Meet Our Staff

Jennifer M. Brier, Esq., Director, Planned Giving and Endowments

Jen joined the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s planned giving and endowments team in December 2006 and was promoted to Director in 2020. Prior to joining Jewish Federation, she worked for ten years in private practice with a large law firm, specializing in trusts and estates law. Jen was also awarded an Independence Foundation public interest law fellowship, which she served at the Senior Law Center, helping address abuse and financial exploitation of vulnerable seniors.

Jen earned her law degree at Georgetown University Law Center and received a B.A. in psychology from Emory University. Contact: Jbrier@jewishphilly.org 215.832.0528

Sonya Aronowitz CAP ®, Endowment Officer

Sonya joined Jewish Federation in September 2022. She has worked in the field of charitable gift planning for 12 years, mostly in higher education. She holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation. In addition to working with donors to create planned gifts, she has specialized in gift planning marketing. Her marketing work won an award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and she has also been a speaker for local planned giving councils about effective planned giving marketing strategies.

Sonya is originally from the U.K. and earned her B.A. in history, communications, and cultural studies from Birmingham University. Contact: saronowitz@jewishphilly.org 215.832.0574

Patricia Quarles, Senior Donor-Advised Fund Coordinator

Patricia is the first point of contact for all matters regarding donor-advised funds. She has been with Jewish Federation's planned giving and endowments department since 2007, serving in various roles. She holds a B.A. from Temple University. contact: pquarles@jewishphilly.org  215.832.0514

Alaina Gillespie, Senior Administrative Assistant, Planned Giving and Endowments 

Alaina joined the Jewish Federation's planned giving and endowments team in fall 2020, having worked in the nonprofit sector since 2015. She has a B.S. and MHA in health administration with a focus on health care ethics from Saint Joseph's University and Arcadia University. contact: agillespie@jewishphilly.org  215.832.0504

Leslie Knapp, Scholarship Fund Coordinator

Leslie oversees the administration and billing of Jewish Federation's endowed scholarships and interest-free loans. Prior to taking this position with Jewish Federation in March 2023, Leslie worked in customer relations for many years. Leslie holds a B.S. in individual and family studies from Penn State University. contact: lknapp@jewishphilly.org 215.832.0576