Staff
Senior Staff
Sam Crystal, Chief of Staff and Communications Director
Sam is passionate about electing Democrats, criminal justice and prison reform, combating climate change, and supporting a two-state solution.
Get in touch with Sam and our Communications team. Michael Berkowitz, Senior Political and Policy Director and Director of JDCA PAC
Mil Dranoff, Senior Development Director
Ben Kanter, Deputy Chief of Staff
Robert J. (Bobby) Saferstein, Chief Program Officer
Staff
Brett Bauer, Development Manager
Matthew Craig, Director of Operations and Scheduling
Gideon Eichenwald, Programming Associate
Sara Grostern, Communications Manager
Becca Hammerman, Outreach Manager
Becca graduated Magna Cum Laude from George Washington University (GWU) where she studied Human Services and Social Justice. While at GWU she was actively involved in The Ronald McDonald House Charities and Camp Kesem, both non-profit organizations that support children and their families. Prior to joining JDCA full-time, she enthusiastically served as a Midterm Fellow and Outreach Intern with JDCA during the 2022 midterm elections. Becca additionally interned on Capitol Hill with a Democratic member of Congress and more recently served the Biden-Harris Administration as a White House Intern. Currently, Becca is pursuing a Masters in Public Administration with a field of study in Politics, Policy, and Administration at GWU. Becca spent most of her childhood in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She is the granddaughter of a Cantor, she is proud to say that her Jewish identity grounds her and naturally pulls her in the direction of public service. In her spare time, Becca enjoys teaching pilates and taking long walks with her faithful companion, a 6-year-old Yorkie.
Marika Hjelmaas-Bresler, Coordinated Campaign Director
Beverly Schreiber, Director of Outreach and Partnerships
Beverly has spent almost 15 years working in the political sphere, primarily as an issue and electoral organizer, where she has focused her efforts on getting young people engaged in the political process. She started her career as a campus organizer for Fandom Forward (previously The Harry Potter Alliance), a nonprofit that uses the power of pop culture and fandom to engage young people in social justice issues. During her time there, Beverly created the Granger Leadership Academy, an annual conference focused on training chapter members in advocacy tactics and leadership development through a fan activism lens, to help build positive social change in local communities. For the last six years, Beverly worked in her home state of Nevada, holding positions such as the Nevada State Youth Director for NextGen America, the largest youth vote organization in the country, and the Field Director for the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus, where in 2020, she helped elect nine candidates to the Nevada State Assembly. Beverly holds a B.A. in Multidisciplinary Studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management & Policy, with a focus on International Policy and Management from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She currently resides in Las Vegas and in her spare time serves as an advisor for the same BBYO chapter she was part of in high school (shout-out to Helene Gorbena #1938, Mountain Region #47) and tries to get cuddles from her super fat, super cuddly orange tabby cat Muffin.
Get in touch with Beverly. Dalia Segal-Miller, Political and Policy Manager
Dalia graduated from Northwestern University where she studied Social Policy and Civic Engagement. Growing up in the dynamic political landscape of North Carolina, Dalia developed a passion for political accountability, advocacy, and community organizing, and she began her political involvement in high school through environmental justice efforts. Prior to joining JDCA full-time, she worked for a Jewish Democratic member of Congress and interned with House Majority PAC, where she researched Democratic House campaigns in the 2022 midterm elections. She also spent two years working with the City of Evanston to increase representation and accessibility in local politics through the city’s first Participatory Budgeting initiative. At Northwestern, Dalia was heavily involved in Jewish life on campus, TEDxNorthwesternU, and College Democrats. Dalia now lives in Chicago where she enjoys exploring new coffee shops and taking walks along Lake Michigan.
Jacob Spiegel, Deputy Communications Director
Sydney Tepper, Youth Voter Engagement Manager
Sydney graduated The University of Texas at Austin where she was a double major in Government and Sociology. While at Texas she was actively involved in Texas Hillel, VP of Philanthropy for her sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi, and a Voter Deputy Registrar where she registered students to vote in the 2018 midterms. Additionally, she was a J.J. Pickle Congressional Research Fellow where she researched co-sponsorship rates in Congress and the correlation between party and gender. She then moved to Washington DC, where she completed her Masters in Public Administration at George Washington University, focusing in Politics, Policy, and Administration and was an Organizing Fellow with JDCA during the 2020 elections. Prior to joining JDCA full-time, she worked at B'nai B'rith International where she worked in their development department. She most recently comes from the Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell LLP where she served as their Strategic Communications Specialist. Sydney grew up on the south shore of Long Island and spent her summers going to jewish sleep away camp in Wayne County, PA. In her spare time, Sydney likes to read any queer romance book she can get her hands on, watch Doctor Who, and play on her LGBTQ+ recreational kickball team.
Get in touch with Sydney.