JFOC Staff 

Erik Ludwig

President & CEO

Erik has served as a Jewish communal professional for the past 20 years and brings a wealth of experience, strategic vision, and deep communal relationships to this role. He is recognized as one of the Jewish community’s most innovative and entrepreneurial leaders with a strong record of spearheading organizational change within mature organizations. His strengths were most recently demonstrated during his seven-year tenure as Director of the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at Hebrew Union College where he oversaw the school’s revitalization and growth. Among his numerous accomplishments, he tripled student enrollment by redesigning core academic programs to meet the needs of students in a rapidly changing Jewish professional ecosystem, and significantly grew the school’s organizational capacity through increased philanthropy. Prior to his role at HUC, Erik served as Chief Operating Officer at Upstart Bay Area. He currently serves on the advisory council of IsraAID US and on the advisory board of Jewish Interactive. Erik holds a PhD from the University of Utah, an MA from Humboldt State University, and a BS from the University of Utah. 

Lisa Armony 

Chief Impact Officer and Rose Project Director
Lisa@JFFS.org

Lisa Armony has served in strategic planning, educational and communications positions for Jewish organizations in Toronto, Canada and the U.S.  As Rose Project Director, she has been instrumental in implementing strategies that create a more civil campus climate for Jewish students on Orange County college campuses, spearheading efforts that create learning opportunities about Israel, empower Jewish student leaders, and support Jewish campus organizations. In 2015, she launched an experiential learning journey to Israel and the Palestinian Authority for diverse student leaders seeking to explore the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  That program has been scaled to dozens of college campuses throughout the U.S. and Europe. She has also developed a variety of community education programs on Jewish identity, Israel and antisemitism, including an educational platform for teens that supports leadership development and counters bigotry and antisemitism in the greater Orange County community. As Chief Impact Officer, she oversees Federation’s strategic planning and granting and works closely with Community Partners to support community development and growth. A Magna cum Laude graduate of Cornell University, Lisa holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Yale University, a Certificate in Israel Experiential Education from the iCenter and George Washington University, and is completing a second Master's degree in Jewish and Israel Education from The Hebrew University. She is also a Fellow in the Executive Leadership Program of the Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership.

Stephanie Epstein

Chief Philanthropy Officer
Stephanie@JFFS.org

Stephanie Epstein has been a Jewish communal professional since starting her career in 2008. As a proud graduate of Jewish Federations of North America’s Fundraising University Program, Stephanie continues to live her passion of securing resources to support the community while pairing philanthropic passions with impact. Prior to serving as Jewish Federation of Orange County’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, Stephanie held roles such as Senior Director of Philanthropy, Interim Women’s Philanthropy Director, NextGen Director, and Manager of Shalom Family and PJ Library. Having been with the organization for over eight years, Stephanie has honed her skills of establishing strong fundraising operations and deepening relationships with donors and lay leadership. Prior to living in California, Stephanie worked for three years at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh within the young adult and campaign sphere. Stephanie was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.