Our Staff
Shelle Wisdom-Lazar, MSW | Program Director andAdministrator
Shelle serves as our Program Director and Administrator. She comes to us with a great deal of valuable experience. She spent over two years as a case manager at St Vincent de Paul Village where she worked with adults with serious mental illness. Most recently, she was a clinical case manager for the Therapeutic Behavioral Services program at Mental Health Systems, Inc. where she provided parent education, assessment, treatment planning and co-ordination of a team of behavioral coaches who provided direct services to families facing severe behavioral problems. Through these positions, as well as graduate school internships at Interfaith Community Services and Jewish Family Service, she has accumulated her hours to qualify for the LCSW license. Shelle grew up in a Jewish home and embraces the values at Chesed Home.
Marlene Gray | Lead Staff
Marlene brings a wealth of experience in working with adults with serious mental illness to her position as lead staff for Chesed Home. For over six years she was employed by Alpine Special Treatment Center as a Psychosocial Rehab Specialist. Her duties included creating and maintaining a client newsletter (written and illustrated by clients), facilitating educational and vocational groups such as grammar/writing skills, creative writing, money management and job skills groups. Additionally, she facilitated psychoeducation groups such as anger management, Coping with a Mood Disorder and relapse prevention. Marlene reports that she is enthusiastic about bringing her experience to a more homey setting and being able to develop supportive relationships with Chesed Home residents. She has family experience with mental illness which has raised her awareness about the effect of mental illness on the family system.
Jennifer Redfern | Swing Shift Caregiver
Jennifer has worked in various helping capacities including time spent in a faith based pre-school, working as a caregiver and a hospice worker, as well as working in a day treatment program for adults with developmental disabilities. She has a warm, empathic nature that makes her accessible and comforting to our residents. She feels that some of her empathy stems from having family exposure to mental illness. Jennifer has taken on the main food related duties in the house with gusto. She plans, shops and cooks delicious dinners each night. She also teaches residents independent living skills with trips to the grocery store. She reports that she absolutely loves her job at Chesed Home.
Jacob Smith | Overnight Care Giver
Jacob earned a Bachelor in Social Work from Juniata College as well as a certificate in Non-Profit Management from Chapman University. He has over 20 years of experience in the human service field. Ten of those years were spent working with individuals with mental illness, mostly with dual diagnoses of mental illness and developmental disability. He provided and supervised independent living skills instruction as well as managing residential programs for this population. When the economy shifted, so did Jacob. He became a California Licensed Security professional with six years in the field, with placements in some of San Diego’s highest profile areas. This experience makes him extremely valuable on the overnight shift. Jacob is also the father of a young adult who is currently residing in a residential facility which increases his understanding and empathy for our residents.
Malvina Vainer
Malvina was born and raised in Russia where she attended and graduated from the University of Business. She and her husband immigrated to the United States and eventually ended up in San Diego in 1988. She worked for Hewlett Packard in finance for 23 years before retiring. Malvina, a widow, is the mother of two grown daughters to whom she provides loving emotional support. In addition to the nurturing care she provides for Chesed Home residents as a part-time caregiver, she volunteers at The Jewish Gift Closet and is an active advocate for individuals with mental illness, having attended the 12 week Family to Family course given by NAMI. She is also a member of the DBSA family support group at the VA hospital in La Jolla. Chesed Home residents respond very positively to her wonderful cooking and the care she provides.