Sarina Roffé has 25 years of management consulting experience in nonprofit and small business management as well as public service. Her experience is broad and includes board relations, strategic planning, budget management, government relations, government compliance, efficiency management, fiscal management, fundraising, human resources, marketing and communications.

The mother of three, two of whom have disabilities (one deaf and one learning disabled, both with ADHD), Sarina was working as an educational interpreter when she returned to school in her 30s, graduating with a BA in Journalism from the University of Maryland 20 years after finishing high school. She also earned an MA in Jewish Studies from Touro College. She is a graduate of the NYC Leadership Institute and a Distinguished Toastmaster.After finishing college, Sarina was offered one job after another, each one helping her move up the ladder to success. Beginning as a newspaper journalist and columnist for the Gaithersburg Gazette, she moved on to become news editor of the Nassau Herald and managing editor of the Queens Tribune.

Before she knew it, Sarina was recruited to work as Director of Public Affairs for the NYC Department of Juvenile Justice (1996-2002). There she worked with community groups, judges, child advocacy groups as the agency built the city’s first juvenile detention facilities. Faced with a public affairs challenge, Sarina turned it into a positive story, working with the press to share the advantages of juvenile detention for underprivileged children who have lost their way due to their socioeconomic situations. She also managed the agency Volunteer for Youth program, arranged ceremonies, and other events.

In 2002, Sarina began as Director of Communications for Jewish National Fund. There she created a new public relations department, handling the branding and imaging, writing and placing press releases, and finding the compassionate stories that newspaper editors would print. Sarina was also given the job of Government Relations, working with federal agencies such as the US Forest Service, handling a VIP tour of JNF Forests in Israel with the Chief of the US Forest Service, and working on JNF’s visibility in the United Nations. Sarina handled JNF’s successful approval as an NGO in the UN.

In 2005, it was no surprise that Sarina was recruited to work at ORT America as Director of Marketing and Communications. There she handled the merger of American ORT and Women’s American ORT, working with lay leaders and professionals to develop the new brand and then carry that brand through on marketing and public relations materials, videos, direct mail solicitation and a national advertising campaign. Sarina also handled international press, coverage of a controversial lawsuit, member relations, speech writing and events.

After years of government and nonprofit experience, Sarina began as a Chief Operating Officer for C & A Marketing, a for profit company, in 2009. She set up a human resources department, employee recognition program, made policy changes, and handled efficiency management and operations.

In her spare time, Sarina Roffé is involved in a number of civic causes and organizations. She was president of Brooklyn’s Best Toastmasters and the National Cued Speech Association. Under her leadership, both organizations flourished. Currently, she serves as Co-Chair of Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative and Founder/President of the Sephardic Heritage Project. She is Chair of the JewishGen Sephardic Research Division. 

She is the author of Branching Out From Sepharad (2017 Sephardic Heritage Project) and Backyard Kitchen: Mediterranean Salads (2016) and Backyard Kitchen the Main Course (2018). Sarina Roffé is an internationally recognized expert on Sephardic Jewry and genealogy. She is the editor of the award-winning journal, Dorot, for the Jewish Genealogical Society of NY. She speaks at international historical and genealogical conferences around the world. As a journalist, she has hundreds of articles to her credit. Her subjects range from Sephardic history, and Jewish genealogy to deaf education and parenting.