OUR FOUNDERS

Sheila Jaffe
Sheila Jaffe was born in Manhattan and grew up in the Bronx. At eleven years of age, she found out she was adopted. Today, she is an Emmy winning casting director for HBO’s, The Sopranos and Entourage and films including The Fighter, Rocky Balboa, and Ted. Although casting is her profession, Sheila’s passion is helping children. As she sees it: “Felix is like my child and watching Felix grow in its reach to help these children has been an indescribable blessing.” Sheila currently sits on the board of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and the Advisory Board of the Savannah Film Festival. In 2013, she was honored at The Children’s Rights Gala for her work with children in foster care.
Darryl McDaniels
For more than 25 years, Felix co-founder Darryl “DMC” McDaniels has had an influence on popular culture. The first rap group to grace the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine and the first to appear on MTV, Run DMC changed music. DMC continues to create, inspire and motivate. After discovering as an adult that he was adopted, DMC began his journey down another life path in search of his birth mother. While his struggle was captured in the Emmy-winning VH-1 documentary, “DMC: My Adoption Journey”, the process gave DMC insight and purpose, prompting him to become an advocate for adoption and foster children. He was invited to the White House by President Obama to address youth groups on responsibility and has appeared before Congress and State Legislatures in support of this cause. Along with his work as a musician, author, and speaker, DMC has been the recipient of awards including Hard Rock’s Love All Serve All Award for his philanthropic endeavors. DMC also sits on the board of directors of the JMJ Foundation, Children’s Rights, and Garden of Dreams.
Honorary Chairs

Lorainne Bracco
Actor, Producer

Sal Bellino
Retired, Principal at Tri-Star Construction Corp.
Founding Members



Michael Lang (Deceased)
Co-Founder of Woodstock Ventures and Founder of The Michael Lang Organization
Penny Marshall (Deceased)
Actress, Director, Producer
Loree Rodkin
Jewelry Designer

Georgianne Walken
Casting Director

Mark Wahlberg
Producer, Actor

Amanda Simonetta, M.S.Ed.
Executive Director
As a former School Counselor with a Masters Degree in Education, Amanda has worked with hundreds of children in need. As Director of Institutional Giving at The New York Foundling, one of New York City’s largest social services agencies, she managed a grant portfolio of over $3 million, supporting programs to help disadvantaged youth. Perhaps most importantly, Amanda is passionate about camp. She loved her childhood summer camp so much that she eventually got married there. When the opportunity arose to start a camp for foster children, Amanda couldn’t wait to be a part of it. She became Camp Felix®’s first on-site Camp Director and Program Administrator. As Executive Director, Amanda is working to expand the profoundly meaningful work of The Felix Organization.

Karen D'Agostino
Director of Development
Karen is the newest member of the Felix Organization team having recently joined as Director of Development. She brings a wealth over 15 years of experience to the Organization through her background in the nonprofit world. Karen discovered her true passion in life by founding the Music Resource Center - Cincinnati, a non-profit after-school music and recording studio for teens in Cincinnati. She quickly realized that working with disadvantaged youth was extremely rewarding and is looking forward to transferring this experience to Team Felix. Immediately prior to joining Felix, Karen was Director of Development for the Cincinnati ToolBank, an organization that lends tools and equipment to nonprofits so they can realize their most ambitious goals. She is excited to use her know how of development and fundraising for the benefit of the Felix Organization and its many foster youth.

Tiffany Araya
Program Director
Tiffany has had the special opportunity to experience the full Camp Felix evolution by starting as a camper at age 12, becoming a CIT at 14, volunteering at age 16, and finally becoming a counselor at 18 years old. Her time at Camp Felix® both as a camper and counselor holds a profound place in her heart. Recently graduated from the University at Albany with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Women's Studies, Tiffany is proud and grateful to continue working with her Felix family beyond camp at the Felix Organization. Tiffany hopes to bring Felix's message to the world and accomplish their mission with her genuine love and care for the children and with the insight and knowledge she has gained from being part of this family.

Amanda Honeywell
Program and Operations Director (A Broader Way and Felix Collab)
Amanda’s professional journey began in the classroom with a profound passion for working with kids, dedicated to their growth and development. She received her BA from Barnard College of Columbia University. Amanda has leveraged her extensive experience to create enriching educational environments in which children can thrive. She leads with a commitment to innovation and excellence, ensuring every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. She has been part of the Felix family for eight years, and currently entering her third year as the Director of Camp Felix PRIDE. Amanda is looking forward to expanding her reach in transition to the role of Program and Operations Director for our partnership organization, A BroaderWay Foundation.

Olivia Colavito
Americorps
VISTA
After serving on The Felix Organization’s Junior Board for a year, Olivia joined the staff as the Community Relations and Development VISTA (Volunteer In Service to America) through AmeriCorps. Olivia discovered Felix through the annual Walk This Way event in 2023, and was immediately drawn in by the supportive and caring community that works to benefit the lives of children living in foster care. During her time on the junior board, Olivia worked in a middle school and activated her community to support the Felix mission through in-kind donation drives and gathering friends and family to participate in Felix events. Through this new chapter as a VISTA, Olivia hopes to utilize her experience in both fields of communications and education to strengthen community engagement, programming and development on behalf of the Felix mission. It is her deepest hope that she can further the scope and scale of the imperative “pro-kid” work of The Felix Organization.
Staff
Board of Directors

Steve Abrams
CEO of Magnolia Bakery

Constantine Baris
Treasurer, The Felix Organization
CPA, Baris Financial Management Ltd.

Regina Calcaterra
Author, and Partner, Calcaterra Pollack LLP

Laurie Parise
Youth Justice Network
Director Law Library

Saman Behbahani
Vice President, Legal Affairs
NBCUniversal

Scott Rosen
Senior Advisor
Equinox

Larry Ryckman
President and CEO
AfterMaster Audio Labs

Myra Scheer
Radio Host, Former Creative Consultant to The Felix Organization

Laura Tufariello
President, Founder and Owner
Design and Source Productions, Inc.
Advisory Board

Erik Blam
Manager, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels

Eve Brandstein
Producer/Director/
Writer

Denise Chamian
Emmy-nominated
Casting Director

Scott Duquette
Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Jolyn Farber
Entrepreneurial Investor

Dolly Fox
Producer

Mary Giuliani
Author and Founder of Mary Giuliani Catering & Events

Louise Jones
​CEO, LJ Capital LLC

Susan Gluck Papajohn
CEO & Founder
Arthenia

Carol Kane
Actor and Comedian of stage, screen and television

Katie Kornfield
Founder / President
Katie Kornfield Consulting

Joseph Lucius
Creative Director

Claire Mercuri
Founder/ President
Claire Mercuri Public Relations

Adam Stern
Freelance Assistant Director, DGA

John Shaw
Consultant & Coach

Cydney Taylor
Physician Assistant
Hyperbaric Medical Solutions

Vanessa Spencer
Owner
Rodriguez Spencer Casting

Judy Taylor
Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications,
Events, Philanthropy, and Retreats at Equinox
Junior Board
Members of the Junior Board are dynamic young professionals who use their talent and experience to act as ambassadors for Felix by fundraising, becoming involved in Felix activities and engaging other young professionals (age 40 and under) to make a difference in the lives of youth in foster care.

Grace Accetta
Manager of Corporate & Foundation Donor Relations, Food Bank NYC

Morgan Baker
Designer at Omnicom Media Group

Erik Blam, Jr.
Creative Director for Run DMC

Ryan Buffa
Writer, Director, Producer

Paloma Castillo
Restorative Practices Specialist
Mott Haven Academy

Olivia Colavito
Community Relations & Development VISTA

Candice Daniels
TV Host, Actress, Producer

Juliet Forde
CEO of Flawless Smiles NYC

Justice Henry
Program/Health Director,​
City Growers
![Sydney Jones-Junior Board Headshot[7]_ed](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/baa0b6_f4bb13412b7644ef91a0e33513707fdb~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_118,h_165,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Sydney%20Jones-Junior%20Board%20Headshot%5B7%5D_ed.jpg)
Sydney Jones
Singer/Songwriter

Justin Kirkland
Basketball Coach &
Actor
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Tatiana Laroche
Financial Information Analyst Assistant,
Harlem East Life Plan

Delon Marshall
Middle School Math Teacher,
Middle School for Arts and Philosophy

Alex Mines
Assistant to Talent Agency,
Gersh Agency

Alayah Ramos
Self-Confidence Coach
Relationship Support Specialist
Author and Poet

Yanallis Ramos
Mental Health/Emotional Support Coach, Suicide Prevention And Crisis Specialist

Tony Shapiro-Bey
Technical Implementation Specialist,
Unqork

Travis Welcome
Chief Program Officer,
BuildOn

Dan Wonderly
Photographer,
Wonderly Imaging