“I believe this was meant to be.”

So said Debra Yamstein who, on June 6, 2022, became SOAR LLI’s new executive director. Yamstein, one of several finalists interviewed by the SOAR Search Committee, seems to be just the right professional to guide SOAR into the future.

“We are thrilled to have Debra Yamstein as SOAR’s new Executive Director,” said Susan Greenfield, SOAR Board Chair “We feel so fortunate Debra chose SOAR as the place she wants to work among the many non-profit organizations that would love to have her.”

Yamstein came to SOAR after serving six years with JVS Human Services, her last position as vice president of Senior Adult Services and Community Inclusion. Her work included managing various program areas for the organization including management of the Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program, which provides programs and services for people living with dementia and their family care partners. At SOAR, her focus will be engaging with SOAR members and growing SOAR’s membership and funding through community collaborations and innovative programming.

“I have a passion for working with older adults. And, as a lifelong learner myself, SOAR’s mission resonates deeply with me,” said Yamstein.

Yep, she’s a lifelong learner, for sure. She’s also a lifelong traveler, a dedicated mother, and one who remains calm and steady, even under pressure. “My father used to ask me if I was going to become a Jewish nun,” joked Yamstein, who grew up in Oak Park, one of three children born to her parents Ralph and Marlene Yamron.

Kidding aside, Yamstein was admitted to and attended Michigan State University’s James Madison College but left that program after switching her major to religious studies. “So much of who we are comes from our religious backgrounds,” she said. “I believe this education gave me the ability to better understand different people and cultures.”

Her intention to further study various cultures was realized a few years later when she and a travel mate circumnavigated the globe. “When you spend nine months living out of a backpack, you realize what you don’t need and you see that, truly, everyone wants the same things out of life: to be happy, have their family close by, and feel like they belong.  Traveling opens your mind to a global worldview and you start to think more deeply about the change you can make at home and in the world.”

Yamstein continued her education at Wayne State University with a Master of Social Work, then worked for several community agencies before landing at JVS. In the meantime, she met and married her husband, Brian Epstein in 2008.

Those reading this closely, may say, Wait. She married an Epstein but she was born a Yamron? “Brian and I combined our last names,” Yamstein answered. “We didn’t think Epron would be a good choice because of the oil spill, so we went with Yamstein.”

The Yamsteins, who love to camp, hike, and just hang around home, have a Malte-Poo and two beautiful daughters, ages 10 and 13. “I was looking for a position that matched my skill set and also embraced a healthy work-home life balance. When I saw the SOAR job posting, I thought, ‘This is it!’ I had just enrolled my daughters in The Hawk Community Center’s summer camp program.” 

“In Debra, we have a professional who is dedicated to life-long learning and enhancing the lives of SOAR’s members,” said Greenfield. “I hope all of our staff, instructors and members give her a warm welcome to SOAR.”