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
Principal at Tri-Star Construction Corp.
Founding Members

Penny Marshall
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.

Myra Scheer
Creative Consultant
Myra Scheer's life and career were forever changed after meeting with Sheila Jaffe and Darryl McDaniels in the spring of 2006. Since that day, she has been an integral part of realizing Felix’s mission. Myra started her career as an assistant to the owners of Studio 54, the world-famous disco, where the dance floor was the star. She says she has come full circle with Felix, where the children are the stars. Myra’s enthusiasm and passion have guided Felix since its inception and helped grow Felix's anchor fundraiser DANCE THIS WAY. She explains: "I love bringing that part of my youth to the youth of today as we celebrate dance to enrich the lives of children growing up in the foster care system.” Myra’s not-for-profit experience includes working with the Rainforest Fund and Foundation for nearly twenty years.

Tiffany Araya
Program and Marketing Manager
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 that she can continue to work 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.
Staff
Board of Directors

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

Laurie Parise
Managing Director,
The Animation Project

Saman Behbahani
Senior Counsel at AMC Networks - AMC Studios, IFC and Sundance

Doug Herman
Titan Advisors, LLC Partner

Larry Ryckman
President and CEO
AfterMaster Audio Labs
Will Tell
Hip-Hop Producer and 1/2 of
True Wine Connoisseurs

Michael Lang
Co-Founder of Woodstock Ventures and Founder of The Michael Lang Organization

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

Steve Abrams
CEO of Magnolia Bakery
Erik Blam
Manager, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels
Eve Brandstein
Producer/Director/Writer

Regina Calcaterra
Author, and Partner, Calcaterra Pollack LLP

Denise Chamian
Emmy-nominated
Casting Director

Sandra Ciccone
TV Producer

Jolyn Farber
Entrepreneurial Investor

Dolly Fox
Producer

Talitha Garrett
Organizational Change Management Consultant

Claire Mercuri
Founder/ President
Claire Mercuri Public Relations

Susan Gluck Papajohn
CEO & Founder
Arthenia

John Shaw
Consultant & Coach

Judy Taylor
Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications,
Events, Philanthropy, and Retreats at Equinox

Jeff Wallner
Founder/CEO
WMG Entertainment

Carol Kane
Actor and Comedian of stage, screen and television

Katie Kornfield
Founder / President
Katie Kornfield Consulting
Vanessa Spencer
Owner
Rodriguez Spencer Casting
Cydney Taylor
Physician Assistant
Hyperbaric Medical Solutions
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.

Morgan Baker
Designer at Omnicom Media Group

Erik Blam, Jr.
Creative Director for Run DMC

Dan Casarella
Copywriter at
Lightning Media Partners

Paloma Castillo
Restorative Practices Specialist
Mott Haven Academy

Candice Daniels
TV Host, Actress, Producer

Juliet Forde
CEO of Flawless Smiles NYC

Phoebe Goldstein
Sales at CooperSurgical
Justin Kirkland
Basketball Coach &
Actor
Delon Marshall
Middle School Math Teacher
Middle School for Arts and Philosophy

Erik Poldroo
Senior Partnership Manager
DynAdmic

Tony Shapiro-Bey
Technical Implementation Specialist,
Unqork

Shane Walsh
Production Associate
Viacom

Travis Welcome
Senior Director of Programs and Innovation
Change for Kids

Dan Wonderly
Photographer
Wonderly Imaging
Foster Care Liaisons Board
Our network of Foster Care liaisons play an instrumental role in the success of our programs, advising us regarding issues such as program development, organization policies and guidelines for interacting with youth, best practices for service implementation, and general support as questions arise.
Gabriella McBride
Director of Elementary Social Services at Haven Academy

Shirley Salomon
Licensed Clinical Social Worker