Our Board
LEADERSHIP
Adele is a clinical social worker who has extensive experience in working with children and adults, families and couples currently in private practice. A highlight of her career included 21 years of working at Jewish Family Services, where she developed, and administered, the Weinstein JCC’s pilot community-wide Inclusion Program, including social groups, religious school, pre-school, after-school and camp programs to ensure that everyone feels welcome and integrated in our community. This program continues to be the pride of the JCC. Adele enjoys her family, traveling and bicycling.
GENERAL BOARD MEMBERS
Missy was born and raised in Richmond and has dedicated both her personal and professional life to helping others. She is a LCSW currently working with children and teens in an inpatient psychiatric facility. Prior to her return to the mental health field, she spent over 13 years running the Inclusion and Support department at the Weinstein JCC. She has seen the power of inclusion and advocacy and is committed to creating a more kind and compassionate world. Missy is married and has 2 amazing children.
For the past nine years, Edie Collins has served as an Exceptional Education Teacher in the Integrated Services Program at Longdale Elementary School. Bringing over two decades of dedicated teaching experience, she previously spent 14 years as a collaborative Exceptional Education Teacher at Rivers Edge Elementary School. Edie earned a degree in Studio Art and Education from the University of Richmond and completed graduate studies in Exceptional Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Outside of the classroom, she is married with two grown sons and loves spending free time creating art, sewing, cooking, and cheering on UR Spiders basketball.
Jess Collins bring more than 10 years of strategic planning experience with major brands including Walmart, Target, Kellogg's, Colgate, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and SC Johnson. Before joining the VCU Brandcenter, she taught at the VCU Robertson School of Media and Culture where she developed curriculum and initiatives including the strategic workshop.
She holds degrees from the University of Virginia and an MS in Communications from VCU Brandcenter. She is a recipient of the 2020 Richmond Ad Club Person of the Year. Jess is married to her high school sweetheart and is the proud mom of a USC senior studying broadcast journalism.
Dr. Harry Gewanter is a semi-retired pediatric rheumatologist who has been an active advocate for children, families and people with disabilities for decades. He is a co-founder of Medical Home Plus, Inc., an organization that provides information, support and resources for families with children and youth with disabilities. He also serves on the board of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia and other local, state and national organizations.
Dr. Peter Heyman has been a Friendship Circle board member for the past 3 years in addition to serving on the Board when Friendship Circle was founded here in Richmond over 10 years ago. He is also the immediate past treasurer. Peter has been practicing pediatrics for 25 years with RVA Pediatrics. He lives in the West End with his wife Allison, and his children Alex and Sadie.
Rabbi Yossel Kranz is the Executive Director at Chabad of Virginia and has served the Richmond community for over 30 years. He is a founding member of the board since its creation 10 years ago. Friendship Circle of Virginia is a project of Chabad Virginia.
I have volunteered through the years with children, adults and the elderly. Friendship Circle has always resonated with me.
Judith Levy has lived in Richmond for 47 years. She spent her early professional years in Atlanta working in the fields of education, counseling and psychology. She developed programs, conducted testing and individual and group therapy with mentally and physically challenged institutionalized children. Over the years in the Richmond community she has devoted her time to numerous organizations including the Massey Cancer Center and facilitating support groups for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She is a former board member of The Richmond Jewish Foundation, Beth Sholom Home and the JCFR. Judith enjoys travel and cherishes family time with her Richmond based, grown children and five grandchildren.
Jay McLaughlin survived a traumatic brain injury in 1988. He went on to attain a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. He currently works in the community with adults and children with a wide variety of disabilities.
Josh McKinley is a graduate of the Radford University School of Business and currently serves as a Mid-Atlantic Region Facilities Operations Analyst. Raised in Maryland and now residing in Hanover County, Virginia, Josh began his professional career in New York City following graduation. A loving husband and father of two, he recently celebrated his 15th wedding anniversary with his wife, Erica. Outside of work, he enjoys playing golf, cooking, and traveling with his family. When he's not on the golf course or planning his next adventure, he's often found cheering from the sidelines of soccer games or the stands at gymnastics meets, supporting his children and making family memories.
Susan Meyers, originally from Detroit, moved to Richmond in 1972 with her husband. A lifelong community volunteer and former downtown business owner of over 25 years, she has held leadership roles with organizations including the YWCA, Visual Arts Center, Family Lifeline, the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, the Richmond Jewish Foundation, Beth Shalom, and Jewish Family Services, where she served as President. A member of the 2004 Leadership Metro class and a founding member of Impact 100 Richmond, Susan also mentored in Richmond Public Schools for over 20 years. She enjoys traveling, ceramics, photography, and time with her family.
As a person with a disability, Matthew has spent most of his life motivated to teach those he has met how to better understand the disability community and inclusion. Through this work it has become his life’s mission to educate others regarding disability related issues. With this thought in mind, in December of 2014, he created 6 Wheels Consulting. Working with those in both the private and public sectors he hopes to expand their understanding of disabilities and inclusion to give them the tools they can use in any environment. Matthew has had the privilege of sitting on numerous disability boards and speaking at a variety of conferences both locally and nationally.
Wes Walker has worked at Dominion Energy, Inc. for 24 years and currently works as Managing Counsel, supporting the company’s federal regulatory practice. He also currently serves on the leadership council for the company’s Parent & Caregiver Employee Resource Group. Prior to joining Dominion Energy, he attended the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond School of Law. He and his wife, Dr. Kimberly Walker, have lived in the Richmond area for 30 years and have two sons, Aidan and Nate.
Dr. Nathan Zasler is Founder, CEO & Medical Director of Concussion Care Centre of Virginia, Ltd., as well as Tree of Life Services, Inc. Dr. Zasler is board certified in PM&R, fellowship trained in brain injury and subspecialty certified in Brain Injury Medicine. He is an affiliate professor in the VCU Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Richmond, VA, and a visiting professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. He has been working with people with neuro-disability for over 30 years and has a long history of disability advocacy.
Alexis Nichols (1997 - 2021) Board Member since 2019
May Her Memory Be For A Blessing
Alexis Nichols was one of the most authentic, strong, intuitive, and kind people I have ever met. She was a passionate disability advocate and impacted everyone she met, just by being her. Alexis was gentle yet fierce with the understanding of an old soul well beyond her years. She taught me more about the inclusion of every person than I could learn in a lifetime. She will always be a friend, a colleague and a mentor, and will be forever sorely missed.
- Sarah Kranz-Ciment, Director
Alexis was a kind, beautiful person with warmth, charm, grace, and intelligence, as an advocate and as a person who faced challenges due to her disability while never letting them stop her from being who she was or advocating for others with cognitive and/or physical challenges.
- Nathan Zasler - Board President
It was a pleasure serving on the Friendship Circle Board with Alexis. Her contributions to our discussions and planning were enormously influential in guiding our principals and practices of inclusion. I learned so much from her, and will certainly use that knowledge as I continue to do advocacy in my personal and professional life.
-Peter Heyman - Board Member
Climbing walls is not my thing. I like to keep my feet on the ground. So here we are at a FCVA event and I'm this big strong healthy mobile guy and I'm not going anywhere near that crazy wall. Soft voiced tiny Alexis rolls up to the people working the climbing wall and says to them "Let's figure out how we can get me up on this climbing wall." vAnd they did! I'm this big guy being a wimp over in the corner and Alexis is in her cute little wheelchair with flowers all over it and she's the one who went up the climbing wall. I never forgot it and I learned a lot from Alexis about what it means to be brave and strong and confident!
- Jay McLaughlin - Board Member
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