Who We Are

Governance

The Goldman Memorial Institute’s governance consists of a six-member Board of Directors and a non-voting Advisory Board. Members of both boards comprise numerous committees to advance the mission of the organization.

Board of Directors

Jason A. Kikel

Jason A. Kikel is the Co-Founder of the Goldman Memorial Institute. With a cross-disciplinary background in government, environmental resources, and green design, Jason has spent over a decade offering resilient solutions to complex issues in technology, land use, agriculture, and policy. As a result of his family’s experience, Jason became passionate about Holocaust and genocide education and sharing his grandfather’s story.

Jason completed a BA in Geography from West Virginia University and his Master of Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico. His innovative multidisciplinary graduate research at UNM focused on the nexus of water and land policy and their relationship to the nascent cannabis industry, which helped policy leaders develop more sustainable, resilient communities and led to a decade-long career as an industry data analyst and regulatory affairs specialist.


PRESIDENT | CO-FOUNDER

Lee Goldman Kikel

VICE PRESIDENT | CO-FOUNDER

Lee Goldman Kikel grew up in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where much of her early years were spent in her family’s jewelry business. Her father, a Polish-born Jewish immigrant, did not speak frequently about his childhood or family. He recorded his story on a set of cassette tapes that sat, heard, for nearly forty years, until she rediscovered them and learned of his desire to publish his testimony as a book. In honoring his wishes, she completed Perseverance: One Holocaust Survivor’s Journey From Poland to America in 2019. The book received a theatrical adaptation (2023) and was featured in an Emmy-winning short documentary (2025).

In the time since writing her book, Lee has shared her family’s story with audiences across the region and beyond, including as a generations speaker with the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.

Goldman Kikel attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning both a BS in psychology and a master’s degree in education. She later worked in the mental health field as a rehabilitation counselor, and is a lifelong Pittsburgh resident.

SECRETARY

Alayna Fuller Mazurek

Alayna Mazurek serves as secretary for the Goldman Memorial Holocaust & Genocide Institute, bringing valuable experience in research, marketing, and program management within the nonprofit sector to the board. In addition to managing official board records, meeting minutes, and compliance documentation, she has spent over five years working with the board’s vice president to coordinate outreach efforts and manage administrative and legal documentation for Holocaust education projects.

Alayna graduated from West Virginia University in 2022 with a Master of Science in Journalism (MSJ) degree and minors in marketing and strategic social media. She currently works as a research and program associate for a West Virginia rural youth and community member research organization. Passionate about Holocaust and genocide education, she joined the board to help advance its mission of preserving the memory of Holocaust and genocide survivors and victims through education and public programming. Outside of board duties, Alayna enjoys traveling, reading, baking new recipes, hiking, and spending time outdoors with her husband and rescue dog, Eevee.

Mary Lou Ellena

VOTING DIRECTOR

A lifelong educator, Mary Lou Ellena-Wygonik has had a career as an English Teacher and Enrichment Facilitator at Hampton High School in Allison Park, PA and currently is a member of the English Department at LaRoche University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Mary Lou has done extensive work with Classrooms Without Borders, an organization whose mission is Holocaust Education. As Co-President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation, the Premier organization for Polish art, culture, and science in the United States (with headquarters in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Warsaw, Poland), She is vice-president of the board of Prime Stage Theater, Board Secretary of the North Districts Community Credit Union, and Board member of the Polish Cultural Council.

Mary Lou’s passion for Holocaust education was fueled by her Catholic Babcia and Dziadzia who took her to Poland initially to meet family and learn about the atrocities of World War II. That initial visit has led to a solid connection with family in Poland, a semester at Jagiellonian University in Cracow for Polish studies, a lifelong interest in everything Polish, and a solid passion for increasing awareness of the Holocaust and genocide through education – books, lectures, films, conversations.

TREASURER

Mitch Farrell

Mitch is an assurance services manager at Sisterson & Co, LLP.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Saint Vincent College and an MBA from Youngstown State University.  Mitch is a CPA and Licensed Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst.  He lives in New Kensington with his wife and daughter.

Ted Goleman

VOTING DIRECTOR

After retiring, Ted found himself at a crossroads. Upon reflection, he chose to be a caregiver, giving back to the Jewish community in which he was raised. He has had the good fortune of taking care of wonderful people, and the privilege of providing care and companionship to the dwindling community of survivors of the Shoah, whose friendship he was gifted.

Advisory Board

  • Sara DeVos

    Daughter of Holocaust Survivors

  • Richard Murphy

    WWII Historian

  • Shannon Philips-Shyrock, EdD

  • Meg Restivo-Pankiewicz, PhD