Board of Directors

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.”

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE 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.

TREASURER

Scott recently retired as the president and managing partner of MassMutual Colorado. The company provided comprehensive financial planning for small- and mid-sized businesses and professionals in the areas of estate planning, business succession planning, retirement planning, and risk management.

Scott first became involved with JFS in 1985, helping Russian families new to Colorado and serving on the Development Committee. In December 2019, Scott was honored at the Faces of JFS Winter Soiree with the Joyce and Kal Zeff Humanitarian Award for his deep commitment to JFS. In addition, both he and his wife Andrea have participated in the Bright Holidays program for many years. Scott also serves on the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Regional Board.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR

David Feiner is the Executive Vice President of Feiner Enterprises, Inc and FEI Holdings LLC. Feiner Enterprises is a private family office with a focus on real estate investment and partnership with third-party operators. FEI Holdings is the direct investment and acquisition arm, concentrated on strategic multifamily investment opportunities in the Southwestern United States. David sources new real estate investment opportunities, operates portfolio companies focused on real estate lending and development, fosters strategic partnerships, and focuses on long term growth. David is experienced in many facets of real estate, including acquisitions, asset and property management, brokerage, development, financing, sales, and securitization.

David graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2009. David serves on the Board of Directors for Merchants Mortgage & Trust Corporation as well as Jewish Family Service of Colorado and was a Sturm Fellow for the Anti-Defamation League.

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.

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.

Jason Cooper is a ounder 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

After years of experience in commercial banking and as a commercial real estate appraiser, Mindy joined J&B Building Company in 1995 in the accounts payable/accounts receivable position. Her M.B.A. degree from University of Denver in Real Estate and Construction Management (1988) provided her the background to manage several shopping centers, develop and construct a 668 unit mini-storage facility, and oversee the company's sophisticated property management database system.

Today Mindy is vice president, office manager, directs the A/P and A/R functions and accounting, and has input in strategic business decisions relative to selling, acquiring, leasing, and development of commercial property. Mindy holds an active Colorado Real Estate Broker's license. Mindy was the recipient of the Joyce and Kal Zeff Humanitarian Award in 2018.

Mindy is an avid reader, movie-goer, loves to workout, snowshoes in the winter, volunteers in the Weinberg Food Pantry, and serves on the board of the Colorado Self Storage Association.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.