The Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center (SGC) is pleased to announce organization changes and new staff members that position the center for greater impact and reach as it continues its work to combat hate, expand Holocaust education, and advocate for social justice.
“The Center has achieved more than I dreamed when we founded it eight years ago,” said Stan Greenspon, visionary and founding philanthropist. “Judy Schindler, Judy LaPietra and the team are incredibly dedicated to this work, and they have created programs and events that make a huge positive difference in our community and beyond. As we enter this next phase, we have tremendous aspirations and the evolution in our structure and staff will enable us to reach the next level.”
Effective immediately, Judy LaPietra is Director of the Greenspon Center. Rabbi Judy Schindler, who has served as Director since the center’s inception, will continue to be on staff as Jewish Scholar-in-Residence and leader for the Social Justice branch. Schindler will also continue to serve as Sklut Professor of Jewish Studies at Queens University.
“I knew when we hired Judy LaPietra almost two years ago that we had found the perfect match for the Stan Greenspon Center,” said Judy Schindler. “She has deep experience in education, a burning passion to combat hate and antisemitism, and an amazing talent for thinking of big ideas and making them happen – like bringing the Seeing Auschwitz exhibit to Charlotte and taking the Holocaust Pedagogy graduates to Poland to enrich their experience. She has secured significant grants for Holocaust Education, such as funding from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. We built this center from scratch, and Judy is absolutely the right person to lead it forward. I look forward to continuing to work with her and the team! I also look forward to devoting more time to interfaith relations, an area that is crucially important to healthy communities.”
About Judy LaPietra
Judy LaPietra brings over 30 years of impassioned experience in Holocaust education to the Director position. She has participated in an exemplary list of worldwide programs, including The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights seminar (NY), the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Teacher Program (Poland), the Bearing Witness Advanced Program (Israel), and many more. She has presented at numerous Holocaust education seminars across the nation.
LaPietra’s dedication led her to volunteer at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland and the Nea Kaval refugee camp in Greece. She also traveled to the border of Ukraine at the onset of war to help those fleeing Ukraine. She has been selected by the most esteemed Holocaust educational organizations, including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Anti-Defamation League, and the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, to facilitate teacher training and youth leadership programs.
LaPietra served as adjunct professor at UNCC from 2010 – 2022, developing and teaching courses in Genocide & Human Rights Studies. She has extensive experience as a history classroom educator in New York City and North Carolina. She received an M.A. in Holocaust Genocide Studies from Gratz College and an M.S. in Secondary Education and History and B.A. in political science from Queens College, City University of New York. She is currently working on her dissertation in post-genocidal reconciliation.
Greenspon Center Team
Katie Cunningham, who has served as the center’s Holocaust Education and Outreach Specialist, has been named Assistant Director. She brings 13 years of experience in education to the role, including nine years with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and leads the Certification in Holocaust Pedagogy course and Student to Student program. Katie also worked in partnership with the NC Department of Public Instruction during the writing of the new Holocaust Elective objectives and has written an entire Holocaust Elective curriculum framework for the center. Katie holds a B.A. in English Secondary Education from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Educational Leadership from Queens University of Charlotte. She is currently in her second year of doctoral classes in the Holocaust and Genocide Studies program at Gratz College and plans to focus her research on Holocaust education in the United States and its impacts on antisemitic beliefs.
Terri Eberle Katz joined the center in 2024 as Development Coordinator. She brings 30 years of experience in grant writing, fundraising, and government and community relations to the team. She has secured millions of dollars in government, corporate and foundation funds for a variety of nonprofit organizations across various disciplines. Throughout her career and her volunteer work, Terri has been committed to the advancement of human rights and social justice. Katz received her B.A. from State University of New York at Albany and her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. She recently relocated from New York to Davidson and has a passion for the mission of SGC.
Rabbi Judy Schindler will continue to work actively with the Greenspon Center as Jewish Scholar-in-Residence and leader for the Social Justice branch. Schindler is Sklut Professor of Jewish Studies at Queens University and Rabbi Emerita of Temple Beth El, after serving as Senior Rabbi from 2003 – 2016 and Associate Rabbi from 1998 – 2003. She has a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology from Tufts University, a master’s degree from the Hebrew Union College in L.A., a rabbinic ordination at the Hebrew Union College in New York, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Hebrew Union College. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. Her academic focus is interfaith relations.
Continuing in their current roles are James Lee, Social Justice Outreach Coordinator; Holly Roach, Scholar Activist; Mary Eshet, Communications Consultant; and Mike Wirth, volunteer Artist-in-Residence.
The SGC will partner closely with the new Director of Hillel/Jewish Life for Queens University, Andy Harkavy. Andy joined Queens’ Spiritual Life team in August and will work within the Office of the Chaplain, building on the strong foundations of Jewish Life at Queens to support and grow Jewish Life on campus.
“We are thrilled that our work at the Stan Greenspon Center led to establishing a full-time Director of Jewish Life,” said Schindler. “We are fortunate to have Andy on board as we work together to grow and nurture the Jewish community at Queens.”
“We are proud of what we’ve accomplished, but this work is never done, and we have exciting plans for the future,” said Judy LaPietra. “We envision a permanent exhibition space in Charlotte to further understanding of the Holocaust and the importance of combating hate, and we want to expand our certification programs to prepare more people to create change and educate others. I am honored to lead this organization and this team as we embark on our next chapter.”
