Early Childhood Staff

Lily Apanius has been part of the Mandel JCC community since she was three years old and has grown up with the JCC as an important part of her life. For the past five years, she has worked as support staff throughout the Early Childhood Center, gaining experience with children of all ages and learning from the many wonderful teachers around her.

Lily is a recent graduate of Kent State University, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology. Her studies included a special interest in human development and early childhood, making her especially excited to begin her new role as an infant teacher in Room 5.

Lily is looking forward to getting to know each child and family and creating a classroom environment that is fun, positive, and nurturing. She believes children thrive when they feel safe, supported, and encouraged to explore and learn at their own pace. After growing up as part of the JCC community, Lily is excited to continue that connection by helping create a warm and welcoming experience for a new generation of children and families.

Meryl Becker grew up in Shaker Heights and now lives in Cleveland Heights. She earned her Bachelor of Digital Arts degree from Bowling Green State University and has worked in childcare since 2018, both as a private nanny and at various preschools. Meryl is a veteran infant teacher in Room Six.

Outside of the classroom, Meryl enjoys walking, hiking and exploring nature. She loves sharing her appreciation for the natural world with her students and strives to inspire them to observe, explore and care for the world around them.

Kelly brings over 20 years of Early Childhood experience, along with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Master’s Degree in Education Supervision, and a Pre-K - 3 Teaching License. Prior to this role, Kelly has held numerous leadership positions in high-quality preschool programs, including Orange Early Childhood. Kelly has also taught Early Childhood undergraduate courses at Ursuline College and has led multiple teacher workshops and trainings for educators in the field.

As a dedicated early childhood professional, Kelly truly enjoys getting to know and support young children and their families. She is passionate about promoting the value of early childhood and loves the excitement she gains from making a difference.  

When not at the J, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, traveling to new places and cuddling with her French bulldog!

Holly Bruell has been a longtime employee of the Mandel JCC and has dedicated many years to nurturing and supporting young children and their families. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and has completed many hours of continuing education, with a special focus on Conscious Discipline.

Holly is the proud recipient of the Lifsa Shacter Award in Early Childhood, recognizing her understanding of the unique development of children and her commitment to early childhood education.

Through her many years of service to the JCC, Holly’s own family has also become part of the JCC community, including involvement in Camp Wise.

Outside of the classroom, Holly is married to her husband, Douglas. Together, they have three children and four granddaughters, who bring her great joy.

Nikki Cohen: Nikki Cohen has been part of the Mandel JCC family since 2018. She first joined the JCC as a substitute teacher while attending college and has since taught in Pre-K, toddler, and threes classrooms. Nikki currently teaches the youngest toddlers and especially enjoys watching their curiosity, confidence, and independence grow.

Nikki has experience working with children of all ages and abilities. She discovered her passion for this work while completing an internship with Friendship Circle of Cleveland and later continued there as a program aide. Nikki earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, with a concentration in Child and Youth Development, from Kent State University. She also completed minors in Sociology and Nonprofit Studies, along with a certificate in Disability Studies and Community Inclusion. In 2026, she earned her Master of Arts in Education in Early Childhood Education from American Jewish University.

Outside of the classroom, Nikki loves to read and has a personal collection of more than 400 books! She is also a huge Disney fan and is almost always planning her next trip to Walt Disney World.

Sarah Eippert has been part of the Mandel JCC Early Childhood Center since the spring of 2026 and brings nearly 10 years of experience working in early childhood education. Throughout her career, Sarah has had the opportunity to work with children of different ages and enjoys the unique personalities, interests, and developmental stages that make each child special.

Sarah is passionate about creating a nurturing and supportive environment where children feel safe, valued, and encouraged to explore. She believes that strong relationships are at the heart of early childhood education and enjoys getting to know each child and helping them build confidence as they learn and grow.

Sarah especially loves being part of children’s everyday discoveries—from trying something new to developing friendships and celebrating new accomplishments. She strives to create a classroom where children feel comfortable being themselves and where learning happens naturally through play, exploration, and meaningful interactions.

Tabatha Fye began at the Mandel JCC in 2023 in the 3s classrooms. Since then she has worked as a support specialist in all rooms from infant to pre-k, and was a co-teacher in pre-k for two summers. 

Tabatha graduated from Solon High School in 2023 and now studies Psychology at Case Western Reserve University. She aims to foster creativity and curiosity within every child, and enjoys bringing her love of nature and crafts into the classroom.

Maria Hanley is a passionate advocate for early childhood movement education and specializes in teaching dance and creative movement to young children. For more than 20 years, Maria has helped preschools and dance schools develop infant, toddler, and preschool creative movement programs in both Cleveland and New York City.

Her experience includes working with renowned organizations such as the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan, Mark Morris Dance Group, New York City Ballet, and the Mandel JCC. Maria currently teaches early childhood dance at Hudson Conservatory of Ballet. She brings her love of movement, imagination, and creativity into every class and especially enjoys watching young children discover the joy of expressing themselves through dance.

Maria holds a Master’s degree in Dance Education from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from Slippery Rock University. She is also the proud mom of three children, all of whom attended the Mandel JCC Early Childhood Center. Maria is especially excited to share her passion for movement with the next generation of young learners and their families.

Rylee Horowitz is an Akron native who recently joined the Mandel JCC Early Childhood Center as an Infant Support Staff Specialist. After years of babysitting and discovering her love for working with children—especially infants—Rylee decided to pursue her passion and plans to earn a degree in Early Childhood Education.

Rylee hopes to help children grow and discover who they are through music, play and her theater experience. She loves watching children grow into wonderful little humans and is excited to be part of their journey.

Elzabeth “Liz” has over 35 years’ experience working with young children. She joins us after spending 22 years in Montessori classrooms, 15 of those years working with toddlers. A native to Cleveland, she has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Education, a Preprimary American Montessori Society Certificate, and a preK-3rd Grade Educator license.

Liz feels that working with young children is what keeps her feeling young at heart as well as maintaining a good sense of humor. She enjoys helping children gain self-confidence by learning to accomplish tasks on their own. She likes to observe children building friendships and making connections by exploring their environment and experiencing “aha moments.” She is eager to continue fostering positive learning experiences and contributing to the warm community for young students at Mandel Jewish Community Center of Beachwood.

When not guiding children, Liz spends time in nature, crocheting, knitting, quilting, and tending to her nineteen orchids and ten fish. She is an unintentional stray cat magnet and recently acquired her third cat and plans not to add any more. 

Rebekah has been with The J since 2014. She has a warm demeanour and passion for working with young children.

She carried her love of working with young children with her when she made the move with her family from Tucson, Arizona, to Cleveland, Ohio. In Tucson, Rebekah worked as a camp director and preschool teacher.

Since living in Cleveland, she has worked at a number of early childhood centers but she feels most at home at The J. “One of my biggest passions in life is being in a classroom with children where I can support, nurture and influence their positive growth,” Rebekah said. “I’m equally passionate about developing meaningful relationships with parents and families of my students – we’re partners working towards a common goal to do what’s best for their children. The J is the perfect place to do this – the environment truly feels like a home away from home.”

Rebekah has a “play to learn” philosophy accompanied by the Conscious Discipline method. This makes for a smooth-running classroom facilitated by creativity and curiosity.

She graduated in May 2018 with her associate's degree in early childhood education and has obtained her Ohio licensure for Pre-K.

Elena came to Cleveland from Russia after graduating from the Ural Pedagogical University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English language and English literature and a minor in German language. Here, in Cleveland, she met her husband and together they are now raising two wonderful children, Vera and Alexandra.

After having her children, Elena realized that she needed more information about how American public schools operated, so she enrolled in a school-based master program at John Carroll University, which placed her into the Lower Hawken School for a year to complete her studies. This experience was extremely rewarding. Not only did it make Elena a stronger mentor to young children she was working with, it made her a stronger parent. The idea of fair play is very close to Elena’s heart because it recognizes that each child is unique, and the needs of one child will be different from the needs of another, and those needs deserve to be met. Elena’s goal is to create a safe, fun and supportive climate for children to learn and grow while making new friends and discoveries at The J’s preschool.

Over the past two decades living in Cleveland, Elena has been busy getting an associate degree in commercial art and graphic design, volunteering in a metropolitan school district, starting a family, substitute teaching in Orange, Beachwood and Shaker Heights schools, kayaking and camping with her loved ones, and enjoying her friends and her community.

Jenna King is thrilled to be part of the incredible team of teachers here at the Mandel JCC. She has 12 years of teaching experience and holds three degrees.

Jenna has her B.A. in psychology, a B.S. in Public Health with a concentration in Health promotion and education, lastly, a Master’s degree in public health with a concentration in occupational health and safety. She has her  MACTE Montessori certification in Early Childhood Education.

In her free time, I she enjoys spending time with her husband, Dan and their four pups. 

Stef is delighted to be part of The J’s teaching team for another great year. Prior to coming to The J, she worked as a preschool teacher at Park Preschool for several years, a preschool aide at Gurney Elementary School and an educational assistant at Lewis Elementary School. Stef views her teaching role as an opportunity to support and empower children and enhance their learning potential.

She sees working with children as a privilege and looks forward to another year of fostering kindness and friendships, exploration and growth.

Stef graduated from Ohio University in 1998, and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism, with a minor in public relations. She also earned a certification in environmental studies from Newcastle University in Callaghan, Australia.

Stef lives in Solon with her husband, Jamie. They have two children, two dogs, two fish and one hedgehog. In her free time, Stef enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, hiking, spending time outdoors and caring for animals.

India Meesig brings more than 20 years of experience in early childhood education and care to the Mandel JCC Early Childhood Center, where she has been part of the team since 2018. Before joining the JCC, India spent more than 15 years working as a professional nanny and in-home childcare provider. These experiences helped her develop a deep understanding of child development and the importance of building strong relationships with children and families.

India feels that joining the Early Childhood Center was one of the best decisions of her career. She is grateful to work alongside a collaborative and nurturing team while doing what she loves each day—caring for and supporting young children as they learn and grow. India values creating a warm environment where children feel safe, loved, and encouraged to explore.

Outside of the classroom, India enjoys spending quality time with her family and giving back to her community. She volunteers at the clothing pantry at her children’s former elementary school, an experience that reflects her caring and generous spirit.

Shayna Miller Graduated from University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a double minor in education and counseling. Shayna jumped right into working in childcare following graduation in 2020. Her first teaching job was as an infant teacher for 3 years and then she transitioned into a preschool teacher for 2 years in a multicultural childcare center. She loves exploratory play-based learning with early childhood and encouraging language development through conversation. 

Shayna is an avid runner who moved to the Cleveland area to be closer to her family. She is a Morah in the oldest infant room.

Tamara Myshakova is an early childhood educator with over 15 years of experience working with young children. She has spent the last three years in Montessori education, supporting children’s growth through hands-on learning, independence, and meaningful relationships.

Tamara is passionate about creating a warm, nurturing, and engaging environment where every child feels valued, safe, and encouraged to reach their full potential. She believes that children learn best through exploration, play, and positive guidance, and she enjoys partnering with families to support each child’s development.

Her goal is to help children build confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning.

Lisa Nudelman has been working in early childhood education for more than 40 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and has dedicated her career to creating nurturing and engaging experiences for young children. Lisa moved to Ohio from Massachusetts in 2005 and has enjoyed building her life and career in the Cleveland community.

Lisa believes children learn best through hands-on experiences, exploration, and play. She loves watching children use their senses, ask questions, try new things, and gain confidence as they discover the world around them. She strives to create a classroom environment where children feel comfortable exploring at their own pace and where their natural curiosity is encouraged.

Outside of the classroom, Lisa is a proud mother of three and has been married to her husband for 28 years. She enjoys spending time visiting her children, baking, traveling, and reading. Lisa feels fortunate to spend her days alongside young children as they learn, grow, and develop a love of learning through their everyday experiences.

Heidi Sanford graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1987 with a B.A. in Human Resources. Following her heart and her passion for working with children, she earned a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1993. Heidi began her teaching career as a third-grade teacher in Nashville and Atlanta before becoming a Math Resource teacher in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Heidi moved with her family to Hong Kong and Tokyo, where she worked as a substitute teacher. One of her favorite memories was being the only English-speaking teacher in China and having the principal and students singing and dancing to the Hokey Pokey!

Today, Heidi is the Support Specialist at the Mandel JCC Early Childhood Center. She enjoys being in every classroom, supporting teachers and helping children feel safe, connected, and cared for. Heidi is also a certified American Red Cross swim instructor for Pre-K and loves teaching the children to swim. She treasures building relationships with children and families and believes every child is special in their own way.

Eliana Taub is a Mentor, Ohio native who currently resides in Cleveland Heights. She is a proud graduate of Wright State University, where she earned her BFA in Acting with an emphasis in Musical Theatre. Eliana began her teaching career in youth and adult theatre education at Talespinner Children’s Theatre and currently teaches youth and teen theatre and dance classes at Beck Center for the Arts. After several years in theatre education, Eliana transitioned into early childhood education and quickly discovered a passion for working with young children.

Drawing from her background in theatre, Eliana brings creativity, imagination, and play into the classroom. She believes children learn best when they have opportunities to explore, express themselves, and build social-emotional skills through meaningful play and connection. She especially enjoys creating opportunities for children to use their imaginations and develop confidence.

Outside of the classroom, Eliana continues to share her love of the performing arts as a theatre performer in musicals and plays throughout the Cleveland area.

Cory Turner is beyond excited to be working for the Mandel JCC’s Early Childhood Center. She came to the J in March of 2023 and has been teaching our youngest infants throughout her time here.

She has a BA in Sociology from the Ohio State University. Cory loves watching cartoons, pottery, and coding in her spare time. She looks forward to each new year as it comes and hopes to spend many years teaching at the JCC’s preschool.

Jordana was excited to join The J’s early childhood team as a support specialist. She offers programming assistance throughout the toddler and 3s classrooms. Her hope is that the children in her care feel safe to explore their environments.

Jordana graduated from Brush High School in South Euclid in 2022. She worked as a counsellor for Mandel JCC’s J-Day Camps for three summers after being a camper herself at Camp Wise and J-Day Camps. She was a staff member for The J’s Kids Club during the 2021-2022 school year, where she enjoyed working with kids on their gross motor skills during free play. Jordana is excited to grow as an early childhood professional and share her love of art and movement with the children.

Jordana lives in South Euclid. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, hiking and being
in nature.

Jill Vasil was born and raised in Beachwood and is proud to have spent much of her career caring for and educating children in the community she calls home. She has been part of Beachwood City Schools for 10 years and has been part of the Mandel JCC Early Childhood Education program for nearly 20 years.

Jill is a lifelong learner who believes great educators never stop growing. She regularly participates in professional development, training, and certifications in early childhood education so she can continue bringing new knowledge and experiences into her classroom. Jill especially values creating a warm and welcoming environment where children feel safe, loved, and encouraged to explore, question, create, build relationships, and grow in confidence.

Jill is a proud mom to a son and has a special love for animals of all kinds. She feels grateful to be part of children’s early years and to build meaningful relationships with both children and families. For Jill, the Early Childhood Center truly feels like a home away from home.

Christine Vasko has over 20 years in early childhood education, and is working on finishing her Master’s Degree in Arts in Education in Early Childhood Education from American Jewish University. She brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for nurturing young minds. Her journey began in the classroom, where she witnessed firsthand the magic of fostering curiosity and a love of learning in children. She is excited to be back in a classroom spending her days exploring the world with young children.

As both a teacher and assistant director, she has committed to developing the whole child. Her classroom is a vibrant space where exploration and creativity take center stage. She believes in creating a nurturing environment that supports each child's social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth.

Lisa Williams has dedicated her career to early childhood education since 1995, bringing more than 30 years of experience working with children of all ages, from infants and toddlers to Pre-K and school-aged children. She has been a teacher at the Mandel JCC since 2014 and holds a degree in Early Childhood Education. In 2005, Lisa was honored with the Toddler Teacher of the Year Award from Tru-Mah-Col in recognition of her dedication to young children.

Lisa has a special passion for social-emotional development and strives to create a classroom where every child feels valued, connected, and supported. She loves helping children develop kindness, confidence, friendships, and meaningful relationships. Toddlers and young-threes hold a particularly special place in her heart. Their curiosity, big personalities, and excitement over even the smallest accomplishments make each day an adventure.

Outside of the classroom, Lisa enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and traveling. She feels fortunate to have spent her career watching young children learn, explore, and discover the world around them.

Bracha graduated from Kent State University in 2024 with bachelor's in early childhood education. She has worked as a counselor for two summers at Camp Wise. She offers program assistance with 3 – 5 year olds. She strives to create a nurturing classroom where every child feels valued and inspired to learn and grow.

Bracha lives in Akron. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and baking.