ACT: Agents of Change Training

Lauri Cohen grew up in St. Louis, MO and has lived Iowa and Washington, DC  before moving to Atlanta in 2003.  She has been a geriatric social worker and Jewish communal professional for over 25 years, and now works at JF&CS.  She loves to travel, play canasta and mahjong, play pickleball, and spend time with family.  She lives in Dunwoody with her husband and 2 daughters.

Susie Fages grew up in South Florida and attended UGA for undergraduate, and Washington University in St. Louis for her graduate degree. After 29 years as an audiologist in Atlanta, she made a career change and joined JF&CS, now serving as Manager of Volunteer and Community Engagement. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children and enjoys entertaining, yoga, and spending time in the mountains.

Jodi Firestone is a corporate professional with more than three decades of experience in sales and business development. She lives in Sandy Springs with her husband Jeff and their dog, Gus. She is the mother of twins, Max and Evyn, who are sophomores in college. Outside of work, Jodi enjoys health and wellness, playing mahjong, listening to audiobooks, and spending time with friends.

Nicole Flom is Associate Director of Jewish National Fund-USA in Atlanta and has dedicated her career to strengthening Jewish life and deepening connections to Israel through education, community building, and philanthropy. Holding an MA in Museum Education and a BA in Art History, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children and enjoys good food, spending time with family and friends, and being an active member of the Jewish community

Susan Friedenberg, an Atlanta native, spent the the last 25+ years working in IT project management and raising her two kids, along with her husband Lee.  An active volunteer with different organizations, she spends the remainder of her time supporting her parents, paddleboarding, traveling, reading, organizing, and playing with her adorable dog Prescott.

Ivy Josset, born in Philadelphia and raised in Atlanta, has worked in education for over twenty-five years. Having completed higher education at the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama, she has taught in various public and private schools and currently serves as the structured literacy coordinator at St. Francis Schools, Milton Campus. She lives in Roswell with her husband and three dogs, has two college-aged children, and enjoys cooking, reading, and mountain getaways.

Stacey Kessler is a professor of management whose work focuses on helping employees thrive by promoting both well-being and productivity. Her research examines work stress and how leaders and organizational environments shape employees’ behaviors. Stacey and her husband are New Jersey transplants who live in Brookhaven with their dog. Outside of work, she enjoys playing soccer, spending time on or near the water, and being with family and friends.

Vivienne Kurland is originally from South Africa, moved to Canada as a teenager and later married an American, making Atlanta her home since 1986. For the past 13 years, she has been at the heart of the One Good Deed Friendly Visitor Program, part of JF&CS Older Adult Services, bringing deep compassion and commitment to the wellbeing of older adults and volunteers. She lives in Alpharetta with her husband and feels fortunate to have her two children and two grandchildren living nearby.

Lynn Oves shared that her greatest joys and her most meaningful challenges come from being the proud mother of three capable, passionate, and independent women. For more than 30 years, she has been actively engaged as a pro-Israel citizen advocate and lobbyist through organizations including AIPAC, JNF, FIDF, Birthright, and Hillel. It’s not just what she does; it’s who she is. Am Yisrael Chai!

Kelly Richman is a New Jersey native who moved to Atlanta for college and has called Georgia home ever since. After a career in Executive Search, she became a full-time mom while remaining actively involved in the Jewish community and her children’s schools. Kelly lives in Sandy Springs with her husband and their son, who attends The Weber School. Their daughter attends the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She enjoys traveling, hiking, photography, and spending time with family and friends.

Kate Robins is a communications, PR, marketing, and media professional with 25+ years of experience in strategic communications, campaign development, storytelling, and client relations. Her career includes CNN, WSB-TV/Radio, Cartoon Network, HDTV and Ciba Vision, with an Emmy nomination for television promotion. She currently applies her expertise to marketing and community engagement for ORT/Honey form the Heart program, helping strengthen its fundraising and marketing goals.

Debbie Sasson is originally from New York and serves as the Shinshinim Manager at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, where she connects Israeli teens with the Atlanta Jewish community. An Emory graduate, Debbie has spent her career as a Jewish educator, including countless summers at Camp Ramah Darom. She lives in Marietta with her husband and three children—two in college and one in high school—and is passionate about Jewish education, Israel, and creating meaningful connections.

Laura Schilling a Long Island Native.  Laura is the owner of Estate Innovations LLC, an estate planning law practice; Financial Innovations, a wealth management/financial planning practice; and LEA LLC, a real estate investment company.  Laura attended Emory Undergrad and then GSU Law School.  She holds a JD, a CPA, a CFP, and a PFS. Laura has an 18-year-old high school senior, Eli, and an 8th-grader, Adi, as well as their dog, Chase.  She loves playing Mah Jong and traveling the world with her children.

Dana Shefsky is Head of Tech Product Marketing at IHG Hotels & Resorts, where she leads change strategies for large-scale tech transformation initiatives. A California native, she's the self-described "only Jewish girl in history to move from L.A. to Memphis to find a nice Jewish boy to marry." Dana lives in East Cobb with her husband and two teens. She enjoys playing mahjong, hosting parties and events, and traveling on her IHG employee discount.

Elana Cohen Yoels is an Atlanta-raised, Montreal-born Physician Assistant with a Master of Medical Science from Emory University. Following a rewarding career in women's health and infertility, she transitioned to a full-time stay-at-home mother, dedicating her time to raising her four children. She was very active as a volunteer in all of their schools. She lives in Sandy Springs with her family.