JQ INTERNATIONAL - Key Persons
Adena is originally from Dallas and at a young age, found a passion for supporting meaningful causes, including pre Roe v Wade NARAL and proudly supporting George McGovern (before she could vote). After graduating from the University of Texas, Austin, Adena immediately left for the lure of New York City, After a brief stint in the advertising world, Adena chose a career in finance and wealth management, finding her niche focusing on educating women to become confident investors. She currently serves as the Treasurer on the Board of Trustees for the Turning Point School and is a Super Activator for Coralus, a non-profit that supports women entrepreneurs. Adena made her way to Los Angeles via a marriage proposal. She and her husband, Rich, have raised three young adults along with many dogs and cats. Being a parent of a queer son, Adena joyfully found her way to JQ International.
Alisha Pedowitz (she/her) has worked for over 20 years in the field of Jewish education, engagement, and community building. In her professional life, she has seen over and over again the importance of JQ's work in building a more vibrant and inclusive Jewish community. In her personal life, both she and her family have participated in and been impacted by many of JQ's programs. Alisha is currently the Director of Teen Education at Moving Traditions, an organization that educates and supports Jewish teens across North America at the intersection of Jewish identity, adolescent development, feminism, and resisting sexist gender norms and other forms of discrimination. She has proudly served on the JQ Board of Directors since 2021.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
- Digital Marketing Coordinator
- for Communications and Technical Support
Anna Goodman (she/her) graduated with a bachelor's degree in media and communications from Ohio University in 2011, and has since worked in a variety of fields ranging from event production and development, marketing and graphic design, to sales and customer care. With a passion for activism and the LGBTQ+ community, Anna has worked with various organizations, restaurants and bars, and corporations on creating safe spaces, events and experiences geared towards the lesbian and queer community. From 2015 - 2022, she worked as JQ International's Director of Events and Communications providing inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ Jews, their friends, families, and allies. In 2023, she founded her events company, AG Events & Entertainment, offering full service private event planning, consulting services, and restaurant/ bar promotional parties primarily geared towards the lesbian/ queer community in Los Angeles. You can also find her performing on stage as her alter ego /Drag King identity, Dandy Frank.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- for Executive Governance and Operations
Asher Gellis, MBA, founder and CEO of JQ International earned a BA in Political Theory from UCLA and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Prior to launching JQ International in 2004, Asher served as the Regional Director for Hadassah's Young Judaea in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. He created curriculum for the Bureau of Jewish Education in Los Angeles, and guided teen scholastic Israel tours. As JQ's first and only ED, over the years, Asher has launched dozens of groundbreaking LGBTQ Jewish programs and services in Los Angeles affecting thousands of lives and steering the Jewish Community towards LGBTQ inclusion for generations to come. In recent years Asher was an inaugural member for the PresenTenseLA Fellowship, American Jewish World Service Global Justice Fellowship, and Eighteen:22; the global think tank of LGBTQ and ally Jewish visionaries. Currently, Asher serves on the Community Advisory Board of Southern California Media Group (PBS SoCal).
Deborah Engel is an educator and parent of a queer young adult (now college student who was active in JQ's Teen JQSA program.) Her passion for JQ lies in her desire to make the most inclusive Jewish community possible to ensure her child is embraced as an LGBTQ+ Jew. Deb is currently working as a freelance consultant while finishing her MBA degree.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Persian Jewish
Jay Nemanpour is a proud member of the Persian Jewish community in Los Angeles. He received his BA in Jewish Studies from UCLA and his MA in Jewish Nonprofit Management from Hebrew Union College. Jay is also a Nachshon Project Graduate Fellow of The Legacy Heritage Foundation. At JQ International, Jay is the Director of Community Programs working closely with community members and partner institutions to expand the reach and impact of JQ International's crucial and life-saving work.
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Programs
- Member of the Queer Persian
Jona Yadidi (she/they) is a member of the Queer Persian community here in Los Angeles and she is so excited to be a part of JQ as the Director of Community Programs. Born and raised here in LA, Jona has always been very involved with the LA Jewish community. She graduated from Occidental College with a BA in Religious Studies and a BA in Theater and during her time at Occidental she was involved in community engagement, student events, theater, and Hillel. Previously, Jona served as Stephen Wise Temple's Engagement Coordinator where she was responsible for planning community events and working with lay leaders to create thoughtful programming. She first found her way to JQ as a volunteer with Repair the World's Jewish Service Corps and looks forward to working closely with community members and partner institutions to expand the reach and impact of JQ International's crucial and life-saving work. Outside of JQ, Jona loves to travel, go on hot girl walks, and pet every single dog she sees.
Job Titles:
- Director of Support & Wellness
Laura (she/her) is a queer, Jewish woman providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families who are in need of support managing life transitions. She is committed to a culturally humble practice as she puts compassion and curiosity first in her work with folks of all backgrounds. She specializes in therapy with adolescents, folks who identify with the LGBTQ+ community, and all families wanting to improve their communication and heal attachment wounds. She works to create a collaborative space that is trauma-informed, strengths-based, and attuned to the client's needs.
Lior Sibony (he/him) is an honors graduate of Tel Aviv University and The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, specializing in Jewish Education Leadership and Jewish Philosophy. After teaching over a decade in his hometown Tel Aviv, he moved to the United States, where he worked at the Education and Engagement department at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, serving dozens of Jewish day and supplementary schools, developing curriculum and leading teachers seminars . He is currently the Director of Global Jewish Education at de Toledo High School, where he passionately connects Jewish youths and their families with Jewish peers around the world through meaningful exchange and unique experiential learning.
Lior and his husband, Alex, are actively engaged with Jewish and LGBTQ+ Community causes in Israel and the United States
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Building Performance Engineer
Meir Kojman is a Building Performance Engineer, working for a multi-national, multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy firm. Meir gained a Master of Engineering degree in Architectural Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he lived for five years. On making Los Angeles his home in early 2018, Meir began attending JQ events, and is passionately involved in the organization.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board
- and CFO
Murray Levin is a CPA and CFO in the nonprofit sector. Murray is a longtime member of the JQ community and has over 35 years of experience in financial planning and accounting.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Avodah 's Manager of Racial Justice Initiatives
Nate Looney is Avodah's Manager of Racial Justice Initiatives, leading diversity strategies at Avod ah, focusing on Jews of Color. He previously served as Avodah's JOC Recruiter. Nate is also the CEO and Owner of Westside Urban Gardens, an urban agricultural company based in Los Angeles, CA. Nate is an AJU alum, entrepreneur, strategist, US Army Veteran, and Urban Farmer. Nate joined the US Army National Guard in 2003. After Bootcamp, Nate relocated to New Orleans, where he was both a military police soldier and a full-time college transfer student at Dillard University, an HBCU. Nate was part of rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and deployed to Iraq in 2008. Nate decided to leave the Army to finish his college education and begin his gender transition. In 2015, Nate graduated with his B.A. in Business from American Jewish University.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of the Board
- Executive Director of the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center
Neil Spears serves as Executive Director of the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center after eight years as Regional and Executive Director at Power MyLearning. Neil has a BA from University of California San Diego and a Master of Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Robert was born and raised in a reform Jewish home in LA. He came out at age 14 and become active in the City of West Hollywood, where he later moved and has served four appointments on three boards and commissions. Robert is currently serving in his second term on the city's Public Safety Commission. Robert has worked as a community advocate for an LGBTQ community center, the Jewish Federation, and the No on Prop 8 Campaign. Professionally, he has spent thousands of hours advocating for communities and neighborhoods throughout LA County during his tenure with US Senator Dianne Feinstein and LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz.
Robert and his husband, Mark, met playing WeHo Dodgeball in 2012, and they were featured on the cover of the LA Times after the marriage equality decision. They got married in Israel and live in West Hollywood with their beloved rescue dog, Darwin.
Sam Goodman (he/she/they) serves as JQ International's Youth Program Manager. After graduating from Emerson College in 2022 with their BA in writing, literature, and publishing, Goodman returned to Los Angeles, working in a variety of Jewish communal spaces. Previously serving as Camp Alonim's Director of Programming, Sam's years in Jewish summer camping heavily influences their work. Through his time participating in and leading various Jewish and queer programming, Sam has always been passionate about fostering supportive, fun, communal spaces where teens can ask questions, connect with one another, and freely self-express. In addition to their work at JQ, Sam is a writer, graphic designer, and event planner. With a love for drag, art, poetry, reality tv, and LGBTQ+ culture and history, Sam is excited to infuse JQ's teen program with a sense of pure, queer joy.
Samantha Eisenberg (she/her/hers) joined JQ International in 2023 as the Director of
Development. She brings 7 years of fund development experience to the role, most recently serving as a Development Manager for Point Foundation, the largest LGBTQ scholarship fund in the US. Prior, she supported Major Gifts at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. Samantha is enthusiastic about building sustainable partnerships with funders and philanthropists committed to uplifting LGBTQ+ Jews, their families, and their communities. Samantha also advocates for queer causes locally and nationally. She is the co-chair of trans inclusion with the American Alliance of Museums, the chair of the trans havurah at Beth Chayim Chadashim, and treasurer for local LGBTQ support groups. Samantha holds an MA in Social Science from the University of California, Irvine and a BS in Anthropology from Tulane University of Louisiana. She is from Torrance, CA and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with her Felis catus companions, Cinema and Sycamore. In her personal time, she enjoys playing music, attending concerts, and social dancing.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Volunteer Manager
- for Executive Assistance and Volunteer Questions
Sidney Anne Harrison (She/Her) is a mixed-race nerd and ally who was born and raised in Los Angeles. She graduated from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Studies in 2015 and is currently getting her Master's in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, specializing in Applied Community Psychology. Sidney has a passion for healing, service, and empowering solidarity for marginalized communities, which can be seen through her work as a volunteer at the Trevor Project and Food on Foot. She took this passion to JQ by jumpstarting the JQommunity Volunteer program and looks forward to more opportunities to create affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ Jews to engage with one another and with the organization.
Sidney's hobbies usually fall under two categories: nerdy or outdoorsy. She enjoys playing video games and board games, watching horror movies, hiking, spending quiet time at the beach or in a forest, and, of course, reading every book she can get her hands on. She's also a newly dedicated yogi and hopes to continue writing creative fiction and nonfiction in her spare time. She is thrilled to become a part of the JQ International team and to start working with them to provide resources and create equitable, affirming spaces for the Jewish LGBTQ+ community!
Todd Shotz, a long-time member of JQ and JQ's current Board Chair. He is a film producer and the creator of Hebrew Helpers a national B'nai Mitzvah education service. Todd has served on many start-up and second tier non profit boards.