Spokane Area Jewish Family Services is located in the building of Temple Beth Shalom. We are extremely grateful to TBS for donating office and program space, and for all of their ongoing support.
1322 E. 30th Ave.
Spokane, WA 99203
Neal Schindler, Director
director@sajfs.org
(509) 413-8254
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Neal Schindler has lived in the Northwest since 2002. He worked in journalism in Seattle before moving to Spokane to earn a master’s degree in counseling from Eastern Washington University. Neal has provided counseling and social services to diverse populations since 2010. He was raised in a Reconstructionist congregation and is currently a member of Congregation Emanu-El. He loves his work as director of SAJFS. The Jewish values that are most important to Neal include humor, resilience, community, food, intellectualism, and healthy skepticism. He lives with his partner, son, and two cats near Corbin Park.
Maia Tonoukouin, Social Work Intern
maia@sajfs.org
(509) 939-5362
Hi there! My name is Maia Tonoukouin, and I am a graduate student at Eastern Washington University studying social work. I am new to the area, having recently relocated from California. I am passionate about supporting the local community through client-centered services and community engagement. I am especially interested in understanding how systems such as healthcare and social security impact marginalized populations and contribute to inequities. Through my academic work and my internship with Jewish Family Services, I am developing the skills needed to advocate for individuals and families while working toward long-term, systemic social change.
Meet the SAJFS Board of Directors:
Diana Koorkanian-Sauders (she/her), Co-President
Diana works as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the areas of health policy and program development with primary care programs for uninsured and vulnerable populations. She has served as board president of Congregation Emanu-El and currently serves on the board as past president and as a CEE representative on the TBS Education Committee. She enjoys additional volunteer and tikkun olam work through her involvement in the Spokane Alliance and working with other TBS and CEE members to support local refugee families.
Liat Kriegel, PhD, Co-President
Liat is a social worker and a social work researcher. She works as an assistant research professor at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University.
Erica Oropeza, Treasurer
Erica is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in public pensions and workers’ compensation projects. Their expertise spans project management, business analysis, organizational change management (OCM), and training. With a proven track record of managing the entire project lifecycle — from requirements gathering and procurement to implementation, testing, and post-implementation support — they deliver seamless solutions and measurable results. Erica holds an MBA, bringing strategic business acumen to every engagement. They also provide mentorship internally as a professional development manager.
Alex Panagotacos, Secretary
Alex (she/her) currently serves as the Director of Community Voice and Engagement at Better Health Together, where she leads community engagement and power-sharing strategies across Eastern Washington to ensure those most impacted by health inequities help shape the systems meant to serve them. She is also the founder of Alex Panagotacos Consulting, through which she supports nonprofits, community-based organizations, and government agencies in uncovering their core identity, aligning strategy with purpose, and fostering systemic change. Her work is rooted in equity, inclusion, and community resilience. Previously, Alex served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Washington State’s Economic Justice Team, where she helped lead the implementation of the 10-Year Plan to Dismantle Poverty. Her educational background includes a BA in Fine Art with an emphasis in Education from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Applied Arts & Sciences and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Carl Baum, MD
Retired psychiatrist, Spokane Jewish Film Festival committee member and past chair, and grandfather
Berdine Bender, MD
After completing her residency in internal medicine at the University of Southern California in 1981, Berdine became a board-certified internist and ultimately a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. She has been privileged to care for both hospitalized and ambulatory patients, from teenagers to elderly adults, over the last 40 years, 36 of which have been in Spokane. With her lifelong love of music, Berdine has been a member of the TBS Choir since arriving in Spokane in 1983, serving as choir director from 1997 to the present. In her spare time, she loves to cook, read, garden, hike, bicycle, and travel with friends and family.
Adie Goldberg
Adie Goldberg, MEd, DSW, is a board-certified social worker who has worked in many clinical and university settings for more than thirty years, from private practice to hospital settings. Adie became a certified Gurian trainer in 2009 and utilizes the Gurian model in both clinical and educational settings, specializing in both early childhood education and palliative care. She co-authored two books on infancy, It’s a Baby Boy! and It’s a Baby Girl!, and her work has been featured in various media, including Parenting magazine.
Meghan Hannes
Meghan was raised in Spokane and recently returned to be closer to her family. She works as director of human resources for Nordstrom and has an extensive background in business finances and leadership development. An experienced and strategic leader in HR with proven success in consulting and influencing leaders on all people-related topics, Meghan uses HR knowledge, in partnership with business acumen and data, to help drive achievement of overall organizational goals.
Jen Morris
Dekel Peleg
Dekel has always been driven by a desire to help others succeed and is now channeling that passion into a career in customer success. With 10+ years of experience in client-facing roles, she has honed a diverse problem-solving, communication, and client-management skill set. Dekel’s background is a unique blend of creative design and diverse customer service experience. As an interior designer with an associate’s degree and four years of experience, she developed a keen eye for detail and a talent for translating client needs into effective solutions. To further enhance her customer success qualifications, Dekel recently obtained IT and cybersecurity certificates, demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning and technical proficiency. Currently, Dekel leverages relationship management skills as a Sales Coordinator, bridging the gap between client expectations and operational excellence.
Jack Sorensen
Jack grew up in Spokane and returned to the city in 2021 with his partner, Ali, after 12 years in Seattle and Tacoma. He works as a political consultant, specializing in campaigns and strategic communications. Past work includes statewide ballot measures like I-1433 (minimum wage and paid sick leave), I-594 (handgun background checks), and I-940 (police accountability), as well as candidate work and legislative advocacy campaigns, from restoring overtime protections to passing paid family and medical leave in Washington.
Holly Thompson Duffy
Holly works as an Environmental Protection Specialist for Indian Health Service.
Nancy Wickre
Nancy was born in New York City and moved to Spokane in 1982 after living in Nashville and Portland. She worked as a nurse practitioner with a specialty in diabetes and retired in 2019. She enjoyed volunteering for several years on Temple Beth Shalom’s Senior Tea Committee and is excited to join the board of this worthwhile organization.