FEBRUARY 16 • 2023 | 31

she has achieved favorable 
settlements for clients against 
Walmart, PepsiCo, Amazon 
and the State of Michigan, just 
to name a few. 
Alleging discrimination 
or harassment against an 
employer is not without 
obstacles; employers have 
wide deference to make 
decisions as it relates to hiring 
and firing employees. Ryan 
fights an uphill battle for her 
clients daily, believing their 
experiences when the cards 
seem to be stacked against 
them. Ryan believes that 
employees devote a lot to the 
companies they work for and 
should be treated fairly by 
those companies in return. 
A particularly meaningful 
case Ryan handled was for a 
Jewish corrections officer on 
the west side of Michigan. 
The client had been subjected 
to a discriminatory and 
hostile work environment by 
coworkers and supervisors 
at the prison, just for being 
Jewish. After over a year 
and a half of advocating for 
the client, Ryan achieved a 
favorable settlement for her 
client. With antisemitism ever 
present in our country, helping 
this client was a professional 
and personal win for Ryan. 
Ryan is also a council 
member for the State Bar 
of Michigan’s Labor and 
Employment Law Section, 
serving a two-year term, 
where she collaborates with 
both employee-side and 
management-side attorneys in 
Michigan, organizing events 
and legal update seminars. 
Ryan and her boyfriend, 
Ian, have a 1-year-old 
Sheepadoodle (Sheepdog and 
Poodle mix) named Frankie. 
Ryan loves spending time 
outdoors, be it long walks 
outside with a podcast, playing 
tennis or pickleball with her 
parents, boating on the lake 

with friends or lying by the 
pool at the Detroit Golf Club. 

SARA 
WEINFELD
Sara Weinfeld 
is a licensed 
social worker 
who has 
devoted her 
career to 
working with adolescents with 
mental health concerns. She is 
currently employed by Jewish 
Family Service of Metro 
Detroit as a school social 
worker at Frankel Jewish 
Academy. She is passionate 
about ensuring that every 
student is supported and able 
to succeed, both inside and 
outside of the classroom. 
Sara is also employed 
by Social Skills for Kids, 
facilitating middle school 
groups focusing on topics 
such as self-esteem and social 
connection. In the summer, 
Sara is a social worker at 
Tamarack Camps for the 
senior-side campers entering 
eighth and ninth grade. At 
Tamarack, she supports 
campers experiencing a variety 
of mental health challenges, 
including interpersonal 
conflict and anxiety. She 
trains and collaborates with 
staff to create a supportive 
environment for camper 
success.
Sara graduated from 
Michigan State University in 
2018 with a bachelor’s degree 
in human development and 
family studies with a minor 
in health promotion. In 2020, 
Sara received her master’s 
of social work from the 
University of Michigan, where 
she concentrated on clinical 
social work while participating 
in the Jewish Communal 
Leadership Program. She also 
received a certificate in school 
social work. 
Sara grew up in Farmington 

continued on page 32

Mazel Tov to 
36 Under 36 
HONOREES ...
 
 JAMIE 
 LEFKOWITZ 

 SARAH 
 ROBERTS

w w w . t b e o n l i n e . o r g

and

MAZEL TOV!

MAZEL
TOV
TO
OUR
VERY
OWN
MUSHKY

GLITSENSTEIN FOR BEING CHOSEN FOR “JN 36

UNDER 36”

YOUR
DEDICATION,
EFFORT
AND
PASSION
FOR

JUDAISM
AND
MAKING
A
JOYFUL
JEWISH
LIFE

ACCESSIBLE TO ALL IS AN EXAMPLE TO MANY.

YOUR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR EVERY JEW IS

DEFINITELY
SOMETHING
THE
REBBE
-
WHO

INSPIRES YOU EVERY DAY - IS WATCHING AND

IS PROUD OF.

THE “LAMPLIGHTERS PRESCHOOL” YOU HAVE BUILT

FROM THE GROUND UP STANDS OUT FOR ITS HIGH

EDUCATIONAL QUALITY AND MEANINGFUL JEWISH

EXPERIENCE
FOR
ITS
STUDENTS
AND
THEIR

FAMILIES,
THANKS
TO
YOUR
HARD
WORK
AND

UNENDING DEDICATION.

YOU
ARE
A
LIGHT
AND
BLESSING
TO
OUR

COMMUNITY!

MAY YOU CONTINUE TO LIGHT UP THE WORLD AND

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF SO MANY.

B"H

