Deandra Birch is the Executive Office Assistant for JFS Delaware. Dee is the mother of four wonderful adult children. She also has three beautiful grandchildren and a very spoiled cat. She absolutely loves spending time with her family, no matter what it is they are doing they are always having fun.

Her hobbies include sketching, clothing, exercising, dancing, traveling, and learning new things. She also enjoys binge watching movies, reading, and listening to music.

One fun fact about Dee is that she used to have a huge fear of flying. However, she took her first flight two years ago to Houston, Texas and now she loves traveling!

Madison is the Marketing and Communications Specialist for JFS. He completed his Master’s in Sports Journalism at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) and his Bachelor’s in Sports Management at Lancaster Bible College. Madison brings over eight years of non-profit marketing and communications experience to JFS, having previously worked for in the marketing departments for multiple universities. He also interned in the marketing departing for the Indiana Pacers, the NBA team in Indianapolis, while attending graduate school.

Madison grew up in Sussex County and is excited to be returning to Delaware after spending the previous five years in the Philadelphia area. He currently resides in Dover, DE. In his free time, Madison enjoys puzzles, listening to podcasts, and playing basketball, disc golf, and board games. One fun fact about Madison is that he has been on an episode of America’s Funniest Home Vidoes!

Vlad is the Community Relations Manager for JFS. He completed his Bachelor’s in Business Management in Moldova and is currently enrolled in the Master’s of Social Work program at Yeshiva University.

In his free time, Vlad enjoys traveling, cooking, and reading. One fun fact about Vlad is that his personality changes depending what language he speaks.

Nancy is an Accounting Assistant for JFS Delaware. She is a graduate of Delaware State University.

Nancy is a grandmother and enjoys reading, shopping, watching tv and spending time with her family.

Sandra Vernon, a seasoned Human Resources professional, is the Director of Human Resources for JFS Delaware, working with the Chief Operating Officer and responsible for all aspects of day-to-day HR in the agency. Her passion is for a mission-driven organization that does good work. She believes in helping people do their best and advocating for the employee and the organization.

Sandra earned her undergraduate degree in Communications at Fairleigh Dickinson University and then went on to earn her graduate degree at Montclair University in Counseling, Human Services, and Guidance with a concentration in Group Dynamics. She has been involved in growing and sustaining all kinds of businesses from small family-owned businesses to banking, and non-profit. Sandra has previously served as HR Leader in a Delaware-based non-profit and developed strong skills in recruiting, employee relations, and benefits design. Sandra is certified in the Birkman profile and has enjoyed using it to help others find personal growth.

Sandra grew up in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and developed her work ethic early, working on her uncle’s blueberry farm. She worked in Northern NJ and eventually took an assignment in Wilmington and developed a passion for the great little state of Delaware. Now a Delawarean of 27 years, Sandra has enjoyed being a member of a variety of networking and business groups. She enjoys connecting and learning about others and has made friends and associates in all three counties of Delaware.

A collector of all kinds of information and fun facts, Sandra is an outstanding team member for trivia—you’ll want her on your team. In her free time, Sandra also enjoys pour painting and traveling, is a voracious reader, and is also a fan of word and jigsaw puzzles. A proud but reluctant owner of a Cockatiel, Sandra enjoys teaching her grandkids how to hand feed him.

Morgan Schoeneberger is JFS’ Outreach Coordinator, serving as a resource and educator in the communities we serve. Some of the services she will specifically be sharing about include JFS’ Maternal Mental Health and Youth Anxiety Programs. Morgan previously worked for “New Castle County 911” for five years,  triaging 911 calls.

One of three sisters, Morgan is close to her family who all reside in the surrounding area. A self-identified “cat person”, she has happily fostered kittens in the past and looks forward to doing so in the future. In her spare time, Morgan enjoys antiquing, thrifting and cooking. She enjoys any board game, but her favorite is Scattergories.

Lisa Brooks is the Chief Financial Officer for JFS Delaware. She is responsible for financial reporting and presentation, budget preparation, grant monitoring, and recurring accounting responsibilities.

Lisa has over 25 years of experience in accounting and finance, most of which is in the financial services industry. She has a BS in Accounting and an MBA both from the University of Delaware. She’s also a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and Certified in Financial Management.

In her free time, Lisa enjoys dabbling in the hair care industry and staying on top of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Star Wars projects with her son Ryan.

Wendell Covell, Clinical Director for the JFS Delaware Fellowship program, is responsible for providing clinical and administrative level support to the JFS Fellowship team and is the primary contact for JFS community based clinical projects. In this role, Wendell focuses on agency-wide programming needs, community needs, internal and external trainings, Fellowship recruitment, and more.

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Wendell received his Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Syracuse University in 2015.  His passion is families and he has shown this by spending most of his career in behavioral healthcare, providing therapy to families of high risk/gang-involved youth and families that have experienced the removal of a child by the Department of Children and Family Services. Early on at JFS, Wendell was the Director of Program Operations and Training and was an integral member of the COMPASS team, applying his expertise as a LCSW to assist individuals and families impacted by dementia. in addition to his work with JFS, Wendell is also an International Consultant and Trainer for Functional Family Therapy, LLC (FFT) and provides ongoing clinical supervision, support, and training to FFT teams around the world. Previously, Wendell worked with the Salvation Army (NY) for ten years as well as Family Promise of NCC (DE).

When most of the country was “sheltering in place” during the pandemic,  Wendell and his family took a giant leap and moved to Delaware from New York State for a fresh start.  They have called Wilmington, DE home for almost three years.  A dad of two boys, Wendell and his wife are busy. Weekends are often spent exploring the First State and all it has to offer. A favorite is spending time down at the Delaware Beaches, a huge difference from landlocked Syracuse, NY. Wendell is also a lifelong Eagles fan, a caffeine fanatic, and enjoys a 5 AM run before the day even begins.

Shel plays a crucial role for JFS as an Administrative Assistant; she is responsible for the organization and efficiency of essential agency functions including file storage, grant management, and data input, as well as other support tasks such as tracking and ordering supplies and assisting with agency event planning.

Shel is currently a student at Delaware Tech in their Human Services and applied science program; she previously spent a year at Gwynedd Mercy University in their Behavioral and Social Gerontology program. Beyond school, Shel has been a volunteer at The Milton and Hattie Kutz Home since middle school and then worked part time at Kutz Senior Living Campus as a receptionist in the nursing home and assisted living facility. More recently, Shel was a full-time teacher in the Siegel JCC Early Childhood Center.

Shel is a Jewish Delawarean, born and raised. She graduated from Concord High School and is an active member of the Jewish community, as well as an ally and advocate of the LGBTQ+ community and Black Lives Matter. Shel is a professed animal lover and Marvel movie fanatic and enjoys designing tattoos in her free time.

Lisa Bechler has extensive hands-on experience helping to empower underserved populations and assisting them in maximizing their potential. She has worked as a case manager for the last 8 years, helping at-risk clients reduce crisis situations and better manage life’s challenges; this involved conducting critical assessments of client needs, assisting with setting goals, providing emotional support, and linking clients with a variety of community-based resources. Through her learning and previous experiences, Lisa brings strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills to her current role as Director of Performance and Quality Improvement. She can quickly adapt to changing circumstances and provide the direction needed to manage projects start-to-finish.

Lisa is a mother of two sons, the oldest is traveling the world in the Navy and the youngest is a senior in high school, currently applying to colleges to study video production. Lisa shares that she is in recovery with 11 years clean and is certified as a peer specialist.

Lisa earned a BA in English and a BA in Communications from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA.