Meet Our Team

Prior to joining JCFS Chicago, Karen worked in both the public and private sectors, with an extensive focus on education. She is passionate about and committed to equity and service to the community, specifically through social services. Most recently Karen held the position of First Deputy Superintendent for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). In her role, she served as a strategic thought partner to the Superintendent and led ISBE’s process for organizational learning.

She also held the position of Deputy for Operations Management with the Chicago Public Schools. As a former high school special education teacher and department chair, she has a personal commitment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Karen holds an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business where she also earned a Certificate in Public and Nonprofit Management. She holds an Ed.M. focusing on teaching and curriculum from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Public Policy from Brown University.

Indira Buzaljko is the Assistant Principal at Knapp School & Yeshiva. Indira joined JCFS Chicago in March of 2017. She holds a Masters Degree in Special Education and Educational Leadership with undergraduate studies in Speech Pathology and Special Education. Before joining JCFS Chicago, Indira worked at Anixter Center for many years where she held a variety of direct service and administrative positions. In addition, she volunteered on the Local School Council for a public neighborhood school for six years. The experiences gained from filling so many different roles over the years in both a professional and personal capacity allow her the ability to see any given issue with different perspectives. “My motivation for learning is helping others that may be less fortunate while helping them become independent and productive citizens. My philosophy is that everyone is capable of learning; everyone learns at a different pace, with different success levels and using different modalities.”

Tracey Lewis is the Assistant Dean of Students at Knapp School & Yeshiva, and a member of the support team that assists students who require time away from the classroom environment. Tracey has worked at Knapp School & Yeshiva since 2007, beginning her career as a teachers assistant. Prior to joining Knapp School & Yeshiva, Tracey worked at the Uhlich Children’s Network for 11 years and held several positions, including serving as a Residential Treatment Specialist and as a Case Manager for a program that helped prepare teens and young mothers to transition to adulthood and independent living. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, with a concentration in Social Work, from Eastern Illinois University.

Allison Stevens is the Clinical Director at Knapp School & Yeshiva. She has worked at our school since 2002, serving in the functions as a school social worker, intake coordinator, and clinical coordinator, prior to moving into the Director position. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Allison’s specializations include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and collaborative problem solving (CPS). She is also the leader of the school’s internal CPS Committee, which is working to bring the concepts of the collaborative problem solving model more widely into the JCFS Chicago educational environment. Previously, Allison worked with youth ages 5-21 in a residential treatment setting, a different therapeutic day school, and in a community mental health agency, all in the Chicago area. Allison earned her Master of Social Work degree from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at University of Illinois, Chicago, specializing in School Social Work.

Lisa Haber  is the Clinical Department Supervisor at the Knapp School & Yeshiva. She has worked at Knapp School & Yeshiva since 2003 as a school social worker, Clinical Coordinator and now as Supervisor. She is also a trainer for the agency, and has been teaching Clinical Treatment of Trauma to child welfare clinicians for 8 years. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Lisa has completed extensive training in complex trauma and PTSD with specialties in the areas of sexual and physical abuse as well as neglect and neurodevelopmental responses to childhood trauma. She has also completed comprehensive training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and has taught workshops on that treatment modality. Lisa previously worked at the Response for Teens and at Niles West High School; and earned her Master’s in Social Work from The School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago.

Rabbi David Rosenberg is the Coordinator of Jewish Educational Services at Knapp School & Yeshiva. Previously, David was rabbi of Congregation Beth Tefilah in London, Ontario, and executive director of the Newberger Hillel Center at the University of Chicago. David received his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He also received a Master of Arts degree in Bible from Yeshiva University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian and East European studies from Yale College.