Meet Our Team

Dr. Diona Lewis joined JCFS Chicago to serve as the new Knapp School & Yeshiva principal. Dr. Lewis comes with deep administrative and principal experience, and a passion for empowering students. Dr. Lewis has been a special education teacher, assistant principal, director of special education and principal. She holds an EdD in Educational Leadership Curriculum and Instruction, an M.A. in Special Education, an administrative endorsement and a B.S. in Secondary Education. She well understands the needs of our students and is a great choice to lead the Knapp School into the future. Dr. Lewis brings new perspectives and initiatives for our students’ education and overall experience, paving the way for a bright and successful future.

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.”

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 Coordinator of Clinical Services 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 Director of Jewish Educational Studies 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.