Board
of Trustees

Dr. Ahadi Bugg-Levine is the President of the JESPY House Board of Trustees. She served as an attorney for the disability division of the South African Human Rights Commission where she drafted the initial disability provisions for the nation’s Equality Act. She worked with Supreme Court Justices in Mozambique to help enforce the nation’s constitutional provisions ensuring the rights of people with disabilities. 

Ahadi spearheaded The Atlantic Philanthropy’s successful US-Cuba policy reform campaign and contributed to the foundation’s unprecedented healthcare reform campaign. She served as senior counsel in the Affirmative Litigation Division for New York City’s Corporation Counsel and also worked on housing issues for people with disabilities at the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Family and Medical Leave Act matters for the National Partnership for Women and Families. 

 Ahadi is the President of Bugg-Levine, Inc. a consulting company that provides philanthropic research and services to foundations and other nonprofits. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University, her J.D. from Yale Law School, and her B.A. from Wellesley College. 

A parent and volunteer at JESPY, Sophia is a retired Physics teacher of more than 30 years. She is employed as a Research Engineer at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Her experience as an educator includes developing curriculum for all ages and learning styles, from kindergarten through college. In the past, she has volunteered at the Jewish Family Service in Elizabeth, NJ and the ARC of Union County. She currently teaches Zumba at JESPY.

Having spent 20 years in the healthcare industry working in the areas of training, sales, and marketing, Alison Lewis’ career has brought quality of life and life-extending medicines to market and helping patients gain access to much-needed therapies. 

A graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelor Degree in Journalism, she was recently employed at Seagen, Inc., a global biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing transformative cancer therapies. While there, she was responsible for several launches and was recognized for her leadership and making an impact. Lewis has also worked at Novartis, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, UCB Pharma, and Daiichi Sankyo. In 2022, she established Wolf Consulting LLC, a business that partners with organizations to achieve their goals.  

Matt Sheedy joined the Board in 2019 and has served as treasurer since 2020. He previously served on the Board and as Treasurer of Oheb Shalom Congregation also in South Orange. 

Since 2001 he has worked for large publicly owned companies as an investment management professional. Matt currently manages the financial health targeted impact investment program for a large global insurance company. Much of his work has been focused on financing affordable housing, particularly rental housing through equity investments motivated by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). He began his career in municipal government and worked for a national nonprofit financing affordable rental housing. 

He graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton with a Bachelor of Arts and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University with a Master of Public Administration.

Stacey Davis has been a community volunteer for 39 years. In addition to serving on JESPY’s Board of Trustees, she has served as Board President of Young Women the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and was a board member of the Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family Services and Solomon Schechter Day School. Stacey was also a past President of Women’s Philanthropy of Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ.

As a committee member, she served on the Executive Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ Governance Committee and Campaign Cabinet and was Co-Chair of the Federation’s Local Allocations Committee. 

While on the JESPY board, Stacey has worked as Secretary of the Executive Committee, was formerly the co-chair of Nomination & Governance Committee, and is currently the Co-Chair of the Go Big campaign.

Professionally, she has worked as an audiologist and holds a B.A. in Speech & Hearing Sciences from the University of Maryland and a Masters in Audiology from Teachers College at Columbia University. Stacey is married with three children and three grandchildren. 

Jeffrey Bier, who grew up in Warren, New Jersey, is the Vice President of Sales for Richards Manufacturing Company of Irvington, NJ. He graduated from Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union (now Golda Och Academy), holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University, and earned his law degree from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. 

Best known for starring as Ginny Potter in the acclaimed Broadway production of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", Diane Davis previously appeared on Broadway in Golden Boy, Festen, and Old Acquaintance. Off-Broadway she has been seen in Nice Girl (LAByrinth), The Model Apartment, Regrets Only (Manhattan Theater Club), The Young Left (Cherry Lane). She has also worked regionally, most notably starring in An American Daughter at the Williamstown Theater Festival and at other theatres.

Diane was nominated for both a Lucille Lortel and a Drama Desk award for “Outstanding Actress in a Play” for her portrayal of Debbie in The Model Apartment. On television, she has appeared in FBI: Most Wanted, Elementary, Person of Interest, Blue Bloods, Power, Fringe, Without A Trace, and Law & Order. She is also an accomplished Voiceover Artist, and has recorded campaigns for TREMFYA, Johnson & Johnson, Subway, and more. She has an M.F.A., from the graduate acting program at NYU.

Jordan Davis is a Founder and Partner at Candela Partners (www.CandelaPartners.com), a boutique consulting firm that specializes in commercial value creation primarily for PE owned portfolio companies. 

He graduated from Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union (now Golda Och Academy), holds a BA in History from Columbia University, and earned his MBA from Fordham University.

In addition to JESPY House, Jordan also sits on the Board of Trustees for the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary.

Palisa Kelley is a partner at Selverne Kelley Bradford, where she works as a transactional attorney in the fields of music and media. She began her legal career as a litigation associate at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.   

Kelley’s career spans 25 years as a practicing attorney. In addition to serving as Counsel at Sony Music, she was also Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Managing Partner of her own entertainment law firm prior to establishing Selverne Kelley Bradford. 

A graduate of Harvard College, Kelley obtained her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. While there, she served as Articles Editor of the Law Review. Kelley is a member of the Recording Academy and the Association of Independent Music Publishers. She lives in Bound Brook, New Jersey, with her husband and son. 

Following his formal education, Jonathan Myers worked for over 10 years in manufacturing in a variety of positions. His career began as Quality and Process Engineer for Dialight Corp (a division of North American Phillips) in 1982. He later joined the Charles Beseler Company where he started as a Manufacturing Engineer, progressed to Assistant Plant Manager and ultimately moved into sales roles where he worked as Product Manager, Regional Sales Manager and finally as International Sale Manager prior to leaving in 1991. Jonathan then joined the chemical industry, shifting to join Harborchem in 1991 as Sales Manager. After 32+ years he is currently Vice President with operational and sales responsibility. 

As next generation to JESPY founders Helene and Marty Myers, Jonathan joined JESPY House’s Board of Directors in 1990 where he has served on numerous committees including, Facilities, Finance, Investment, Audit, Fundraising as well as serving a 2-year term as President from 2006 - 2008. During his term as President, Jonathan was instrumental in raising funds for the acquisition of several JESPY properties including co-chairing a successful multi-million dollar capital campaign to support the construction of Judi House; The Judith Ruback Schechner Recreation and Wellness Center. 

Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering (BSIE) from Lehigh University. He has three adult children. Jonathan is also the proud brother of one of JESPY’s longest standing clients who joined the program in 1981 and remains an active member of the JESPY community. His brother is now part of the Aging in Place program residing in one of JESPY’s many shared houses.

EJ Leppert is a Business Analyst at Alliance Bernstein, a global asset management firm. He works as a product owner for alternative investments for high-net-worth clients. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and is a CFA charter holder.

EJ joined the JESPY board in 2023. He was a previous Board Member and Vice President for GiGi’s Playhouse in Hillsborough, NJ, a non-profit serving the Down Syndrome population. 

Judy Peskin is a long time JESPY board member. She and her husband Ken are the parents of three daughters and grandparents of six ranging in age from 20 to 7. Judy was a teacher of French and sometimes Spanish for 27 years, principally at Piscataway High School. Since retiring in 2005, she has enjoyed participating in several volunteer activities, especially teaching English as a Second Language at the Jewish Vocational School in East Orange and being a facilitator of Current Events for Seniors at the Jewish Community Housing.  JESPY has been one of her passions for many years. She enjoys being physically active and playing bridge. 

Denise Dimson Rekem, Esq., is an attorney focusing her practice on the representation of individuals with special needs and their families in the areas of early intervention, special education, transition and adult services, residential placements, guardianships, bullying and discipline. In 2014, she became a founding member of Parles Rekem law firm. 

A passionate, persistent advocate, Ms. Rekem is committed to ensuring that the rights and protections of families and their children with disabilities are not denied. She has used her professional background to contribute to JESPY House’s advocacy efforts.

Ms. Rekem is a frequent lecturer in the community, speaking at local schools, Autism New Jersey, JESPY House and to local parent groups. She has published a number or articles addressing the rights of persons with disabilities.

Ms. Rekem received her JD from New York University School of Law where she was a member of the Review of Law and Social Change journal. She received her BA with distinction from the University of Michigan.

Melissa Wish is a licensed Social Worker with over 10 years of experience working with individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities in both nonprofit agency and school settings. Prior to that, she worked as a recruiter for pharmaceutical, financial services and technology companies. 

Melissa has vast knowledge of government programs, services and benefits in the adult system of care. As a relentless advocate, she ensures that individuals receive the budgets/services they are eligible for as well as quality healthcare, safe/accessible/affordable housing and jobs that utilize their strengths and provide opportunities to reach their potential. 

Melissa also has a kind, gentle and bright teenage son named Max, who has ASD and ADHD. Max has made tremendous progress with his academic, social and independence skills through years of partnering with talented special educators and therapists who understood how to teach Max the way that he learns as well as weaving in his special interests. Max is Melissa’s inspiration, the reason she is on this professional journey and fights as hard as she does for people with disabilities.

Melissa received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her MSW with a Specialization in Work, Employment and Rehabilitation from the Hunter College School of Social Work.