Meet the Staff

Debby came to Indianapolis in September 2013 after serving in Jewish communities in Palm Beach County, Detroit, Chicago, and South Bend. She received her B.A. from Indiana University and her MSW / Certificate in Jewish Communal Service from the University of Michigan. She loves the thrill of a good rollercoaster, the adventure and exploration that comes with traveling, and film — she could plan an entire vacation around movies. She is married to Scott Grant and has three boys, Jonah, Benjamin and Sam.

Erica has been JFGI's CFO since 2008. While she was born and raised in Wisconsin, Erica has called Indiana home for the last 26 years after graduating from Butler University. Prior to working at the Federation, Erica worked in public accounting and at a privately held radio broadcast company before transitioning into the nonprofit sector. She received the Frank H. Newman Award for Outstanding Jewish Professional in 2017. Outside of work, Erica is involved with the Indiana CPA Society, Indianapolis Tri Delta Alumni Chapter, and was the treasurer of her homeowners association. Erica loves to travel, both in and out of the country, and spend time with her family. She is married to Clark and has a daughter, Charlotte.

Michael rest of bio to come

Josh joined the JFGI staff in December of 2019 and comes with more than a decade of experience in higher education development. A highlight of Josh’s career is his efforts that helped to set UT-Austin’s College of Liberal Arts’ fundraising record of $28.4 million and creating a matching gift program which established more than 50 new endowments. Josh earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from California State University, Northridge and a Master of Business Administration from Anderson University. Josh and his husband, Andrew, have two dogs, Dodger and Maxwell.

Margo joined JFGI in 2006; before that, she worked as the Executive Director of St. Louis Hillel at Washington University and at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center at Indiana University. She loves connecting people to the Jewish community and helping them become stronger leaders and inspired philanthropists. She has a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College, and a Master’s of Education from Loyola University Chicago. Margo volunteers with the Indianapolis chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, JPRO Indiana and is past President of the Board of Directors for the Hillel at the Klehr Center for Jewish Life and Franklin and Marshall College. She is married to Dan Fox and they have two daughters. ​

Lee Vriesman has raised more than $24 million in her development career. She has worked for higher education and social service organizations around Indianapolis including The Damien Center, Children’s Bureau and Indiana University School of Medicine, where she was the Director of Development for Neuroscience. She is a member of class 15 of the Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Series and served on the Washington Township Foundation Board. She served as Grand Masquerade chair for The Damien Center and is a member of St. Luke’s Methodist Church. Lee is a graduate of Ball State University and the mother of two daughters, Emily and Zoe.

Irina is from Kharkiv, Ukraine. She has worked at the Federation since August 2009. Irina graduated from Indiana University in 2003 with a B.S. in Recreational Sports Management; during her time at IU, Irina was an NCAA varsity athlete in tennis and track & field, and has held an NCAA Division 1 record in javelin since 2003. She also has an M.S. in Sports Administration from Valparaiso University, where she also coached track & field. She is married to her husband Ruslan (Russ) Brodskiy; they have two sons, Neal and Alan (who both attend the JCC's ECE program), and a dog, Jeana.

Stephanie has been with JFGI since May 2015. A graduate of Butler University with a combined major in History and Anthropology, Stephanie is originally from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, but now calls Indianapolis her home. She currently serves on the board of the Indiana Jewish Historical Society as Vice-President of History and volunteers for Jewish Family Services' Parents Night Out program, and recently concluded a two-year term as advisor for BBYO’s local Indianapolis girls' chapter. Stephanie is passionate about preserving history for future generations, IndyCar racing, and her family; she can usually be found wandering around museums or historical sites around the world.

Jeff joined JFGI in 2018. He has been part of the Indianapolis Jewish community for decades, most recently working as BBYO Kentucky-Indiana-Ohio (KIO) Regional Director and as a teacher at the Bureau of Jewish Education. He is married to Sarit and has two sons, Stav and Aviv, whose names mean "autumn" and "spring" respectively in Hebrew.

Grant joined JFGI in 2020. He recently retired from the FBI after 30 years, most recently serving as Special Agent in Charge of the Indianapolis Division. Grant brings rich relationships with Indiana law enforcement, national and global intelligence community, and emergency preparedness community. Grant served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps. He also earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Ball State University. His full bio can be found by clicking here. 

Paula, an Indianapolis native, joined JFGI in January 2015. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Brooklyn Law School. She previously worked as a litigation attorney in Chicago and moved to Carmel with her family in 1998. Paula has served on the JFGI Board of Directors, was a member of our Planning and Allocations Committee, participated in the inaugural class of our ATID leadership program, and is a co-founder of Pomelit, a successful engagement program. Paula has also given her time to a wide variety of Jewish preschool and Carmel Clay Schools programs. Paula has three children: Elyse, Danny, and Ben; she loves art and travel and hopes to learn to speak Italian in the near future. 

Pam, joined the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis as Executive Endowment Assistant in January, 2015. Pam spent the last 25 years as an Executive Assistant in the for-profit world with two different companies. It was through these two jobs that she gained all of the experience that she brings to the Federation. Indiana is and will always be Pam’s home. She was born in Noblesville and raised in Westfield, graduating from high school in 1987. Pam then returned to Noblesville where she is raising her son, Brysten. She enjoys cooking, nature walks, and many other outdoor activities, including watching her son play sports.  

Michèle has been with JFGI since 2000. Through the Israeli Shaliach program and partnership with the Western Galilee and Budapest, she helps Hoosiers relate to Israel and Jewish communities around the world. Michè​le hails from New York but spent most of her life in Israel: She grew up there and her daughter now lives there, after serving in the Israel Defense Force. Michèle holds a B.A. and M.A. from Queens College, NY. In 2014, she received the Frank H. Newman Award for Professional Excellence. Her husband, Gadi, and two children (Ben-Ari and Maya) are Israeli-born. Michèle loves films and documentaries, and traveling around the U.S. and the globe.

Andrea joined JFGI in March 2019. She is a native of West Bloomfield, MI (near Detroit) and second-generation American. She earned a B.A. in journalism at Western Michigan University (go Broncos!) and is also a Michigan State University fan. She has worked as a police and court reporter in Marion, IN; a newspaper writer for the Hendricks County Flyer and editor for the Zionsville Times Sentinel; a producer for WISH-TV 8; communications coordinator for Eskenazi Health; and marketing coordinator for Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf, an architecture and design firm. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her big orange cat Oj, cooking, and teaching cycling classes.

Joel Bustamante was born in Madrid, Spain and grew up in Atlanta, GA. He attended Wabash College in 2007 to play Varsity Baseball and pursue a degree in English. While in college, he wrote and drew articles for CollegeHumor.com and was an award-winning cartoonist. Initially planning for a career in Journalism, he entered a doctoral program at Indiana University-Bloomington in 2011, before switching to graphic design. He has worked as the Graphic Designer and Production Coordinator for Associated Construction Publications since 2016, and does freelance graphics on the side.

Vadim started working for JFGI in August 2003. He was born in Daugavpils, Latvia (former Soviet Union) and immigrated to the U.S. in September 1995. In Latvia, he was an accountant and, upon coming to America, went back to school for accounting at the IUPUI Kelley School of Business, from which he graduated in 2002. Vadim loves soccer, art, literature, and traveling, and he hopes to one day travel to Europe. He is married to Olga; his brother and his family, and his mother also live in the United States.

Roberta joined JFGI in February 2019. She has a B.A. in History with an emphasis in East European and Jewish Studies from IU, a Master's in Library Science from IUPUI, and a Master's in Education and Technology from WGU. She has been a member of the Indianapolis Jewish community for more than 10 years, volunteering in many capacities at local synagogues and libraries. Roberta has two children attending the Hasten Hebrew Academy, where she enjoys volunteering with the PTO, in the early childhood library, and in the cafeteria. Her hobbies include reading, walking her dog, music, and cooking for friends and family.

Lori is a native Hoosier and received her BSW and MSW at IU. She started working in the Indy Jewish community in 1984; she knew she wanted to be a social worker in the nonprofit world as a teen working at the JCC. Based on her close relationship with her grandparents, she knew that she would find her passion working with the elderly, helping them to value their independence and life experiences. In 2006, Lori received the Frank H. Newman Award for Professional Excellence. She can still do the splits (just has to stretch first!) from her gymnastics days, and enjoys doing mosaic work. Lori is married to Gary and has two sons and daughters-in-law, Ethan, Rachel, Mark and Dana, and grand-dogs Minnie, Zeus, and Atlas.

Rachel joined JFS in August 2016, coming from Chicago, where most of her family lives and where she worked for Shorashim, a Birthright-Israel program; Rachel was responsible for hiring and training trip staff. She has a B.A. in English from IU Bloomington and an M.A. in Jewish Professional Studies with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. After graduating from IU, Rachel spent a year in Israel on a program called Otzma, where she spent most of her time volunteering with children and teens. She moved to Indianapolis with two dogs, Tigger and Josie, and has been welcomed into her husband’s family’s traditions and gatherings.

Julie is our community social worker, working primarily one-on-one with clients within the Jewish community providing case management, crisis intervention and connection to resources. Julie graduated undergrad and graduate school from the IU School of Social Work. She was lucky enough to be born and raised in Indianapolis and has worked in the Jewish community since 1999. She has four children, a dog, two hamsters and several pregnant fish. In her free time, she speaks to local schools and other groups for the Holocaust Education Speaker’s Bureau as the granddaughter of a survivor, and is an active volunteer for her synagogue and her children's schools.

Christy has been with Jewish Family Services since 2006 as the geriatric social worker. She helps individuals ages 60 and older and their caregivers connect to resources that enable them to stay in their home as long as safely possible. Before working at JFS, Christine worked at the Indianapolis Senior Citizen Center & Hospice as a social worker. She holds a BSW from Manchester University and an MSW from IU. As a native Hoosier from Lafayette, she is passionate about her community and providing the best services she can give. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and is involved with her church. Above all, she loves spending time with her family. She is married to Curt and has two children, Sarah and Nathan.

Jack was born in the former Soviet Union in the republic of Ukraine, but feels like Indiana is his home. He immigrated here in 1978 with his wife and son, and six years later their daughter was born right here in Indiana! Jack and his wife have expanded their family to include a beautiful daughter-in-law and two fun-loving grandsons. Jack began working in the Jewish community in 2002. He is an amazing cook and knows how to throw a party that no one ever wants to leave.

Ruthie is a native of Israel and earned her Music Education degree with The Lewinsky Music College - Tel-Aviv. Specializing in Eurythmics and holding a Gerontology certificate, she served as music teacher for both preschool and school kids, as well as the elderly population. Ruth has lived and taught in Israel, Europe, Canada, and the U.S., and for her, the Jewish community is always a home away from home.

Katya joined JFS in April 2016. She immigrated to Indianapolis from Saint-Petersburg, Russia in 1994; she earned a B.A. from the Music and Pedagogy College in St. Petersburg and an Associate's degree in Applied Science from Ivy Tech in Indianapolis. Katya is married to Michael and has two daughters, Stacy and Anna, plus two furry grandchildren, Wallace the dog and Doris the cat. She can play almost any tune by ear on the piano.