Meet the new assistant director of JPSS

The Jewish Pavilion Senior Services recently hired Vanessa Stein as the new assistant director. Stein is also on the Board of Directors at Congregation Ohev Shalom.

Stein brings both professional expertise and personal experience to her role. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology with minors in gerontology and Jewish Studies from the University of Florida in 2005, followed by a Master of Social Work from the University of Central Florida in 2008. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Stein has worked in senior healthcare, hospice, military, and academic settings. Her dedication to serving the Jewish and wider community is deeply rooted in her family legacy of philanthropy.

She knows firsthand what a visit from JPSS means to residents of senior-living communities who might otherwise be cut off from their friends, families and Jewish identity.

Stein has a plan for JPSS. "I'm hoping to engage more donors and supporters in their 40s and 50s and increase their connection to the wonderful work we do here," Stein said. "Their support is an investment in the emotional well-being of their own parents and eventually, perhaps, themselves."

Stein grew up in Maitland, and is raising her family in the same house she grew up in. She has a commitment to community and multi-generational stability that makes her, as a licensed clinical social worker, the perfect addition to JPSS, according to Nancy Ludin, JPSS CEO.