President/CEO
Lee Sherman
Lee I. Sherman became President/CEO of the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies (AJFCA) on March 1, 2009. Lee came to AJFCA from Associated Catholic Charities in Baltimore, Maryland, where he served as Director of Strategic Development in the Community Services Division. Prior to working at Associated Catholic Charities, Lee was the President and COO of American Sports Classics, Inc., an archival-quality sports memorabilia and collectibles company with retail locations at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and in downtown Denver, Colorado, that he co-founded in 1991. Lee is an attorney and a Past Chair of the AJFCA Board of Directors. He has served in various leadership roles in the Jewish community over the years, including President of the Board of Directors of Jewish Family Services of Central Maryland (2002-2004), founding Board Member of Jewish Community Services in Baltimore, Maryland (2007 – 2009), Member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Jewish Education in Baltimore, Maryland (2005 – present), and Member of the Board of Directors of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore (2002 – 2004; 2007 – present). Lee is the recipient of a number of awards, including a Mayor’s Citation (2002), a City Council of Baltimore Recognition Award (2001), the Jewish Family Services Board Development Award (1997), and the AJFCA President’s Award (1999), and has given a number of presentations at national conferences and workshops on capacity building in health and human services agencies and moving organizations toward an “outcomes-oriented” model. Lee provides consultation on a number of topics, including strategic planning, community partnerships and collaborations, and executive search. Lee has a B.A. and M.A. from The University of Virginia and a J.D. from The College of William & Mary School of Law. Lee lives in Baltimore with his wife Nancy. His two children, Jordan and Josh, attend college in North Carolina and Ohio, respectively.
Director of Meetings and Conferences
Ann Zeller
Ann has worked collaboratively with AJFCA board members and member agency professionals and volunteer leaders for over 23 years. As Director of Meetings and Conferences, she is responsible for management, implementation, supervision, marketing and planning of all AJFCA meetings and the Annual Conference. As Friends Fund Coordinator, she administers the development and implementation of AJFCA’s Annual Fund Raising Campaign. In past years, her responsibilities have included serving as the Editor of the monthly Russian Resettlement Newsletter and Project Manager for the Elder Support Network. Ann received her BA Degree in Education from Queens College in Flushing, NY. Ann lives in Lake Worth, Florida with her husband, Ben. She has three grown children and 5 grandchildren.
Director of Programs
Lisa Budlow
Lisa Budlow joined the staff at AJFCA in May 2010. As Director of Programs, Lisa works on AJFCA’s strategic thinking initiatives, including programming, member relations, and collaborations. Lisa works on continually upgrading AJFCA’s services to members as well as the association’s internal operations. Lisa came to AJFCA from Associated Catholic Charities of Baltimore, Maryland, where she served for 13 years. Her work at Catholic Charities included outcomes measurement and management, program supervision, planning and development of new programs and overseeing the quality of existing programs. Lisa is an attorney and served as a mergers and acquisitions associate in Baltimore prior to her tenure at Catholic Charities. Lisa has a B.A. in Economics and French from Emory University and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. Lisa lives in Reisterstown, Maryland with her husband, Paul, and their five children.
Manager of Membership Services & Communications
Megan Manelli
Megan joined the AJFCA staff in January 2011. As the Manager of Membership Services and Communications, Megan manages all agency communications, correspondence with member agencies and other interested parties, group purchasing of goods and services on behalf of member agencies and marketing AJFCA’s services to member agencies and the outside community. Megan publishes AJFCA’s weekly e-newsletter and manages AJFCA’s website.
Megan attended Elon University where she received a B.A. in Journalism & Communications with a minor in Human Services. Megan has professional experience within both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, including professional writing, project management and sales, most recently serving as a Campaign Manager for the Maryland Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Megan was born and raised in Baltimore. She currently resides in Ellicott City with her husband and dog.
Washington Director
Shelley Rood
Shelley Rood serves as Washington Director of the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies and Senior Legislative Associate of the Jewish Federations of North America. Shelley works primarily on aging policy, including senior housing, transportation, supportive services, and legislative initiatives for serving Holocaust survivors. Previously, Shelley served as Legislative Assistant to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida. In this role, Shelley handled the Congresswoman’s top priority legislative issues including foreign affairs, outreach to the Jewish community, and policy for women and families. Shelley earned an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University in 2010 and a BA in sociology and political science from the University of Florida in 2004. Shelley is proud to have traveled to Israel seven times since 1999 and enjoys Israeli Dancing, or Rikudei Am, which is popular in the DC area.
Director - Canadian Branch Office
Dalia Margalit-Faircloth took on the position of Director of the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies of Canada, an office of the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies, in 2009. Dalia has over twenty years of corporate experience working in customer support and software development for Donovan Data Systems, an international provider of back-office systems to the advertising industry. After travelling to South America and Israel on humanitarian missions, Dalia decided to switch gears and move into the social services sector. She served as the Development Director for Ve’ahavta, the Canadian Jewish Humanitarian Committee, and then as a consultant to various social service organizations until taking on the co-ordination of a unique and ground-breaking poverty reduction program initiated by the Jewish Poverty Action Group, a coalition of five Jewish social service agencies, in 2008. Dalia is currently also a case worker at Jewish Family & Child Service of Greater Toronto.
Dalia has a B.A. from the University of Cape Town, and is a certified teacher. She lives in Toronto with her husband, Roger, the youngest of their three children, and their dog, Cleo. Dalia also serves as the volunteer ritual coordinator of services at the First Narayever Congregation, a traditional, egalitarian synagogue in downtown Toronto.
Administrative Assistant
Barbara joined AJFCA in January 2010. As the Administrative Assistant, Barbara over sees all aspects of general office coordination, clerical duties, and bookkeeping, in addition to coordinating and maintaining records for staff. Barbara has more than 25 years of administrative experience in the non-profit sector, overseeing and managing all office procedures. She was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland and currently lives in Reisterstown with her husband, Steve. She has one grown daughter.
