Elana Frank, CEO & Founder of JFF

Elana (Bekerman) Frank, a native of Atlanta, GA, lived, studied, and worked in Maryland, Manhattan, Israel, and New Jersey.  She has 20 years of experience working with non-profits (in America and in Israel) in fundraising, marketing, community outreach, volunteer recruitment, Board development and program development.  

Elana "birthed" The Jewish Fertility Foundation. It took her ten years and countless rounds of IUI and IVF cycles and embryo donation to make three babies. Because she was a resident of Israel at that time of her first two children, their socialized medicine afforded her the opportunity to inexpensively reach a solution. When she returned to the US, she realized that others weren’t as lucky as her - in terms of treatment success, community support, and financial aid. She learned for others it takes years, miscarriages, unbearable debt, oceans of tears, and heartache before finally giving birth, if at all. And with the cost of IVF ranging on average from $14,000 - $25,000 in America many don’t even have a chance for a chance. Knowing that there was this grave need for funding, support and enhanced awareness of this sometimes “unspoken” issue in the Jewish community, she decided to create Jewish Fertility Foundation.

Elana can be reached at elana@jewishfertilityfoundation.org.

During his 40 plus year career, Michael Himmelstein has served as the Chief Financial Officer of large, private companies in the healthcare, manufacturing, not for profit and retail industry and as a consultant in complex litigations and mergers and acquisitions. He specializes in acquisitions and sales of businesses, budgeting and cash forecasting, financing, turnarounds, business operations, bankruptcy reorganizations and general litigation. Presently he is a fractional CFO serving several businesses in the Atlanta area.

Emily joined JFF after serving a variety of roles within the nonprofit sector. Her experience includes finance, accounting, development, programming, and operations. Immediately before joining JFF, Emily worked as a CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Asset Management sector. 

Emily first heard about JFF a few years ago and was immediately inspired by the incredible organization and the many families whose lives it has changed. Several of her siblings and close friends have struggled with fertility challenges and she has experienced through them the emotional and financial strain this can cause. 

Emily was thrilled to use her skills to transition back into the nonprofit space and contribute to JFF as the first Director of JFF-Atlanta and now, the National Program Director.  Emily currently lives in New Hampshire with her husband, Moshe, and daughters Aura & Yaelle. 

Emily can be reached at emily@jewishfertilityfoundation.org.

Anna Meyers Burke is a proud New Englander at heart, having been born and raised in Rhode Island and studied at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, where she continued to live post-graduation to serve Northeastern Hillel as the Director of Jewish Student Life. With her passion for Israel and Jewish education, Anna went on to teach English in Ashdod and remained in Israel to complete her first year of Rabbinical School at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. She has since continued her rabbinic studies in Cincinnati, where she has enjoyed serving as an educator at Kulanu, the Madrichim Coordinator at Rockdale Temple, Rabbinic Educator at Hillel at Miami University, and TJF Fellow at RAC-OH. While completing her rabbinic studies, Anna is also finishing her M.A. in Jewish Education and is so thrilled to be a part of the team at the Jewish Fertility Foundation in Cincinnati to help support those struggling with infertility and provide educational resources for the community.

Anna can be reached at anna@jewishfertilityfoundation.org.

Kayla was born and raised in Atlanta and moved away to attend college at the University of Maryland. After earning her undergraduate degrees, Kayla lived in Washington, DC for six years where she received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from George Washington University and began her career as a physical therapist. Through her clinical experience and own pregnancy journey with her twins, Kayla gained an awareness of the many gaps in the healthcare and support systems for women from pre-pregnancy to post-partum. 

Kayla was thrilled to move back to Atlanta in the summer of 2020. She is passionate about helping men & women in all stages of their fertility journey, and is excited to do so for the Atlanta community as JFF’s Atlanta Manager. 

Kayla can be reached at kayla@jewishfertilityfoundation.org. 

Emma graduated in May 2020 from Georgia State University’s master of Social Work program. She graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor's degree in Human Development & Family Studies in 2018, and has lived in Atlanta ever since. During her last year at Georgia State, she was a social work intern for JFF and then stayed on as a program support for a few months following graduation. 

Emma is passionate about working with families, and is very excited to be back at JFF as a Development Associate. Additionally, she works for a transitional housing program in Atlanta as a case manager. 

Emma can be reached at emma@jewishfertilityfoundation.org

Ashley Marx is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience. During her training, she worked in a halfway house for men struggling with alcohol and drug addiction and an outpatient clinic treating children, teens, and adults. After receiving her Masters in Social Work from Salem State College in Massachusetts in 2003, she continued to work in an outpatient clinic and a private school as a school counselor. She started a private practice specializing in working with teens and young adults.

After 10 years of private practice in Massachusetts, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she worked as a school counselor and now has a full time private practice. She treats a wide range of issues including: anxiety, depression, ADHD, self esteem, parenting problems, and addiction. In addition to seeing clients individually and working with parents, she also runs Middle School and High School Girls groups for teens that may be struggling with friendships, family, and/or the overall stress of being an adolescent in a fast paced, online world.

She has received training in various approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) but strongly believes that the therapist/client relationship remains the most important aspect of treatment. 

Karen Martin was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. After graduating from Kenyon College with a degree in English, Karen worked at Miami University Hillel as an Engagement Associate before leaving to continue her studies at the University of Chicago. She earned a MA in the Humanities from the University of Chicago in 2010. During her studies, Karen continued working in Chicago’s Jewish community in myriad roles and eventually enrolled in the Spertus Institute for Learning and Leadership and earned a MA in Jewish Professional Studies in 2014. Karen has worked in Federations, Hillels, and synagogues, most recently as Executive Director of Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati, OH. She enrolled at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in 2020 and is a Wexner Graduate Fellow. She is thrilled to work with the Jewish Fertility Foundation as their TJF Fellow. 

Why JFF? My parents suffered from infertility for over a decade before I was born. I have two adopted older brothers. I was a surprise - conceived when  they finally gave up and had just adopted my older brother. My parents were very open about their difficulties conceiving and it absolutely affected my and my husband’s decisions around when to start trying for children. I’m thrilled to be able to work with an organization that ensures that support- financial and emotional- are available to people at a particularly challenging time in their lives. 

Karen can be reached at Karen@jewishfertilityfoundation.org.

Yaeli is a student in Wurzweiler School of Social Work. She spent two years studying in a school in Israel where she graduated with a Bachelors of Science with courses in psychology, Jewish philosophy, and education. She grew up in Atlanta and now live in the Toco Hills area. Yaeli has  always wanted to be in a helping profession, serving the Jewish community. She feels excited and privileged to be involved in this amazing organization. 

Yaeli can be reached at yaeli@jewishfertilityfoundation.org.