A licensed clinical social worker and certified school administrator, Rachel Kornfeld has been providing quality mental health and education services in New York and Connecticut for over 20 years. Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, a master’s degree in clinical social work from Columbia University, and second master’s degree in school building leadership from Mercy College.

Rachel began her career as a social worker in the New York City foster care system, and worked in both inpatient and outpatient mental health and hospital settings. Rachel assisted with the start-up of The New LIFE School, a non-public special education setting, part of Lutheran Social Services of New York, where functioned as the Director of Clinical Services, Principal, and Executive Director. Rachel has years of post-masters training in various therapeutic modalities, and vast experience in the field of mental health and education services.

Kimberly Wolfson-Lisack is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families.

Kimberly previously served as Clinical Director of Safe Haven, a therapeutic respite program for children 0-18 yrs. at Kids In Crisis. She is an adjunct professor in the Human Services Department of Norwalk Community College, and in the MSW program at Sacred Heart University.  She is trained in both DBT and EMDR.

Melanie Zamenhof is the Director of Immigration Services. She earned her undergraduate degree from University of California at Berkeley, and her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School with an emphasis in International Law.

Her practice focuses on the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and all who flee oppression to achieve human dignity and pursue a path to citizenship. She is a member of the Minnesota state bar, the federal Northern District of New York, the Westchester County Bar Association, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Melissa brings to JFS 18 years of experience as an accountant, private business owner and human resources manager. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Binghamton and an MBA from Pace University.

A native of Stamford, CT, Larry graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in International Relations and Mediation. He worked for many years in professional recruiting and staffing. In addition to his role at JFS of Greenwich, Larry currently works part-time as the Director of Congregational Engagement at Temple Sinai in Stamford.

Melissa Basile-Reolon graduated from University of Connecticut with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for the last 12 years, at Kids in Crisis and Children’s Learning Center of Fairfield County.  Melissa was a Fairfield County winner of the prestigious Forty Under 40 Award.

Valerie has a B.S in Psychology and is working towards a Master’s degree in Social Work. Currently she is a Language Instructor at Yale University and a professional Interpreter working in courts, prisons, and DCF offices in Connecticut.

She has previous experience as a crisis counselor for client with mental health and substance abuse disorders, at Family and Children’s Agency.

Bharti Chojar graduated from Fashion Institute of Technology with a BS in Marketing /Fashion Buying & Merchandising. Her extensive volunteer experience includes executive positions in PTA, board member of Greenwich Botanical Center, and chairperson of the Greenwich Youth Film Festival and Dazzling Dahlias Show.

Before joining JFS of Greenwich as a case manager for Ukrainian Refugee Resettlement, Celia worked for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. She has a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) with a concentration in International Security Policy and a specialization in International Conflict Resolution.

Graduating with a BS in Human Development from (SUNY) Binghamton University and a Master of Social Work at Columbia University, Jessica is thrilled to be a part of JFS Greenwich as the associate operations coordinator and therapist.

Khalil Akhlas immigrated from Afghanistan earlier this year. He trained with the FBI and worked for the Consulate in Afghanistan. Khalil speaks Pashto, Dari and English.

Before joining JFS as a case manager for Ukrainian Refugee Resettlement, Tania worked for Round Hill Community Church in Greenwich, CT. She graduated with a master’s degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University and holds a degree in International Relations with a concentration in Eastern European Studies from Syracuse University. As an active member of the Ukrainian community in Stamford, Tania previously served as the Director of the School of Ukrainian Studies for 6 years as well as, a founding member of the Stamford branch of the Ukrainian American Youth Association. She continues to volunteer extensively within the community and speaks Ukrainian fluently.

Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Lala immigrated to the U.S. with the help of HIAS, JFS, UJA/JCC and Temple Sholom in 1990 and brings a unique perspective to the resettlement volunteer effort at JFS. Prior to joining the Resettlement team, Lala played an active role as a JFS volunteer and translator for the United for Ukraine program and was also on the Board of Directors at JFS. 

Previously, Lala was Director of Rewards for RecycleBank, an ESG-focused rewards and loyalty program, and before that was a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting where she focused on strategy and operations engagements for financial services clients. Lala graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from Bucknell University and is fluent in Russian and French.

Courtney has a B.A in Political Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and has a background in U.S. History and Law. She has volunteered with various institutions for many years and is excited to join the JFS team as a Case Manager for the APA Program.