JCUA Votes Leadership

Board of Directors

Andie Linker, Co-Chair

A lifelong Chicagoan, Andie Linker (she/her) believes in the power of her neighbors to elect local politicians who truly serve the public good. She is so proud of the work JCUA Votes has already done to elect awe-inspiring leaders to City Hall and looks forward to working with those elected officials to get the necessary legislation for our issue-based campaigns passed. When Andie is not knocking doors and organizing the Jewish community, she’s a master’s student at UIC studying urban planning & policy.

Hilary Johns Felton, Co-Chair

Hilary Johns Felton (she/her) was born and raised in Northern California and made her way to Chicago for law school. After 20 years, she knows her true home is, and always will be, Chicago. She works for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services in the Office of the General Counsel. She is passionate about the equitable administration of government programs and services, ensuring that every person she works with is treated with respect, and feels heard and understood. Hilary spends her free time reading, rooting for her California sports teams and spending time with her run club.

Emily Isaacson, Treasurer

The organizing origin story for Emily Isaacson (they/them) began at JCUA as a former participant in JCUA’s youth organizing programs, now more than 10 years ago. In 2018-2019, Emily was JCUA’s Avodah Organizer. Since then, while continuing to be an active JCUA member, Emily has worked in a number of organizing and political roles in both staff and volunteer capacities. This includes being both a local Chicago and national organizer with the youth climate organization Sunrise Movement and the Campaign Manager for Angela Clay of Chicago’s 46th Ward. They currently organize with the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. Through all of these experiences and more, Emily has focused their skills on relational organizing and leadership development, direct action and advocacy, and electoral politics. When not in organizing mode, Emily loves communal singing, collaging, and jumping into Lake Michigan when the weather allows!

Rabbi Suzanne Griffel

As a resident of Uptown, Rabbi Suzanne Griffel (she/her) has been inspired to work for affordable housing and against gentrification and displacement with JCUA and ONE Northside. She participates in JCUA’s campaigns for immigration and public safety, and she is excited to serve on the Board and Political Committee for JCUA Votes to help elect leaders with whom we can co-govern to advance our issue work. While she has also served as a rabbi in Hillel and congregational settings, Suzanne’s primary professional identity is as a chaplain, and she looks forward to using her “superpower” of deep listening to support fellow JCUA Votes (and JCUA) members through our work together.

Beth Lange

While Beth Lange’s (she/her) professional work has been in website content management for nonprofit organizations, user-centered design, and software development her true passion is doing advocacy with JCUA Immigration Committee as part of an amazing coalition of organizations. Big wins happen when we meet with our legislators and they know that we’re prepared and persistent. She’s excited that JCUA Votes will deepen our members’ impact on who are our elected officials. Beth has done precinct work, phone banking, and voter registration for many years and believes that JCUA Votes will be an important force by making endorsements and engaging in campaign work. Year-round Beth spends time in nature taking long walks and gardening at an Evanston bird sanctuary, and she’s currently studying Spanish.

Emily Rapport

Emily Rapport (she/her) has been a JCUA member since 2017, having participated in our Community Safety Committee, White Racial Justice Working Group, and more. Emily grew up in Bexley, Ohio. She works as a software engineer at Adobe, where she develops video and audio features for Adobe Express. Emily is a builder at Mishkan Chicago, and in her free time, she enjoys attending theatre and concerts, reading novels, and playing tennis.

Greg Rothman

Greg Rothman (he/him) is deeply committed to civic engagement and social justice. He is dedicated to philanthropy that promotes understanding and equity and leads to social change. In addition to his longtime work with JCUA, his affiliations include JStreet, the ACLU, American Jewish World Service, Bend the Arc, and more. In addition to working with his family’s company, NAMTOR, Greg is an accomplished actor, scuba diver, and photographer with a passion for adventure.

Political Committee

Veranda Armstead

Veranda Armstead (she/her) is a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign! She is originally from the West side of Chicago. She is excited to be a part of the JCUA Votes Political Committee because local elections affect people’s everyday lives and can bring about the most change in Chicago.

Rachel Doherty

Rachel Doherty (she/her) works at the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, where she is a Department of Justice partially-accredited representative. She has been a member of JCUA since she participated in the College Organizing Fellowship in 2018-2019. Since then, she has become a leader in the Immigration Justice Committee. In 2022, she was recognized by Jewish United Fund Chicago as a 36 under 36 honoree. Rachel has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northwestern University. She is excited to be part of the JCUA Votes Political Committee because she sees JCUA Votes as the next step in building our community’s power in the Chicago area, and hopes to make powerful demands of politicians, amplify progressive Jewish voices, and get our own organizers informed and elected.

Rabbi Suzanne Griffel

Hilary Johns Felton

Isaac Gamoran

Isaac Gamoran (he/him) grew up in the northern suburbs, and after stints in Bethesda, MD, St. Paul, MN, Tempe, AZ, and Jackson, MS, returned to Chicago in August 2021 to begin UIC’s Master of Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP) program. That is where he met fellow MUPP student Ethan Ramsay, who, along with Mara Wolkoff, introduced him to JCUA. Isaac became involved in early 2024 to canvass for Bring Chicago Home, and then joined JCUA’s housing and economic justice and community safety committees. He currently works at Mishkan Chicago, teaching 2nd and 3rd graders about Judaism through hands-on learning. He cares deeply about building relationships with others, and working at the intersection of equity, community development, climate change, and the arts. Outside of work, Isaac enjoys playing tennis, singing, tap dancing, and playing games with family and friends.

Emily Isaacson

Martin Levine

A lifelong advocate for progressive social change, Marty Levine (he/him) founded the Jewish Alliance for Economic Justice. He serves currently as a Coordinating Committee member of the Chicago chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, is a member of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), served on the CPAC negotiating committee, and has been active with the Jewish Council for Urban Affairs’ Fair Tax and Police Accountability campaigns. A social worker by training, Marty helped lead the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago for 40 years until he retired in 2016. Since he stepped down, he has consulted and helped build the strength of small community service organizations from Gary to Waukegan. He is excited to do the the work of better aligning our elected officials with our vision of a just society.

Iszy Hirschtritt Licht

As a member of JCUA and the Immigration Committee, Iszy Hirschtritt Licht (he/him) knows the power of coalitions. Alongside our partners, we have been able to create policy change through direct action, lobbying, education, phone banking, canvassing, social media posts, and more. He’s excited that JCUA Votes is expanding our tools to create change and enabling us to directly develop relationships with elected officials. More importantly, he sees JCUA Votes as a way to grow our community and our voice. JCUA Votes will bring in and reengage members, foster a community that is actively learning and building political identity, and empower us to advance justice throughout our city, our state, and our nation.

Sophie Mann

Sophie Mann (she/her) is a proud Bay Area native, but has called Chicagoland home for the last 10 years (with a brief stint in Cambridge, MA along the way). Since returning to Chicago in 2019, she’s been an active member of JCUA, Avodah’s social justice fellowship, and IfNotNow. Sophie has been passionate about JCUA and JCUAV’s work ensuring Chicago and Illinois are safer, more welcoming places for all, working on the Fair Tax and Bring Chicago Home campaigns and supporting State Sen. Graciela Guzman’s work in the 20th district. Sophie is a data analyst and program manager in her professional life, and, outside of work and organizing, she’s an avid runner, triathlete, volunteer with BBYO in the suburbs and the Anti-Cruelty Society downtown, just started learning how to do Bachata, and loves to bake. She received a Bachelor’s in Cognitive Science and English Literature from Northwestern University and a Master of Education in Technology and Innovation from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Ingrid Peterson

Ingrid Peterson is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep High School. Ingrid has been working with JCUA since sophomore year in the Or Tzedek cohort, then as a youth liaison for the Housing and Economic Justice committee. Ingrid joined the JCUA Votes Political Committee in the spring of 2025, and also served as a JCUA youth summer intern in 2025. Outside of community organizing, Ingrid is involved in theatre as an actor, singer, and director, works as a teacher’s aide for the Secular Jewish Community and School of Oak Park, and spends a lot of time birdwatching.

Elissa Rabin

Elissa Rabin (she/her) has been involved with JCUA since returning to Chicago in 2018. With a deep passion for education equity and justice, Elissa is a former teacher now working in education policy. She also serves as a Community Representative on Von Steuben’s Local School Council. Elissa is excited to join the JCUA Votes Political Committee, driven by her belief in the transformative power of local organizing and progressive electoral politics to create a more equitable and just city for all.

Emerson Raine

Emerson Singer is a senior at Evanston Township High School. She got involved with JCUA Votes through her work at JCUA, first in Or Tzedek and now as a youth liaison for the immigration committee. In addition to being involved with JCUA in many different capacities, Emerson is a madrech at Beth Emet’s Hebrew School, runs Beth Emet’s high school youth group, works at a coffee shop and a Mexican restaurant, and writes articles for the Jewish Women’s Archive’s online publication. In her free time you can find Emerson drinking coffee, writing in a really tiny notebook, or exploring Chicago and writing about it.

Ethan Ramsay

Ethan Ramsay (he/him) has been an active JCUA member for close to a decade, participating in campaigns such as Fair Tax, Empowering Communities for Public Safety, and #EraseTheDatabase. He currently works as an organizer at Austin Coming Together and is in graduate school for urban planning. He believes that supporting progressive movement candidates running for local office can help us build people power and win issue based campaigns.

Miriam Savad

Miriam Savad (she/they) is a planner and activist who supports grassroots movements and building inclusive, sustainable communities. Miriam works at the Center for Neighborhood Technology as the Chief Strategy and Program Officer. A Hyde Park resident, you might find Miriam biking along the lakefront.

Abby White Hagerty

Abby White Hagerty (she/her) first got involved with JCUA during the Fair Tax Campaign, drawn to the opportunity to educate others about policy and its direct impact on communities. A former CPS teacher, she now works for a K-12 education company supporting school districts in implementing new curriculum. With her background in education, she is especially excited about training and coalition-building, helping others find their place in the progressive movement. She believes local organizing is a powerful way to fight for justice and create change.

Issac Young

Issac Young (he/him) is a Midwestern gamer who spent a lot of his time during high school in Indiana doing youth advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and for LGBTQ+ youth’s rights in schools. Since then, that passion has not gone anywhere and he currently works with Keshet as their Midwest Youth Engagement Manager empowering LGBTQ+ Jewish youth to be their full selves. Prior to working with Keshet, Issac participated in the 2019-20 College Age Fellowship with JCUA, which led into a summer internship working on Fair Tax for IL. He has been a member of the Housing and Economic Justice Committee since then, and a member of Ometz Lev. Issac graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Game Art and double minored in Women, Gender and Sex Studies & Animation. He will be returning to school at the University of Illinois Chicago for a Masters of Public Health in the fall of 2025. He lives in Chicago and likes to spend his free time playing games with friends. He hopes to write and publish his own comic book series one day.