Some people go to work to escape their family lives. At the Oshman Family JCC, we bring our families to work! By our count, there are at least 10 pairs of OFJCC staffer parents who work here with their teenage or adult children.
“So many of our kids have grown up at the JCC,” said Nathaniel Bergson-Michelson, who is Tuvya’s father and Chief Marketing Officer at the OFJCC. “For kids whose earliest memories are JCC preschool and swim lessons, or who loved their time in JCC camps and afterschool programs, it makes sense that so many of them want to be part of creating that same experience for others.”
“For a lot of them,” he added, “It’s also a serious statement about the kind of work they want to do—the first step in a career of community service. Staff kids have seen first hand what the day-to-day work of building community looks like, and how fulfilling that work can be for their parents.”
You really can find multiple generations staffed at the OFJCC. Let’s meet a few:
Sally Flinchbaugh and Tess Flinchbaugh
Pictured: Sally and Tess Flinchbaugh
Sally Flinchbaugh, the Chief Operating Officer/Executive Vice President, has long been the person responsible for overseeing the entire OFJCC operation. Since the pandemic closed our campus in March 2020, she has been the point person directing our leadership teams to ensure safety and continuity for our campus and our programs. Her daughter, Tess, is a camp counselor with the Otter group of kindergarteners!
Mykenzie Busser and Ryan Busser
Pictured: Ryan Busser
Mykenzie Busser is the Assistant Director of Education at the Leslie Family Preschool, and her son Ryan is the head counselor of the preschool summer camp! He also works throughout the preschool school year as a substitute teacher, and has brightened our welcome desk with his warm smile and goofy antics.
Ryan attended our preschool years ago, and now works alongside teachers who taught him as a toddler. Did you know? He’s also a drummer by night, and he has worked at the OFJCC for four years!
Nathaniel Bergson-Michelson and Tuvya Bergson-Michelson
Pictured: Tuvya, Ezra, Nathaniel Bergson-Michelson
Nathaniel Bergson-Michelson is the Chief Marketing Officer at the OFJCC. His career actually began in Tokyo, with PR for Japanese government clients. With passions for data visualization, honey collecting, and puzzles alike, he can be found either singing with Peninsula Cantare or at home, losing strategy games to his wife and two sons.
His son Tuvya is a Member Experience Advocate at the OFJCC—you may have encountered his sunny personality at the front desk. Like his father, he has collected no small amount of zany experiences in his lifetime. Let Tuvya know if you have also tried tar-, spinach- or durian-flavored ice cream. He has also met Alex Trebek on a game show, and met Joan Baez at a protest. If you happen to speak Portuguese, all the better. Tuvya will appreciate the opportunity to hone his skills.
Ilana Gelemovich and Julia Dubovoy
Pictured: Julia Dubovoy and Ilana Gelemovich
Ilana Gelemovich is the Assistant Director of Operations at the Leslie Family Preschool, and the proud parent of two OFJCC Leslie Family Preschool alum—including her daughter Julia, who works as a summer camp preschool counselor. Throughout her 15 years of working at the OFCC, Ilana has served as a classroom teacher and a curriculum coordinator.
Seth Leslie and Abby Leslie
Pictured: Abby and Seth Leslie
In Seth Leslie’s own words, “I woke up one morning to discover that I had been hired as the Chief Development Officer at the OFJCC. I am absolutely elated that I can get paid to ask people for money.”
When he’s not schmoozing his way through a work day, he’s with his amazing family playing board games or sharing single origin bean-to-bar dark chocolate—and now he can do everything at the same time! His daughter Abby works on campus as a preschool counselor.
Pictured: Julia Dubovoy, Ryan Busser, Dana Yeffet, Abby Leslie
Other parent-child staff combos include:
- Anna Gukasian, HR/Payroll Manager and Luiza Arutjunian, Development Associate
- Eugene Vinokur, IT Director and Isaac Vinokur, AV Intern
- Mia Yeffett, Preschool Teacher and Dana Yeffet, Preschool Camp Counselor
- Renana Oved Barak, Preschool Teacher and Maya Barak, Maccabi Sports Camp Division Leader
As you can guess, these cool and confident staff members get along quite well with their parents-coworkers. The friendly vibe comes hand in hand with working towards a common mission at the Oshman Family JCC.
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