JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES OF WNC - Key Persons
Alison (Ali) Climo grew up in Massachusetts, graduated from Smith College, and earned a MSW and PhD in social work from the University of Michigan before moving to Asheville in 1999. She worked for many years at Warren Wilson College as faculty and director of undergraduate social work, and then as director of institutional effectiveness. Ali's community work includes nearly two decades assisting aging services organizations in Buncombe County and surrounding communities to plan and prepare for the ever-growing older adult population. In 2017, Ali helped establish Age-Friendly Buncombe County (NC) and served as its coordinator until 2022. During that time, she also joined the team at Cares (the Center for Aging and Adult Research and Educational Services) at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work, where she is now a community engagement specialist in aging. Ali joined the JFS board in 2023.
Belinda Brandon has a Ph.D. in economics from M.I.T. She worked at Bell Labs research, AT&T, and, before she retired, Lucent Technologies; at Lucent she held director positions in procurement, quality management, and finance, among other assignments. She lived in Asheville part-time for five years and full time for 13 years. She was a board member and president of the Asheville Lyric Opera, treasurer and a board member of Under One Sky (an agency that facilitated the adoption of older children), board member and president of her condominium association, and, before moving to Asheville, President of the Corporation of Central Presbyterian Church of Summit, NJ. At JFS, she has been a board member since 2013, treasurer for two years, and president for three and a half years.
Carrie has her MS in Human Services with a specialization in Social and Community Services. She has worked in this field throughout her career. Carrie has worked for the last 5 years as the Senior Case Manager for the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry Steadfast House Transitional Housing program serving homeless civilians, families and female Veterans. Carrie lives in Asheville with her two teenaged sons and helps to support her aging parents.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- General Adult Psychiatrist
Dr. David Leader practiced as a General Adult Psychiatrist, providing psychotherapy and medication evaluation and management services at Dreyer Medical Clinic (now part of Advocate Aurora Health Services), Aurora, IL, from January 1986 to March 2015. During that time, he additionally served in administrative positions there of Department Chairman, Associate Medical Director, and Medical Director of Psychiatry and Neurology. He had a secondary appointment at Advocate Health Care, Oak Brook, IL as Medical Director of Psychiatry from 2014-2015. He served on the medical and administrative staff of Presence Mercy Medical Center (now Amita Health) and the consulting staff of Rush-Copley Medical Center (Consulting Staff): from 1986-2010.
Ed earned his BA in Psychology from Emory University and his MSW and PhD degrees from Florida International University where he received the Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award. He is a seasoned practitioner with a demonstrated track record of successfully helping a diverse client population overcome challenges. He has extensive experience with trauma resolution (including PTSD), mood and personality disorders, anxiety, dissociative disorders, psychosis, and addictions. Ed is proficient in multiple therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). A knowledgeable educator with more than a decade of experience teaching and supervising graduate & undergraduate students, Ed has also been an invited presenter/trainer at numerous local, regional, and national conferences & workshops.
Job Titles:
- LCSW, LCAS / Therapist
- Therapist
I earned a Master of Social Work degree from Western Carolina University after receiving a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Mars Hill University in 2018. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, approved by the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board. I am also a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist. I have dedicated the last ten years to working directly with children, adolescents, families, and adults to address systemic challenges and their impact on emotional and mental well-being. I believe in the strength of extending courage and compassion to oneself and experience to overcome life's difficulties. It is important to develop awareness and insight into how the implications of childhood, generational, and societal trauma impact emotional well-being, self-concept, and attachment patterns. I use an integrative approach to therapy, as every individual has a unique life experience, and the approach to healing should be treated as such. I utilize treatment models including but not limited to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and EMDR.
Janet Oppenheimer, MBA, APR, Fellow PRSA, retired in 2017 after serving 46 years as a public relations practitioner - 14 of those years, owning her own PR firm in New York and Coral Springs, FL. For 15 years she served as Communications Director and later Financial Resource Development Director at the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC in Boca Raton, FL. Previously she was the Communications Director of the Soref JCC in Fort Lauderdale. In 2006, she reopened her independent public relations consulting firm in Asheville and became the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Western North Carolina. In 2011 she became the Public Relations Manager at the Western Carolina Medical Society, and from, 2013- 2017 Janet served as the Public Relations Specialist at Blossman Gas and Alliance Autogas based in Asheville. A PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) member since 1979, Janet has served in various leadership roles over the years. In 2007 she became one of 350 PRSA members earning the Fellows designation in the U.S. In June of 2021 Janet earned her Broker license in North Carolina and affiliated with Nest Realty in Asheville. Janet currently serves on the boards of JFS of WNC, the WCMS Foundation Development Council, the Jewish Federation of WNC, and is an ad hoc advisor for the WNC Chapter of PRSA. Janet holds a BA in Marketing Communications and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, FL.
Lisa has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for almost 30 years, having received her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Lisa has experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, depression, coping with grief and loss, chronic illness, motivation, self-esteem, confidence and more. She enjoys working with couples and strives to help them repair trust, improve communication, learn to fight fairly and strengthen understanding and emotional intimacy. She has considerable experience in and welcomes working with people of all backgrounds and beliefs. Her goal is to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. She is an open, honest and direct person. Lisa utilizes a variety of therapeutic models with a focus on strengths and believes it takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life.
Liz is a native of Chicago who moved to the Asheville area in 2003. She received a BS in Resource Conservation and a JD from the University of Florida.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Director
- LCMHC / Clinical Director
Melissa Wolfe has a BA from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC majoring in social work and an MA from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA in Counseling & Expressive therapies with a focus on Art therapy. Melissa has worked in a variety of roles in her career including case manager, adjunct professor, counselor, and director of client services. Melissa has worked with people with wide variety of co-occurring mental health conditions, interpersonal violence, and trauma. Melissa has worked with adolescents through elders, specializing in her counseling practice with LGBTQIA+ community and those with chronic illness including chronic pain, cancer and autoimmune conditions, memory loss and Alzheimer's. In Melissa's free time she likes to read, wordle, craft and go on walks with her family and dog Luke.
Michael was appointed Executive Director in November 2022 after a national search and joined the Asheville community by way of Memphis, Tennessee. He served as the Chief Operating Officer for Jewish Community Partners (JCP). Before JCP, Michael was the Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Jewish Family Services.
Michael has been a leader of nonprofit and for-profit organizations in various industries, ensuring mission fulfillment and sound financial viability. He has extensive organizational, operational, and management experience, and has successfully led capital campaigns, endowment growth, and donor cultivation and stewardship efforts. Michael earned a BS degree in Psychology from the University of Florida and a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from the University of Tampa.
Job Titles:
- Elder Club Program Facilitator
Neave holds a Master's Degree in Social work from Smith School for Social Work and has over two decades of experience working with older adults and their families in mental health settings, home care, and hospice. She is very excited to be part of our community, supporting elders and their caregivers. In her spare time, she enjoys long walks in these mountains, laughing, and making things with clay.
Rabbi Wolff Alterman grew up in upstate NY. Educated by Dominican Sisters, his bar mitzvah long held the "Most Nuns attending" state record. His journey has included teaching elementary school art, serving as a rural route mail carrier, and walking from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail. He received clinical training in chaplaincy at Johnson City Medical Center and Rutherford Hospital and has served as a chaplain at Mission Hospital, Care Partners and Jewish Family Services of WNC. He was ordained in 2013 by the Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute, a Jewish Universalist seminary based in NY. The grey in his beard was made possible through the ongoing efforts of his wonderful daughter; his blood pressure is kept in a safe range by the world's most glorious coonhound. Rabbi Wolff has lived in Western North Carolina for a quarter century, and is the region's only regularly kilted Rabbi. His lifelong ambition is to be named Emperor of Japan.
Rachel relocated to Asheville in 2016 from the greater Fort Lauderdale area. She graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University (Miami) in 2014 after deciding to leave the field of Urban and Regional Planning, where she sat stationary for the most part of five and a half years dreaming of what to cook for dinner. Rachel was recently named one of the top chefs in Asheville!
Rae Booth began her career in corporate America in the human resources field. 20+ years spent working for a Chemical Manufacturing company, Financial Services Company, and a Pharmaceutical Company where she played an active role as the Organizational Development Specialist. Her responsibilities led her to be sought as a change agent who sees people, processes, structures, training, tools used to get the job accomplished and re-engineer the organizational structure to be more proficient and profitable. In 2006, Rae stepped into the entrepreneurial world in the healthcare industry and launched a new brand in a new market in the Appalachian Mountains of NC. Rae is known for creating something out of a blank canvas. She developed a Senior Shelter System in DE, which removed folks from violating situations and into a safe place. Through collaboration and persistence, anything is possible. Outside of work, she loves to spend time with her grandson and family. The nature around the Asheville area brings vitality to her spirit through kayaking, hiking and picnics on the Blue Ridge parkway.
Roni Freedman received her BA in Sociology from NYU and her MA in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Hofstra University. She also practiced speech pathology for over 35 years in private practice, home healthcare, and MD offices, working primarily with neurologically impaired adults. Her passions are working with the aging population, her family, and horses. Community service work has included serving on the Boards of the Donna Klein Jewish Academy and the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, for many years, with an emphasis on development and campaign. She moved to Asheville in 2020 and eagerly jumped into Jewish life and philanthropy.
Sarah is a healthcare researcher with a diverse background that includes working in community settings, academic institutions, and non-profit healthcare institutions. Her focal areas of health knowledge include reproductive and sexual health, health screening and vaccination behavior, palliative oncology, and care related to substance use. Sarah's background includes graduate coursework with an internship in Tijuana, where she learned and grew in her application of cultural and social-ecological healthcare perspectives. Sarah has a passion for health justice, and is dedicated to collaboration across disciplines to drive advancements in public health and patient well-being.
Teresa obtained a Masters (1988) & Bachelors (1986) in Social Work at the University of Alabama. Teresa was licensed in Alabama and continues to hold licensure there (LICSW # 5862C). When Teresa moved to NC, she was licensed as a social worker here as well (LCSW# C015944). Teresa is a seasoned practitioner and has worked with all ages and populations and in many roles, including therapist, adjunct professor, care manager and mental health advocate. Teresa is fascinated with the mind and body connection and how somatic mindfulness approaches can help with anxiety, trauma and depression. Teresa is passionate about meeting clients where they are on their journey. She strives to create a warm and safe environment where clients can be vulnerable, take risks and grow. She welcomes people of all cultures, backgrounds and beliefs. She has a Master's in Social Work from the University of Alabama. She is a registered Yoga Teacher, RYT-200 with The Yoga Alliance. She has experience with Trauma Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Mindfulness Meditation. In her spare time, you can find her listening to great music, cooking a delicious meal, laughing with family and friends, gardening and spoiling her granddogs.
Tracy was born in Gelnhausen, Germany and raised in Miami, Florida. She attended the University of Florida graduating with a B.S. in Zoology, and earned a Masters of Engineering from the University of South Florida. She worked for 11 years as a civil engineer in both Tampa and Miami before moving to Asheville almost eight years ago. In her spare time, she enjoys anything outdoors, including hiking, biking and kayaking. She also plays keyboards in a local Tom Petty tribute band.
Victoria's experience spanning 30 years includes work with all ages from elementary school to elder populations. I have greatly enjoyed supporting the emotional and mental health of all adults, but especially, those who are nearing or have already retired. This life phase can be a very trying time and could be met with unprocessed grief, disillusionment, depression, or anxiety if not prepared for. It could also be a wonderful, transformative time, full of new discoveries, with the right therapeutic support and guidance. Victoria is passionate about many therapeutic modalities to treat trauma disorders, depression, addiction, mood disorders, OCD, phobias, anxiety, PTSD, and dissociative disorders. Victoria's specialty modalities include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR,) Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART,) Brain spotting, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT,) Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT,) Reconnect Integrative Trauma Treatment Model (RITTM,) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing.