New Staff at NEF

NEF is pleased to announce Virginia “Ginger” Berman, BS, MA, has joined the organization as Executive Director, and Melinda Kretschmer, BS, MEd, has joined as Executive Assistant. Former Executive Director Jerelyn Peixoto Weiss, MS, JD, RN, FNP, has retired and will rejoin NEF’s Board of Directors in June 2026.

Ginger has collaborated with leaders for over 20 years to accomplish extraordinary marketing and fundraising projects. She began her nonprofit career as Special Projects Manager at Autism Speaks, then provided event planning and management services to dozens of nonprofit organizations via her own company, and most recently served as Director of Development at the nonprofit ThinkGive. She holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Johns Hopkins University. Read more

Melinda has extensive experience in administrative management, customer support, higher education, and program coordination. She served as an Associate Director at the University of South Florida, directed admissions at Eastern Florida State College, and coordinated BSN student placements at Emory University. Through her own company, Admin Ally LLC, she oversees administrative operations and coordinates projects for a variety of clients. She holds a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of South Florida. Read more