We are a collection of individuals who care
OUR STAFF
Our motivated staff is made up of a team of caring and hardworking professionals that put ETTA’s goals into action.
Agency Leadership
Dr. Michael Held
CEO
Dr. Michael Held founded ETTA in 1993. As the visionary for ETTA’s wide range of programs, Dr. Held has led ETTA from a start-up to its current position as the largest agency of its type in the Los Angeles community.
Scott Saliman
Executive Director
After overseeing Treasury Operations for The RAND Corporation, a leading global non-partisan public policy research nonprofit organization, Scott returned to ETTA in 2022 as Chief Operating Officer after previously working as ETTA’s Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Senior Advisor from 2004-2015. An expert in nonprofit, for-profit and financial management, he formerly served as the Director of Strategy and Finance at the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, advised many nonprofits including Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Colorado, holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business and studied Rabbinics at the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University).
Carrie Augenstein
Chief Financial Officer
Carrie joins ETTA with over 25 years of experience, much of it in various leadership capacities, in accounting and finance for a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara magna cum laude with a B.A. in Economics (Accounting concentration).
Manijeh Nehorai
Founder and Director of the Iranian-American Division
Manijeh Nehorai has been involved in the fields of social work and special education for over 40 years. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work and Marriage & Family Counseling. In Iran, Mrs. Nehorai was the Executive Director of the Social Welfare Office of Queen Farah Pahlavi (Director of the Iranian Social Welfare Department for the Queen), a post she held for 18 years. Upon moving to the U.S., she worked for Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles and taught parenting at such venues as Nessah Israel Synagogue, Valley Beth Shalom, and Maimonides Academy, among others. Since 1995, she has been the Director of ETTA’s Iranian-American Community Services Division.
Programs
Leah Schachter
Director of Special Projects & Volunteers
Since joining ETTA in 2000, Leah has created multiple innovative programs for the organization, including building ETTA’s volunteer corps and redesigning its social/recreational programs into a series of year-round activities, called CONNECTIONS, that serves hundreds of clients. She also directs ETTA’s Shabbaton weekends and mentors the ETTA Youth Board. Leah holds a B.A. in psychology, and an M.A. degree in Family Counseling.
Heidi Schofield
Director of Residential Group Homes
Heidi has a 20-year track record working with children and adults with disabilities. She has held positions in Pennsylvania, Washington State and the United Kingdom before settling in Los Angeles.
Joshua Taff
Director of Community Relations
Joshua has been involved with the special needs community for over 20 years, beginning as a counselor in Camp Ramah’s Tikvah program. He then joined ETTA as an Administrator of the ETTA Group Homes and as Co-Director of Summer@ETTA. Josh now cultivates key partnerships in the community and plays a pivotal role in designing the vision and operations of the Bhatia Family Village, a project of ETTA’s sister agency Cornerstone. He is a graduate of Indiana University.
Kathy Zimmerman
Director of Program Operations
Joining ETTA in 2022 as the Assistant Director of Programs, Kathy has over 25 years of experience in the field, including 20 years of management experience supporting individuals with developmental disabilities in Michigan and California. She previously held the position of Senior Manager of Supported Living with IABA and has had the privilege to work with innovators in the field of Positive Behavior Support. She holds a B.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University and an M.S. in Clinical Behavioral Psychology from Eastern Michigan University.
Menachem Litenatsky
Program Manager, Employment Services
Menachem has been involved with ETTA for more than two decades. He has functioned in various departments and capacities including heading the Youth & Volunteer Services Division. In 2007 he was a recipient of ETTA’s Children’s Champion award. Menachem returns to ETTA as a Program Manager in the very robust Employment Services Division.
Andrelisa Livingston
Senior Program Manager, Day Programs
Since joining ETTA in 2020, Andrelisa has gone from being a Life Skills Coach to managing the Day Programs. She combines 5 years of previous administrative management experience with ETTA’s person-centered philosophy to facilitate continued program growth.
Monika Zuniga
City Day Program Manager
Monika comes to ETTA with 23 years of experiences working with adults with disabilities, most recently with Work Creation Program (WCP), where she served in various roles over a dozen years – job coach, case manager, program manager, and Program Director, which included creating and coordinating WCP’s remote programming during and after the pandemic. Monika studied at the University of Phoenix.
Meghan Melby
Senior Program Manager of Employment Services and Community Integration
Meghan joined ETTA in June 2023 as a Program Manager, after six years as On Duty Specialist at North L.A. Regional Center and Program Manager at BuildAbility. Meghan graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a B.A. in Political Science and Government.
Daniel Ortiz
Program Manager, Employment Services
Daniel joined the ETTA family in 2015 and has served clients in ETTA’s day program, SLS-B program, and employment services department. He focuses on managing Supported Employment services and serves as our resident DOR expert.
Rayanne Munoz
Program Manager, Supported Living Services
Rayanne joined ETTA in 2022 as a Direct Support Professional. She later served as Program Coordinator in the Valley Day Program for 2 years before progressing to Program Manager of Supported Living Services. Prior to joining ETTA, Rayanne gained experience working with several nonprofit organizations supporting a range of causes, including domestic violence awareness and family services.
Skye Songprapa
Program Manager, Supported Living Services
Skye brings over 19 years of experience in Supported Living Services to ETTA. She has a strong background in Applied Behavior Analysis, Positive Behavior Support, and is a certified life coach. Skye has worked and trained with pioneers in autism and developmental disabilities and has expertise in transitioning individuals from state hospitals and group homes into independent living. She takes pride in setting up individuals for success through a person-centered approach that promotes growth and quality of life.
Errin Smith
Employee Development Specialist
Errin started at ETTA in 2020 as a Job Coach, and now serves as the Employee Development Specialist, supporting staff growth and fostering a culture of learning across the agency. A UCLA-certified Behavioral Health Support Specialist, Errin is passionate about empowering both staff and the people we serve to reach their fullest potential.
Marketing
Meira Feinman
Director of Marketing
Meira joins ETTA with 13 years of experience in the marketing, communications, and PR field, working on global, national, and local accounts in industries ranging from healthcare, real estate and fintech to culture, education, and social services. She received her B.A. summa cum laude from UCLA. Meira is passionate about the organization’s mission and spreading its message.
Lora Kurtenbach
Senior Marketing Manager
Lora’s extensive marketing experience includes a focus on brand, digital and content marketing in entertainment, consumer goods, and non-profit industries. She has worked with companies like Mattel and Nickelodeon as well as PBS NewsHour and is a graduate of Ohio University.
Accounting
Samuel Jayatyan
Accountant
A native of Novosibirsk, Russia, Sam moved to the United States in 2005. His work experience includes both public and corporate accounting and has held positions as Assistant Accountant, Full Charge Bookkeeper and Staff Accountant. He holds IRS certification for volunteer income tax preparation through the VITA program. He holds a B.S. in Finance from California State University, Northridge.
Artur Jayatyan
Assistant Accountant
Born in Gyumri, Armenia, Artur moved to the United States in 2005. While working at ETTA, Artur earned his B.S. in finance analysis from California State University of Northridge. Artur has also been a DJ/Producer since 2016.
Employment, HR, and Office Administration
Allen Remer
Director of Administration
A long-time friend and supporter of ETTA, Allen joined the organization in 2014. Prior to joining ETTA, he served as Head of Finance at the law firm of Irell & Manella LLC for 22 years. He then joined Remco Wholesale Hardware as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Human Resources. He attended UCLA and New York University with a double degree in sociology and comparative literature with a minor in art history.
J. Biederman
Recruitment Manager
A native Californian, J. Biederman joined the ETTA family in 2018 as a Job Coach and Supported Living Services staff, working full time in the field with amazing ETTA clients. He was recruited by the Human Resources and Recruitment departments to work in ETTA’s main office, while continuing to work with client’s part time. In 2020, he was promoted to the position of Recruitment Manager.
Effie Bitton
Human Resources Manager
Hailing from Haifa, Israel, Effie Bitton joined ETTA with 18 years of HR experience and knowledge. She spent 10 years as the HR Manager at the JCC here in Los Angeles. Effie not only has HR experience, but has been involved in managing Payroll and Benefits. She spent five years working at Jewish Big Brothers and Sisters before joining the ETTA team.
Jaymie Garner
Executive Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer.
Jaymie comes to us from the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, where she spent over five years in a variety of roles, including serving as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Donor Relations, the Executive Assistant to the President and CEO, and as a Donor Relations Coordinator and Prospect Research Manager. Prior to working at the Federation, Jaymie owned and operated her own small business for many years. She is a graduate of Arizona State University. These days, she joyfully spends the majority of her free time with her 8-year-old son, Liam.
Michelle Ruggier
Office & Facility Manager
Michelle joined ETTA in 2016 as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director. Currently she is now the Office & Facility Manager. Prior to joining ETTA, she worked in the legal services industry for over 18 years. A native to Los Angeles, Michelle received her B.A in Communications and Business Management at California State University, Northridge.
Dalia Saour
Executive Assistant to the Director of Iranian-American Community Services
With more than 20 years of experience helping individuals with special needs, Dalia serves the Iranian-American Division in a variety of capacities. She works directly with Iranian families, Regional Center, performs translation services, organizes parenting classes, helps obtain conservatorships, and assists in all special events for the Iranian-American Division.