. Ron is known as a computer pioneer since he was part of the team that introduced the IBM PC to executives at the Mountain Bell Telephone Company. He also set up the first link at U S West, allowing employees to exchange e-mails with people outside of the company.

He has written and published Messaging Related articles for various Industry Trade magazines and was a panel speaker for EMA (Electronic Messaging Association). He has also worked for the non-profit organization “Rocky Mountain Wild,” where he created the first GIS-Map database of all parks around the country, and identified areas where there is a lack of parks.

Ron has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer/Business from the University of Colorado at Denver. While attending CU, he was a co-founder and president of a Hillel Chapter on the then new Auraria campus. He is also a graduate of the Dale Carnegie School of Management, and he holds several IT certifications.

In his spare time, Ron enjoys researching Colorado history. He has published articles on the History of Denver’s Montclair and Park Hill neighborhoods. He enjoys International Folk Dancing and specializes in Israeli dancing, where he has also been a performer and teacher. Since the Pandemic, he also participates in many virtual sessions across the world.

Ron first became familiar with JFS many years ago attending Sunday School at Temple Emanuel, where the classes would have canned food drives. Personally, Ron also was a recipient of JFS’s services. When his job at IBM was outsourced to India, he had to create a resume for the first time in 40 years! Heather Seiden from JFS was extremely helpful in assisting him with this and helping to identify companies looking for employees, in which Charter was one of them. To show his extreme appreciation to JFS, he has graciously obtained a couple of sizeable corporate grants for JFS from Charter.

Ron is married, and his wife just retired after working 35 years as an Auditor for the Feds. He has a son who recently graduated from CU-Denver, and now has a great job working as a Civil Engineer.

Fran has had her own business, Simon Analytics, for over 20 years. She conducts market research and data analysis for businesses, non-profits, political organizations, and foundations. She has performed research and analysis for numerous Jewish organizations including JFS for whom she analyzed data from the Greater Denver Jewish Community Survey on economically vulnerable Jewish people. Fran is also among the foremost researchers on LGBTQ+-related issues.

Tikkun olam (our responsibility to help heal the world) is very important to Fran; she currently serves on the Board of Shalom Park, The Colorado State Public Defender Commission, the Denver Waldorf School Parent Council, and the Board of the Colorado Wildfire (her senior women’s softball club). She and her family are also very active with Judaism Your Way.

Fran graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University while double majoring in sociology and social relations and received her M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University while in the Ph.D. program. Fran lives with her wife Anna and their teenage son Jeremy. Fran and Anna testified many times at the state legislature for civil unions and were honored as the first couple to receive a civil union in Colorado as well as the first same-sex couple to get married in Denver.

Victor L. Sulzer is a partner in the law firm Tschetter Sulzer. Vic has been associated with the Firm for more than 20 years. TS is a landlord/tenant law firm.

The eldest of three siblings, Vic grew up in Denver attending Park Hill Elementary, Smiley Junior High, and East Denver High School. Vic is an honors graduate of Middlebury College where he majored in Economics. After college and prior to graduate school, Vic lived in New York City where he worked for a marketing consulting firm. He received his law degree from the University of Denver in 1994.

Vic participates in numerous professional, civic, charitable, and political activities. He currently serves a Board member of the Apartment Association of Southern Colorado. Vic is actively involved with the Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association and received the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award for his work with RMDSA.

Competitive by nature, he is a dedicated sports enthusiast. Vic skis, golfs, bird hunts, fishes, and participates in the team sports of ice hockey and softball. Vic and his wife Wendy live in Denver.

DeJon Thompson is a dedicated advocate for community engagement, driven by a commitment to create and maintain positive energy in his life while giving back to others.

DeJon's inspiring work with the Employment Services Team and passion for service have given him valuable insight and enthusiasm to succeed as a member of JFS's board, as well as to create meaningful change.

Sam Zaitz is an executive vice president at Jones Lang La Salle and the head of retail brokerage in the Rocky Mountain region. In 2015, Sam joined the JFS Development Committee and has invested hundreds of hours and resources to JFS. He has served on the Executive Luncheon Committee and was a co-chair of the 2015 event. He was recently honored with the Yana Vishnitsky Leadership Award at the 2017 Faces of JFS event.

Sam brings a youthful energy and has introduced the life-transforming work of JFS to a new generation. He is married to Stephanie and they have three children—Zach, Chloe, and Penelope.