Our Staff

Jason Schnissel, Executive Director

Jason considers himself very fortunate to have attended a Jewish Day School from grade school through high school.  This, coupled with being raised by a strong Jewish family, instilled a passion for our heritage, culture and traditions. Jason first moved to Aspen as a recent college graduate with the intent to stay for a year and work for the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. After spending a few months away, he decided to return to the valley. Upon his return he began teaching in our Hebrew School and later oversaw our youth group. In August 2015, Jason began his current role with our congregation. When not working, you'll find Jason making turns - on skis during snow season and bikes the rest of the year. Other downtime favorites include time in the kitchen and roaming the great outdoors with his wife Jodi and their dog Traynor. Jason can be reached at director@aspenjewish.org or 970.925.8245 x5.

Rabbi Sima Oster, Education & Community Engagement Director 

Sima Oster grew up on Long Island and attended Jewish Day School from Preschool through High School. After graduating college, she lived on the Upper West Side in NYC where she enjoyed exploring Central Park in running shoes and on bike. Here in the Roaring Fork Valley, Sima and her husband Ethan take their twin daughters, Navah and Maya, hiking, biking, and skiing. Ethan has also dedicated himself to the improvement and safety of our community by joining the Aspen Police Force.

Sima holds a master’s degree in the Art of Teaching (MAT), a certification in Jewish Leadership through Teaching from Brandeis University, and in June 2023 became an ordained Rabbi. She gained experience teaching preschool children in Tribeca’s Jewish Community Project (JCP), while also teaching Hebrew School and building the Bnai Mitzvah program for that community. In her first few years here, Sima focused her work on curriculum and program development that instills a sense of connection in families, children, and teens, always striving for relevance and developmentally appropriate activities for each age range. She helped grow our Hebrew School and the engagement of our young families. In her expanded role of Education and Community Engagement Director, Sima has been working to engage our entire community with events, programs, and services that inspire and connect us to relevant Jewish content and to each other. Sima can be reached at sima@aspenjewish.org or 970.925.8245 x4.

Karen Codd, Program Coordinator

Karen grew up in Tucson, Arizona where she was deeply involved with the Jewish community, attending Jewish Day School through fourth grade and Hebrew School through middle school. During high school, she served as a teacher's assistant and took on leadership roles in her local NFTY group. Karen continued her Jewish involvement at Lesley University in Boston, where she served as president of Lesley Hillel.

After moving to the Roaring Fork Valley six years ago, Karen worked in marketing and graphic design, but her passion for Judaism led her to the Aspen Jewish Congregation. She began teaching at AJC's Hebrew School in December 2023 and quickly embraced a larger role in the congregation. Outside of work, Karen enjoys skiing, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with her husband Nick and their dog, Okie. She is excited to contribute to the vibrant community at AJC and to help it continue to grow and thrive. Karen can be reached at karen@aspenjewish.org or 970.925.8245 x3.

Carrie Kellman, Family Connector

Carrie was born and raised in Central New Jersey and moved to Boulder from New York City in 2006. She and her husband Michael and their daughter Pippa moved to Carbondale in 2022. She has a BA from Emory University, an MS from New York University and an MBA from the University of Colorado and spent much of her career helping to grow consumer goods companies. In her free time she enjoys tennis, hiking, skiing and swimming. 

One of the biggest reasons we moved to Carbondale two years ago was to find and foster a sense of community. By joining AJC and PJ Library as a Family Connector I hope to engage with families throughout the valley in fun and meaningful ways. Carrie can be reached at carrie@aspenjewish.org.