BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Scott grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and settled in Atlanta 8 years ago. He joined AT&T a few months after college through a leadership development program, and spent 3 years managing AT&T retail stores in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. He has worked in AT&T’s Digital organization since 2012 and currently manages a group of complex program managers. He is also in the process of getting his MBA from Kennesaw State. He met his wife Sarah at work in 2014 and they got married in 2016. Together they have a cat that he’s allergic to -- but was a package deal with Sarah. They also welcomed their first child in February 2019!

Why JFF? 

Soon after their wedding, Sarah and Scott discovered they had about a 5% chance of conceiving. In 2017, it seemed that every month they would get another call from the doctor sharing another complication preventing them from having a child. They tried a round of IVF but did not have any viable embryos. They eventually decided to use an egg donor, and luckily it only took one transfer to get pregnant! Going through this experience (during their first year of marriage no less) was complex, emotionally and financially taxing, and at times they most certainly wanted to give up. In discovering they weren’t alone and learning more about the world of infertility, it was a relief in some ways to discover that what they were going through was more common than they thought. 

Looking back, had they engaged a foundation like JFF earlier on where they could interact with similar people, have conversations about how they felt and learned earlier in the process, Scott thinks they would have been better prepared to go through the emotional ups and downs. His desire to join JFF is driven primarily by the desire to help others know they aren’t alone in this process: it is scary, confusing and discouraging at times, but those are normal reactions and there is help out there. Additionally, knowing the financial sacrifices people make to have a baby has compelled him even more. While the infertility journey will always be difficult, Scott wants to help people based on what he has learned through his own experience, and the JFF is a great way to accomplish this goal. 

Vicki is an Atlanta native who graduated with honors from Emory University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. A former certified public accountant, Vicki practiced tax accounting with Williams Benator & Libby, CPA’s for more than a decade, prior to assuming responsibilities for managing the financial affairs of her family’s office.

Vicki, along with her husband of 35 years, Gerry, are the proud parents of a 25 year old daughter (Elyse), a recent Emory Nursing School graduate, and a 23 year old son (Erik), a Syracuse University Newhouse School of Communications Film, Radio and Television graduate. Vicki enjoys traveling, reading, spending time with family, and taking daily walks with her 2 year old golden-doodle, Sayde.

Vicki has served on the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the Anti-Defamation League, along with The Epstein Solomon Schechter School of Atlanta, where she also served as the School’s Treasurer for more than six years. Vicki is a past recipient of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s “People Power” Award for her contributions in establishing and chairing the Epstein’s School Chesed Committee for many years. Vicki has been active in a wide variety of local community organizations focused on Jewish Philanthropy, Education, Pet Rescue, and Child Safety Advocacy.

WHY JFF?

Vicki wanted to work with JFF because she went through 5 long years of infertility while trying to get pregnant with her daughter.  At the time, she felt no one else had the problems she was having and she felt all alone in the world. Vicki didn’t want anyone else to go through what she did on their own and was relieved to see that JFF existed to support individuals and couples going through what she did both financially and emotionally.  

Debbie is a commercial Interior Designer working on a wide variety of project types: corporate, retail, restaurant and medical, as well as residential kitchen and bath renovations. Her clients include non-profits such as the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Jewish Family and Career Services, Jewish schools and synagogues. One of her most meaningful projects was the design of the new women’s mikvah on the Congregation Beth Tefillah campus, as her commitment to this mitzvah includes years of volunteering as a mikvah attendant. Other community service positions include the board of her professional organization, and leadership roles at her synagogue and childrens’ schools. 

Holding degrees in Psychology, Art, and Architectural Interior Design, Debbie possesses creative, analytical and empathetic skills. She has contributed blog posts and articles to Bechol Lashon (an organization for Jewish children of various ethnic backgrounds) and Nishei magazine (a Jewish women’s publication), and has excellent communication skills. In addition, she has produced a series of essays chronicling her journey through the worlds of fertility treatment and adoption. In addition to her career in design, Debbie has worked for a political consulting firm and as an aide to a New York City Councilman, researching issues and preparing press releases, and with a Georgia State University professor to develop a website with resources for parents in Georgia. Debbie has also written an essay that is available on the website for the Eden Center in Israel. 

Debbie and her husband, Barry Rabinowitz (a third generation Atlanta native) reside in Sandy Springs with their two teenage children.

WHY JFF?

My personal six year journey through fertility treatment was very difficult emotionally, physically, financially and spiritually. Thank G-d, in the end I was blessed with two amazing kids through adoption. I joined JFF so that other Jewish couples wouldn't feel as isolated and lost while dealing with all the challenges of infertility, and to help create a more supportive community.

Neal has an extensive real estate law background and a growing government relations practice. A 25-year veteran of the Atlanta legal industry, his real estate practice covers the sale and leasing of, and the making of loans on, all types of commercial properties. Dodell has served as in-house counsel for life insurance companies, including MetLife and ING.

His government relations practice has so far dealt with education and foster care issues on behalf of clients.

He served on the Advisory Committee of the Georgia Literacy Commission, and continues to work for literacy improvement and education reform in our state.

Neal was a long-time member of the Jewish Community Relations Council. His work with JCRC led to the revitalization of  the Cabbagetown community in downtown Atlanta, and to legal immigrants in Georgia obtaining public benefits. Before beginning his legal career, Neal worked for United Jewish Appeal in New England and for B’nai B’rith in New York City.

He is a resident of Roswell and has been married to his wife, Roslyn, a trust and estates lawyer, for 35 years. They have two daughters. 

WHY JFF?

Neal’s reason for involvement in Jewish Fertility Foundation stems from a desire to give back to, and to help grow, the Jewish community, arising  in part from his own family’s fertility struggles. His legal background can hopefully bring value to the JFF’s procedures, its future growth and the populations it serves.

He is particularly proud to be a part of an organization that makes needed services relating to all aspects of infertility accessible to the Jewish community and beyond.

Elie Engler was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2005, he decided to move down to Atlanta to be closer to family.  He currently works as a financial professional at Ashford Advisors. 

WHY JFF?

Elie has worked closely with clients who have struggled with the financial burden of fertility treatments.  It is a struggle he is all too familiar with.  He and his wife Elisheva underwent various IUI and IVF cycles and have been blessed with three children.

Elisheva was born and raised in sunny Southern California.  She attended Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and graduated with a double Bachelor's degree. After graduating, she migrated south to Atlanta to be closer to family.  For two years, she worked in the Event Management industry in the medical sector and then worked as the General Manager for a Kosher catering company for four years.  She now works part time for a law firm specializing in fertility and surrogacy.

WHY JFF?

Having a family was always top priority but after suffering from their own fertility issues, Elisheva and her husband Elie had to undergo multiple IUI and IVF cycles.  They have been blessed with three beautiful children through IVF. Elisheva is very passionate about helping others undergoing fertility struggles having experienced the hardship herself.  She has provided one-on-one support to couples in the same situation and is excited to be on the JFF Board to be able to impact others and help bring babies into their lives.

Shelley is a talented consultant specializing in executive coaching, training, assessments, and high performance teaming. Her company, Gee Wiz, LLC works with a wide range of clients including Fortune 100 companies, non-profit organizations, small business owners, and individuals.  Clients include: BellSouth, American Cancer Society, Monster, U.N. World Food Service Programme, The Epstein School, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, Mud Pie, Cox Media, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Yamaha Motors, Kaiser Permanente, and The Centers for Disease Control (CDC). 

Shelley’s corporate career with AT&T, BellSouth, and Egghead Software was marked by significant achievements in sales, account management, and sales management/leadership. She and her team consistently exceeded goals, quotas, and all revenue/profitability targets, and she now takes that knowledge and applies it with her consulting clients.

Shelley holds an MBA from Emory University in Atlanta. She achieved this degree through the rigorous Executive MBA Program and was amongst the youngest “executives” to participate in the course at that time. Her Bachelor of Arts is in Psychology from Newcomb College of Tulane University in New Orleans.

Additionally, she is an ACC certified coach – an elite coaching credential awarded by the International Coaching Federation

She has served on the Boards of many Jewish organizations including: Jewish Federation of Atlanta, JF&CS, The Marcus JCC, The Davis Academy, and The Weber School.  She participated in Committees at The Epstein School, GHA, and Pace Academy.  Additionally, she has been a Board member of Eagle’s Nest Foundation, and The Georgia Chapter of the International Coach Federation.

Shelley has been married for 40 years to Bruce who also has been actively involved in many Jewish and secular Boards throughout Atlanta.  They have three wonderful children. Shelley was a devoted patient of Dr. Hilton Kort (of blessed memory) whom she thanks for all of her fertility success!

WHY JFF?

Shelley felt compelled to join JFF because of the vision, can-do attitude, and passion of Elana Frank, the Founder and CEO. Shelley struggled for many years with infertility and knew that it was a powerful and relevant issue that didn't have a "voice" in the Jewish community. Shelley wanted to be a part of a 'movement; that she knew had traction and was providing much-needed services that weren't available to the Atlanta Jewish Community. She believes in the JFF mission and vision, and wants to help make a difference to others struggling with infertility issues on all levels- emotionally, physically, and financially. 

Elizabeth Goldberg is the Director of Development for CHRIS 180.  In this role, she oversees the individual giving program.  In her work, she provides opportunities for individual donors to connect their passion for helping those in need to the day-to-day work of CHRIS 180 in changing the direction of thousands of youth each year.  

Elizabeth began her non-profit career over ten years ago at Emory Hillel in Atlanta.  She then joined the Milwaukee Jewish Federation fundraising department, ending her tenure there as the Assistant Campaign Director where she managed a $2 million annual campaign. 

From there, Elizabeth accepted the role of Director of Community Campaign of the Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore’s $30 million annual campaign.  In 2014, Elizabeth returned to Atlanta as the Senior Director of the General Campaign at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.

Raised in Augusta, she now calls Atlanta her home and lives in Brookhaven with her husband Scott Greenwald. She enjoys spending time with her husband, their two dogs, friends and family as well as cooking, working out, and traveling.  Elizabeth received her BA in Political Science from Wheaton College, Norton, MA, in 1999 and earned a Masters in Jewish Professional Leadership Program from Brandeis University in 2006.

WHY JFF?

Elizabeth is excited about joining the Board of JFF because of her strong commitment to the Jewish people and its continuity. Now that she has transitioned to a non-profit that serves the general community, she was excited about being able to be a lay leader in the Jewish community.  Her involvement with JFF will enable Elizabeth to play an active role in continuation of the Jewish future which is one of her passions. 

Lynn Goldman is a leader in creating Georgia’s public policies and laws affecting children. She joined the Claiborne, Fox, Bradley, Goldman Law firm in 2014 after building a career as a child welfare attorney and mediator for the previous 17 years. After experiencing infertility herself in 2002 she was excited to work with other families on their family building journey.

Lynn’s passion for family law began long before attending law school. Upon graduation from the University of Alabama with a degree in Social Work, Lynn worked as a child protection case manager with the Clayton County Department of Family and Children Services. As a case manager, Lynn approved the first same sex adoption in Clayton County in 1994.

Wanting to be a greater advocate for Georgia’s children, Lynn attended law school at the University of Georgia. While at UGA, she published an article on Munchausen by Proxy in the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Journal.

Upon graduation, Lynn began her legal career as an attorney with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, where she handled a variety of cases including domestic violence divorces, child welfare cases, public benefit appeals and landlord tenant issues. During her years at Legal Aid, Ms. Goldman successfully defended a dependency case before the Georgia Court of Appeals.

From 2005 until 2010 Lynn served as the Managing Attorney for the One Child, One Lawyer Program where she trained, mentored, and supervised attorneys who volunteered to serve as child advocates in dependency cases.

Seeing mediation as a useful tool in domestic and juvenile court cases, Lynn became a registered dependency, delinquency and domestic relations mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. She has been meditating for the past 11 years throughout Georgia.

As Lynn’s reputation for being an effective mediator grew, she was given a grant with the Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children to promote the use of mediation in Georgia’s juvenile courts. Her grant has been renewed for the past five years. With this grant Lynn has drafted Georgia’s laws on juvenile mediation and developed guidelines and training requirements for juvenile mediators. She has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, helped to develop mediation programs throughout Georgia and has trained countless judges, attorneys and mediators on the use of mediation in juvenile court.

Lynn also recently served as the Program Coordinator for the Fulton Juvenile Court Deprivation Mediation Program, where she supervised mediators who handled deprivation and guardianship termination cases.

On multiple occasions Lynn served as a legal expert and guest commentator for “In Session” television on cases involving child abuse prosecutions. Lynn enjoys spending her free time with her husband and their twins. They are active members at Temple Sinai.

WHY JFF?

Lynn wanted to join the JFF board so that she could use both her personal and professional experience to give back to others with a cause that is so personal and close to her heart. She was also inspired by the efforts JFF has made to bring more Jewish children to the world to help rebuild the Jewish community. 

Karen Arnovitz Grinzaid is Executive Director of JScreen, a national online Jewish genetic disease carrier screening program based out of Emory University School of Medicine. JScreen’s mission is to improve access to comprehensive, affordable pre-conception genetic screening by making it possible for people to test from the comfort of their own homes from anywhere in the U.S.

Approximately two percent of couples who undergo carrier screening learn that they are both carriers for the same disease. For these couples, each of their pregnancies is at 25% risk. These couples have an opportunity to plan ahead for the health of their future families by taking advantage of reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization with preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Financial constraints make this option unattainable for many of these couples, and the Jewish Fertility Foundation is a potential resource in these situations.

Karen is an Assistant Professor of Human Genetics and has been part of the Emory University Genetics team since 1986. She has extensive experience in Jewish genetic disease screening, pre-conception, prenatal, pediatric and adult genetic counseling, newborn screening, and clinical research. She currently serves as an instructor and mentor in Emory’s Masters in Genetic Counseling training program.

Karen received her B.A. in Psychology from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and her M.S. in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. She is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics/American Board of Genetic Counseling the Association of Clinical Research Professionals.

WHY JFF? 

Jewish Fertility Foundation is focused on helping people have babies. Karen’s organization, JScreen, offers genetic testing that helps people have healthy babies. She wanted to be on the JFF board because she is passionate about the need for affordable options for people who choose to use reproductive technologies for fertility or genetic reasons.  

Jessica Harroche is an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery division of Emory University. Jessica was born in Canada and lived in Israel for a large part of her life.She moved to Atlanta in late 2017 with her husband and is now a mother of 2 boys. Prior to that, Jessica spent her time between Canada, where she was born, and Israel, where she grew up.  

WHY JFF?

Jessica  joined JFF because of their wonderful mission supporting the Jewish community. Having undergone fertility treatments herself, she is very familiar with the emotional, medical and financial challenges that women and men can face when trying desperately to build a family. She feels blessed to be able to help in any way that she can, and being part of JFF allows her to contribute in a meaningful way.

Gennye Krasner is a marketing and strategy principal with GFK Management, LLC. She provides consultative project based support to companies building new products and technology in the financial services industry.Given her previous management role with American Express launching new products and opening international stores with Calvin Klein, Gennye is skilled at establishing process and frameworks for effective operations.  

Gennye graduated from Washington University Olin School of Business in St. Louis. She is an active volunteer in the community with JF&CS, Atlanta Jewish Academy, and a member of Congregation Bnai Torah. She lives in Sandy Springs with her husband Matthew and their two children. 

WHY JFF?

Gennye is originally from Birmingham, AL. She spent her post college and early married life days in New York City and Philadelphia before she and her husband relocated to Atlanta in 2008. Working for a large New York based corporation, Gennye and her husband were fortunate to have four IVF rounds covered by insurance. Having struggled with infertility, Gennye is honored to be a part of Jewish Fertility Foundation and to give struggling families the financial assistance, support and education helpful during the process. 

Rachel Loftspring is a Partner at Essig & Evans, LLP, where she practices Fertility Law exclusively. As a Fertility Law attorney, Rachel counsels clients from the United States and around the world on family-building through surrogacy as well as egg, sperm, and embryo donation. Her clients are intended parents and gestational carriers, recipients and donors, married and single, and of all sexual orientations. 

Rachel is a Fellow of the prestigious Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and the American Bar Association's Assisted Reproductive Technology Committee. Rachel posts about Fertility Law on Instagram at @SurrogacyLawyer.

Rachel received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif, and earned her BA from Emory University, where she graduated magna cum laude and as an alumna served as President of the Emory College Alumni Board. Between college and law school, Rachel earned her culinary arts degree from Mausi Sebess in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship awarded to her by the Buckhead Rotary Club.

Outside of her legal practice, Rachel is an active participant and advocate in her community. She is on the board of the American Jewish Committee Cincinnati, Chair of the Jewish Fertility Foundation - Cincinnati, and regularly organizes and hosts events for an array of organizations and causes. Rachel and her husband, a cardiologist, live in Cincinnati, Ohio with their 4 year old Lady Gaga loving daughter and airplanes obsessed 2 year old son. In her spare time, Rachel is teaching her kids (and herself) how to grow a vegetable garden and is working on her Peloton groupie status.

Why JFF? 

In her Fertility Law practice, Rachel provides legal counsel for clients experiencing infertility who are building their families through third party reproduction. But Rachel felt a need to do more. When she learned of Jewish Fertility Foundation and its incredible work in Atlanta, she immediately thought the Cincinnati community would benefit from having Jewish Fertility Foundation in Cincinnati. She is now working to achieve that. 

Amy is an Atlanta native who went as far away as Athens for college.  She dismissed her very wise dad’s suggestion that she major in accounting and instead got a B.A. degree in economics.  After a couple of different jobs out of college, she decided that she should try a job in accounting. She loved accounting so much (yes, dad was right) that she went on to get a Master of Taxation at Georgia State University.  She has been a tax professional in the Atlanta area for 18 years and currently is a senior manager with Levy Tax & Consulting LLC. Amy works mostly with individuals and small businesses but also has experience with trusts, estates, and nonprofit organizations.  She enjoys working in an area that some people find overwhelming and trying to make it an easy process for them.

Amy and her husband, Doug, have two children, Aiden and Hannah.  Aiden was born in 2009 at 24 weeks gestation, weighing a pound and a half, and spent 18 weeks in the NICUs at Northside Hospital and Scottish Rite.  Although it was a very difficult experience, it has given Amy and Doug a life perspective that they likely would not otherwise have and for which they are grateful.  Amy and her husband organize a support group for parents with children on the autism spectrum. The group’s members especially strive to guide families with a recent diagnosis. 

WHY JFF?

Amy is very excited about the opportunity to work with JFF in a capacity that can combine her financial background with her passion for helping people and families.