Our Team
Our Executive Director
Fran Held is the Founder, Executive Director, and President of Mitzvah Circle. She created Mitzvah Circle to provide hope and restore dignity to individuals and families during times of crisis, poverty, homelessness, and serious illness.
Fran cares deeply about people who have fallen through the cracks, and strives to remove barriers to provide help and guidance with care and compassion.
Our Staff
We have a staff of hardworking individuals dedicated to our work.
They are supplemented by the efforts of hundreds of volunteers who are critical to our success.
Our Board of Directors
Jody Katzner, Board Chair
Jody Katzner is a Vice President with PNC Bank’s Change Management organization.
Lisa A. Marin, Board Vice Chair
Lisa Marin is the Director of Leadership and Planned Gifts at The Hun School of Princeton.
Cynthia Weiss Stein, Esq., Board Secretary
Cynthia Weiss Stein is an attorney practicing Family Law in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Joshua Arsenault
Joshua Arsenault is the District Director for Pennsylvania State Senator Maria Collett.
Levi Blair
Levi Blair is Vice President at Prime Rock Energy Capital, an oil and gas investment firm.
Massimo Magliari
Massimo A.V. Magliari is a certified financial planner and co-founder of Kelman and Magliari Advisory Group, Ameriprise Financial Services.
Silas P. Norman, MD
Dr. Silas Norman is a Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Nephrology, Section of Transplantation at the University of Michigan.
Dan Pliskin
Dan Pliskin is a consultant specializing in corporate governance at Aon, where he is an Associate Partner.
Wendy Urban
Wendy Urban is a Retired Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Technology at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Stephanie Zirpoli
Stephanie Zirpoli is counsel to Ballard Spahr LLP, specializing in commercial real estate
Gene Levin
Gene Levin is a retired CPA experienced as a VP and Chief Accountant