Meredith Jacobs is CEO of JWI, a 125-year-old nonprofit dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. Since assuming the role of CEO in 2020, Meredith has shepherded the development of numerous JWI initiatives, including the National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence in the Jewish Community; the Collaborative of Jewish Domestic Violence Agencies; the Women’s Financial Empowerment Institute; ReStart: job readiness for survivors; the Jewish Communal Women’s Leadership Project; Men As Allies: Leading Equitable Workplaces; the Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable and the international expansion of Young Women’s Leadership Network. Under her leadership, JWI is spearheading state-wide advocacy efforts to achieve justice lending practices that would give survivors of financial abuse access to bank loans that would set them on the path to long-term economic security. 

Meredith is an award-winning journalist and former editor-in-chief of Washington Jewish Week. She is the author of The Modern Jewish Mom’s Guide to Shabbat (HarperCollins) and co-author, with her daughter Sofie, of the bestselling series of interactive journals, Just Between Us (Chronicle Books). Prior to joining JWI, she founded ModernJewishMom.com, the first Jewish parenting website (now part of Kveller), and was the host of the WYPR radio show, Connecting Family and The Jewish Channel television holiday specials, Modern Jewish Mom. 

Named one of the “50 Most Influential Jews of 2020” by The Jerusalem Post, Meredith is a sought-after speaker, moderator, and writer. Her opinion pieces appear frequently in outlets such as JTA, eJewishPhilanthropy, and the Forward. She is a member of the advisory board of the Women’s Business Collaborative (WBC) and serves on the Women’s Economic Empowerment Council for the State of Maryland — an advisory council to Brooke Lierman, Comptroller of Maryland. Meredith serves on the expert panel on Improving Access to Services for Domestic Abuse Victims in the Military, sponsored by the Department of Defense. She earned a B.A. in English from Haverford College and holds an M.S. in business from Johns Hopkins University. 

Sara Hefez serves as Chief Development Officer at JWI, where she leads national fundraising strategy and donor engagement to fuel our mission of empowering women and girls worldwide, supporting their growth, resilience, and impact at every stage of life. A seasoned nonprofit executive with more than 20 years of experience, Sara is known for her visionary approach, deep relationship-building skills, and unwavering commitment. 

Prior to joining JWI, Sara spent two decades at Jewish National Fund-USA, most recently as Executive Director of New England and the Capital Region. There, she led transformative fundraising efforts—growing local revenue from $400,000 to exceeding $6 million annually. During her tenure she secured over 150 six-figure gifts and 14 seven-figure contributions that enabled lasting change and inspired others to give boldly. These donations are more than numbers; they are legacies of impact. In this role, Sara also mentored high-performing teams, spearheaded national initiatives, directed high-impact donor missions to Israel, and built lasting partnerships across generations of philanthropists. 

Outside her professional work, Sara is a passionate volunteer and served for five years as a photographer for LRC Stage Productions, a nonprofit youth theater group. She finds joy in capturing moments of creative expression—especially those that help young people build confidence and connection. 

Sara brings heart, humor, and clarity to every space she enters—whether leading a development strategy, mentoring a team, or behind the lens of her camera. 

Rachel Graber is Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy at JWI. Previously, she was Deputy Director of the Firearms Technical Assistance Project at the Battered Women’s Justice Project and served as Director of Public Policy and Director of Public Affairs at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and National Domestic Violence Hotline. Before transitioning to public policy, she served as the professional school counselor and equity coordinator at Wapello Jr./Sr. High School in Wapello, IA. 

Rachel has been instrumental in developing and passing critical survivor protection legislation, including the VOCA Fix Act, the 2022 Violence Against Women Act, and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—particularly provisions keeping firearms from abusers. She’s engaged with bipartisan administrations on policy development and rulemaking. 

Rachel frequently drafts legislative testimony, has authored numerous publications on domestic violence and firearms, and co-created Disarm Domestic Violence, a comprehensive website providing state-by-state information about firearm laws related to domestic abuse and survivor protections. 

Rachel holds an M.A. in school counseling with a gifted education endorsement, an M.S.W. from the University of Iowa, and a B.A. from Grinnell College. 

Deborah Ash Lee serves as JWI’s Finance and Office Manager, supporting the organization’s financial administration and daily operational functions. She oversees cash reporting, credit card and invoice management, and bill payment operations, and she assists with chapter services. Deborah is also a key partner in cross-departmental initiatives, providing strategic support for special projects and major annual events. 

She’s the friendly voice you hear when you call the office and the first person to greet you when you check in for Women to Watch. Based in the DC area, Deborah helps create a welcoming, organized, and efficient experience for staff, partners, and supporters alike. Outside work, she enjoys vacationing with her family in Virginia and along the coast. 

Ali Gostanian is the Director of I Believe Israeli Women, a joint initiative of JWI and the Seed the Dream Foundation, which is a global movement dedicated to fighting the denial and disinformation surrounding sexual violence committed against Israeli women, men, and children on and after October 7, 2023. 

Prior to transitioning into the policy and advocacy space, Ali spent a decade at NBC News as an award-winning senior reporter, producer, editor, and newsroom leader, specializing in open- source intelligence, social media verification, and investigative reporting. Ali’s won eight RTDNA National Murrow Awards, a News Emmy, a New York Press Club Award, and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award. Her work has been featured across various NBC News platforms. 

Ali graduated with honors from the mid-career Master of International Public Policy program at Johns Hopkins SAIS in 2025, where she studied international relations, public policy, and geopolitics, with a focus on governance, security, and statecraft in the Middle East. 

Ali lives in the New York metro area with her husband and dog. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and photography. 

Chloe Goldstein is the Director of Women’s Impact and Development, supporting the growth and mentorship of more than five YWIN networks, as well as programming and marketing efforts. 

Before joining JWI, Chloe spent eight years working in the nonprofit sector, primarily in development within Jewish organizations. She holds an M.A. in political science and public policy from Lehigh University and a B.A. in psychology from Dickinson College. 

Throughout her career, she’s helped strengthen organizational missions through philanthropic initiatives and storytelling. Chloe brings her commitment to empowering women and helping them thrive. Chloe also contributes as a lifestyle magazine writer, covering community stories and events across South Jersey and Philadelphia, where she resides. 

Hannah Loffman, M.S.W., is a social worker dedicated to advancing sustainable social change at the systems level. 

With over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, Hannah brings a deep commitment to mission-driven strategy, community engagement, and measurable impact. Prior to joining JWI, she served as Development Officer for The Posse Foundation’s Washington, DC site, where she led fundraising for a $2 million annual budget, expanding access to higher education and leadership development for Posse Scholars. 

A New Jersey native, Hannah worked at the Rutgers University School of Social Work, where she designed and led equity-focused advocacy surveys, translated findings into strategic impact reports and DEI action plans, and convened cross-stakeholder meetings and roundtables to address systemic challenges. She’s the co-founder of Challah Back Girls, a grassroots social justice organization that mobilizes community through challah baking and collective giving to support social, economic, and racial justice causes. 

A proud graduate of Binghamton University and Rutgers University, Hannah brings a strong background in relationship-building, strategic planning, and nonprofit operations. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her husband and their dog, Baxter. In her spare time, you’ll find Hannah reading, at REI, or taking classes at Orangetheory Fitness. 

Alana Blum is the Associate Vice President of Community Response at JWI, where she leads efforts to address domestic abuse in Jewish communities nationwide. She spearheads Here for You, JWI’s national initiative that equips Jewish communal organizations with training, tools, and resources to support domestic violence survivors and their children. Through this work, she helps Jewish communities create trauma-informed, survivor-centered spaces. Alana also oversees JWI’s national clergy task force, engaging faith leaders as key partners in prevention, response, and survivor support. 

Alana also oversaw the delivery of JWI’s 2022 Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Engaging Men and Boys Technical Training and Assistance project, where she served as the project liaison to OVW, led content development, provided training on community mapping, facilitated partner meetings, and presented in-person workshops. 

Before joining JWI in 2022, Alana spent nearly a decade at the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, where she served as Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council and Assistant Vice President of External Relations and Public Policy. 

Sierra Schnitzer, LMHC, is the Senior Director of Survivor Supports and Initiatives at JWI. With over a decade of experience, she leads programs focused on survivor empowerment, including financial literacy, emotional healing, and job readiness initiatives. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Sierra applies a clinical, trauma-informed lens to all of her work, with a particular focus on educating communities to better understand and respond to domestic abuse. 

Sierra’s spent most of her career in Jewish nonprofit programming. Before joining JWI, she managed the domestic abuse program at Jewish Family Services, where she worked directly with survivors and advocates. Her broad clinical background also includes experience working in a psychiatric hospital and supporting neurodiverse children and their families at an ability center. 

By blending her clinical training with her experience in community-based programs, Sierra works to ensure that support for survivors is practical, empathetic, and effective. She develops trainings and initiatives that help survivors regain their independence and move toward long-term stability. 

Anna Gerstein (she/her) is the Prevention Manager at JWI, where she leads the development and implementation of national education and prevention curricula focused on healthy relationships, intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention, and financial empowerment. 

Her work includes designing trauma-informed curricula, facilitating trainings and webinars, supporting public policy initiatives, and creating practical tools for individuals, educators, and professionals working to foster safe, respectful, and equitable relationships. Anna also contributes to JWI’s reproductive rights and gun violence prevention portfolios. 

During college, Anna served as President of the University of Maryland’s Preventing Sexual Assault Organization, where she led survivor support, peer education, and advocacy efforts, training more than 50 student organizations and strengthening collaboration with university leadership. She also worked as an Education Analysis Intern with the Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education, focusing on child sexual abuse investigations; her work was cited in Maryland Supreme Court cases. 

Anna’s a proud graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned her B.A. in public policy. Outside work, you’ll find her at the movies, exploring the outdoors, or lifting heavy weights at the gym.