Director of Jewish Multicultural & Governmental Affairs
aaron@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5608
Aaron Bloch was born and raised in New York and has called New Orleans home since 2015. A graduate of Binghamton University, 2001, and New York Law School in 2005, Aaron practiced law in New York for seven years before moving to New Orleans to accept a position with the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) as an Education Pioneers Fellow. During his time at OPSB he focused on school accountability, the unification of schools under Act 91, and the formation of a new school at the New Orleans juvenile detention center now known as the Travis Hill School. In 2017, he left OPSB to work on a New Orleans City Council campaign and has since worked on dozens of local campaigns and ballot initiatives as a strategist, manager, digital communications specialist, and field director.
Aaron first came to the Jewish Federation of New Orleans in 2017 as a Board Member of JNOLA, and most recently served as a co-chair of the board from 2019-2021. He is a member of the New Orleans Coalition and previously served as a member of the Friends of Travis Hill Advisory Board, formed to support New Orleans’ system-involved youth with mentorship and support as they leave New Orleans adult jail and juvenile detention facility and return to the community. He is admitted into the Louisiana Bar.
Administrative Coordinator
laura@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5600
Laura was born and raised in the Greater New Orleans area. She is an alumna of Thomas Jefferson High School in Gretna. Laura’s specialty is in outward facing roles; her previous job experience includes management in Restaurant and Hospitality, as well as working for the University of New Orleans Office of Alumni Affairs and Development and for the Plaquemines Parish Assessor’s office.
With her free time, Laura loves to bake. She also enjoys being the cool aunt to her nieces and walking her dogs with her partner and seeing live music.
Chief Executive Officer
robert@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5600
Robert comes to New Orleans from El Paso, TX., where he served as the Executive Director of Jewish El Paso and The Jewish Community Foundation of El Paso from 2018-2023. Prior to joining the Federation and Foundation community, Robert served in various management and
Chief Marketing Officer
cait@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5614
Caitrin Gladow is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. Since 2008, she has crafted the organization’s internal and external messaging, along with social media, branding and donor communications.
Prior to the Jewish Federation, Cait worked in corporate public relations for Kaplan Higher Education Online. She graduated from Florida State University in 2001 with a BA in History. She volunteers in New Orleans with the Gleason Initiative Foundation, Community Table at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and wherever she can find an opportunity serve her city. Cait is also the founder of the Greater New Orleans Seminole Club, which brings garnet and gold to the Crescent City. She recently completed the Loyola University Institute of Politics fellowship, and is an alumna of the 2021 cohort of the Nancy M. Marsiglia Institute of Justice. In 2022, she joined the board of Youth Run NOLA.
She is a proud resident of Broadmoor, where she lives with her husband and three children.
Director of the Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families
chelsea@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5675
Originally from Alexandria, Virginia, Chelsea also lived in Charleston, SC where she received her B.S. in Physical Education at the College of Charleston. With almost a decade in New Orleans, she brings an extensive background in mon-profit management and education to her role with the Federation. She is excited to create resources and opportunities for connection, learning, and practice of Jewish values, that feel accessible and serve as an anchor point for interfaith families in the New Orleans community.
Upon moving to New Orleans in 2014, Chelsea served as both a K-12 enrichment and middle school English teacher. In 2016 she founded Project Peaceful Warriors, a non-profit which supports healing-centered learning spaces in New Orleans through trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness. As founding Director, she grew the organization to serve over 30 schools and community-based organizations, reaching over 15,000 young people and 5,000 educators in the Greater New Orleans area. During this time, she collaborated with the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine to measure program impact and her work was published in the Journal of Psychology Research and Behavior Management. She now serves as a very proud board member.
Chelsea is a graduate of the Jewish Federation's Katz-Phillips Leadership Development class of 2019-2021, during which she built strong and lasting connections to the New Orleans Jewish community. Her community involvement additionally includes facilitating postpartum support groups with The Fourth Trimester & Beyond, an initiative of Tulane’s Psychiatry Clinic. She is currently in the process of completing her Healthy Birth Ambassador training through Healthy Birth Louisiana, a lasting innovative, culturally-specific intervention to reduce poor birth outcomes in the state of Louisiana and beyond.
Reception Manager
prentice@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5600
Prentice G. Jones was born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He is a graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi. He moved to New Orleans in 1998 to work for State Farm as a auto claims adjuster. He spent 22 years as a licensed claims adjuster working for State Farm, followed by Allstate. Prentice began working at the Jewish Federation in 2020, and is currently the Reception Manager.
In his free time he enjoys reading, enjoying his dog and cat and is an avid gardener.
Director of NextGen
amanda@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5600
Amanda Loflin serves as the Director of Next Gen, engaging Jewish young adults, facilitating community, and providing opportunities to support them in their professional development. Amanda was born and raised in New York City and first came to New Orleans in 2012 working in live music and events. After a hiatus away, she is elated to be back in the city that she loves and calls home. Her experience in event production and management supports her work building community and planning gatherings for Jewish young adults. Among other volunteer work and governance, Amanda served as the chair of her synagogue's Social Justice Committee, and on the board of Greensboro, North Carolina's Jewish Next Gen group. She is a proud mama to three amazing kids.
Chief Development Officer
lisa@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5604
Lisa McCaffety-Scott is originally from Texas. She is a graduate of Rice University (BA,1993) where she studied classical music, as well premedical coursework at UT San Antonio. Before moving to New Orleans in 2009, she was Financial Director for the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University where she worked directly under Edward Djerejian, former U.S. Ambassador to both Syria and Israel. She moved to New Orleans to be closer to family and became COO/CFO and then Acting Director of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Since that time, she has focused on capital fundraising in various high-profile institutions including the Audubon Nature Institute and The Idea Village.
Lisa is a passionate volunteer in areas of advocacy and allyship for mental healthcare, anti-racism, women’s rights, and the LGBTQ community. In her free time, she helps develop community programming around workforce development for high school students, and promotes investment in marginalized communities. She loves animals, music, comedy, and cooking, and loves life with her musician husband and their felines Figgy, Mynx and Baguette.
Chief Financial Officer
joel@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5606
Joel Meariman was born and raised in the Greater New Orleans area. He is a proud alum of East Jefferson High School and The University of New Orleans. He earned his BS in Accounting from UNO is 1991. He has been a CPA for over 25 years.
Joel is a father of 6 kids. He recently became a grandfather. In his leisure time, he enjoys spending time with family. He feels his family is his greatest treasure. He enjoys watching all local teams - especially the Saints and Pelicans.
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Grants & Allocations
garrett@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5674
Garrett was born and raised in New Orleans. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. He has been an active member in the Jewish community, and spent the last several years in the Jewish non-profit sector. He looks forward to contributing to the great work in the New Orleans community.
Director of Operations Management
sidney@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5607
Executive Assistant to the CEO
kathryn@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5688
Kathryn Quaid was born in Oklahoma and arrived in New Orleans in 2015. She began a theatre acting career as a teen and has continued to work in the profession throughout her life. She attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University and is a graduate of the University of Exeter. After her time in the UK, she lived in New York City for over a decade where she worked as a teaching artist, lead vocalist for a rock band, event production and hospitality management. Since moving to New Orleans she has worked in venue management, event direction, and local music festivals.
Kathryn uses her free time painting, writing and making music.
Chief Program & Engagement Officer
elizabeth@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5615
Elizabeth was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. She is an alumnus of Loyola University New Orleans and University of Haifa. Prior to joining the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, she was the Program and Engagement Coordinator for the Jewish Federation of Greater El Paso and the Public Programs Coordinator for the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis.
In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her two rescue dogs and reading.
Community Security Director
james@jewishnola.com | 985-718-6189
James Stewart has over 35 years of experience in law enforcement – 21 of those in various positions within the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As the Supervisory Resident Agent in Pensacola, Florida, Stewart supervised all criminal programs, including violent crime, public corruption, civil rights, health care fraud, and cyber-crime, and oversaw a Joint Terrorism Task Force to address counterterrorism and domestic terrorism investigations in the territory. In addition to his domestic portfolio, Stewart completed two tours overseas supporting counterterrorism investigations and activities in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Prior to joining the FBI in 1996, Stewart spent 13 years with the New Orleans Police Department, working a variety of assignments in patrol, narcotics, vice, intelligence, and homicide. Most recently, Stewart served as Chief of Police for the City of Hammond, where he oversaw improvements to Internal Affairs, expanded diversity training, and increased overall officer training as well as community engagement and outreach.
Chief Operating Officer
sherritarr@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5609
Sherri Tarr joined the staff of the Jewish Federation in August 1999 as the Women’s Campaign Director. Throughout the years, she added the title of Young Leadership Director, then became the Assistant Campaign Director, the Campaign Director, the Development Director, the Assistant Executive Director and is now the Chief Operating Officer.
She is a past President of Gates of Prayer Sisterhood and of Congregation Gates of Prayer, and has served on numerous Gates of Prayer Committees including the Choir, Nursery School and Worship and served on the Rabbinic Search Committee in 2017.
A native of Orlando, Sherri is a graduate of Emory University and the Georgia State University College of Law. She is married to Dr. Matthew Tarr, and is the mother of two children - Josh and Kayla.
Program and Engagement Coordinator
lillie@jewishnola.com | 504-780-5670
Lillie Yalowitz was born in Chicago, IL but grew up in Nashville, TN where her family still lives. She graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Jewish Studies and Communications as well as a Certificate in Nonprofit and Strategic Management, and previously worked at Tulane in the Office of Advancement.
In her free time you can find Lillie spending time with her friends, working out or watching sports.