Leadership
JCLP team
Noah Levine
Profession: Non-profit consultant
Education: BA, MA, and MSW
Volunteer Involvement:
Past President: Congregation Etz Chaim; Advisory Council Member: Georgia State University School of Social Work; Past Board Positions: Agape Family and Youth Center; Georgia Interfaith Power & Light; Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta; The Weber School
Leadership Expertise: Strategic Planning, Succession Planning, Resource Development, Board Development, Organizational Engagement
David I. Sarnat
Profession: Non-profit consultant
Education: BA and MSSA
Volunteer Involvement: Board Member, Jewish Kids Group; Past Member Weber School, Executive Committee; Past Board Member Greenfield Hebrew Academy and William Breman Jewish Home
Max L. Kleinman
Profession: Non-profit consultant; Former CEO of Jewish Federation of MetroWest, NJ
Education: BA, MA and MSW
Volunteer Involvement: NJ Israel Commission; Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest; Chair, Combating Antisemitism Initiative-
Leadership Expertise: Strategic Planning, Mergers, Resource Development
Rob Goldberg
Profession: Immediate Past CEO, Buffalo Jewish Federation
Education: BA in Religious Studies from Brown University and MBA from Bryant University
Volunteer Involvement: Boards of Temple Beth Tzedek, Hospice and Palliative Care of Buffalo, and White Whiskers Senior Dog Sanctuary
Leadership Expertise: Succession Planning, Lay Leadership Development, Focus Group Facilitation
Diane Cutler Green
Planning Consultant
Profession: Non-profit consultant
Education: BA The Ohio State University and MSW Case Western Reserve University with a focus in Nonprofit Management and Jewish Studies
Volunteer Involvement: Washington Hebrew Congregation, JSSA, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and Montgomery County Schools
Leadership Expertise: Leadership Development, Team Building, Community Engagement, Organizational Engagement, Lay/Professional Relations
Cassie Weinstock
Profession: Jewish communal consultant
Education: BA, University of Colorado; MA Jewish nonprofit management, HUC; MSW, Washington University
Volunteer Involvement: JCC, Denver, Sinai Academy, Los Angeles, American Jewish Committee
Leadership Expertise: Strategic Planning, Board
Training and Development, Staff Training and Development, Fundraising Strategic
Planning, Program Development, Curriculum Development
Tali Benjamin
Profession: Marketing Strategy & Content Creation
Education: BA in Journalism, Grady College – University of Georgia
Volunteer Involvement: Past Board Member Atlanta Jewish Music Festival; Past President and Board Member, Sweet Apple Elementary; Board Member, Elkins Pointe PTSA
Rachel Shiffman
Profession: Media and Marketing
Education: University of Arizona
Volunteer Involvement: Dancer and Dance Instructor, MJCCA
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Officers
Marilyn Forman Chandler
Chair of the Board
Professional: Jewish community leader, Non-Profit Consultant, Immediate Past CEO: Greensboro Jewish Federation and Former Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County, NY
Education: BS, SUNY Albany and MSW, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University
Volunteer Involvement: Vice-Chair, Women of the Shoah, UNCG-Greensboro Jewish Community Archival Project. Former Jewish Community Advisory Board Member, Elon University and Wake Forest University
Bernard King-Smith
Vice Chair
Profession: Senior Software Engineer, IBM Corporation, Retired
Education: BA Geography 1979 University of Minnesota
Volunteer Involvement: International Board member, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ); President, Chevre Kadisha of Ulster County (NY); Vice President Leadership Development, Ulster County Jewish Federation; Treasurer, Jewish Family Services of Ulster County; Past President and Board member, Congregation Ahavath Israel Kingston NY
Ann Tettlebaum
Profession: Certified Public Accountant, Retired
Education: B.A., Wellesley College, M.A. History, Washington University, M.S. Accounting, University of Missouri
Volunteer Involvement: Treasurer and Board Member, Temple Beth El of Jefferson City Missouri; Treasurer and Past President, Hadassah Mid-MO Deborah Chapter; Past Treasurer and Board Member, Jewish Federation of Arkansas; Treasurer, Friends of the Moniteau County Library
David HogueT
Secretary
Profession: Former Exec. Director, Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati, Retired
Education: BA University of Pennsylvania and MBA, New York University
Volunteer Involvement: Board Chair, Plum Street Temple Historic Preservation Fund; Wise Temple Investment Committee; Current Boards: Talbert House, GRAD Cincinnati; Past Boards: Seven Hills School; Public Media Connect – CET/Think TV
board advisory committee
Samuel Morris Bernstine
Profession: Management Consultant, Retired
Education: BS Individual & Family Studies 1978 Penn State University
Volunteer Involvement: President of Temple Hadar Israel in New Castle, Pennsylvania, during its closure at the end of 2017; retired as Principal, Management Consultant and Board member with international business consultancy Kepner-Tregoe (KT); avid supporter of Penn State University and its athletics who received Volunteer of the Year awards in 2010 and 2013; 2020 Board Member of the Year award from the Penn State College of Health & Human Development Alumni Society; member, Penn State Renaissance Scholarship Board; Former President, Penn State Shenango Advisory Board; Board Member, Jewish Cemetery Burial Association of Pittsburgh (JCBA); Board Member, Ohev Beth Sholom Temple in Youngstown, OH
Leslie Dannin Rosenthal
Education: Smith College, B.A., Boston University School of Law, J.D. Chair,
Volunteer Involvement: Network of Independent Communities Advisory Committee, Jewish Federations of North America Member, JFNA Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, Budget & Finance Committee and Financial Relations Development Committee Member, JFNA National Women’s Philanthropy Advisory Council, Co-chair, 2010 International Lion of Judah Conference Immediate Past President, Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, NJ, past Campaign Chair, Major Gifts Chair, Merger Committee Vice Chair, Women’s Philanthropy President Member, Jewish Committee Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ Past President, Oheb Shalom Congregation, South Orange, NJ
Board Members
Robert Arogeti
Profession: Certified Public Accountant, Retired
Education: BSBA University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and MPA- Taxation from University of Texas
Volunteer Involvement: Past Board Chair – Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta; Past Campaign Chair – Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta; Past National Board Chair and Campaign Chair – ImpactIsrael (formerly Friends of Yemin Orde); Past board member and officer of JFCS Atlanta, Weber School, Hillel- Emory Campus
Jeffrey Finkelstein
Profession: CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh
Education: MA from the Hornstein Program of Jewish Communal Service (Brandeis University); BA in sociology from Columbia University; BA in Talmud from the Jewish Theological Seminary
Volunteer Involvement: Past JPRO Board Chair/Board member; Board member of 412×972; President of Jack Buncher Charitable Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh; Board member of Eradicate Hate Global Summit
Dana Herman, PhD
Profession: Associate Director, American Jewish Archives
Education: PhD in Modern Jewish History from McGill University, Montreal
Volunteer Involvement: The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives; guest lecturer in Amsterdam, Berlin, Jerusalem, New York, and Cincinnati
Etta Raye Hirsch
Education: Vanderbilt University
Volunteer Involvement: Philanthropist of the Year (2019); Board Member: Jewish Women’s Foundation, Atlanta Women’s Foundation, Jewish Home Life Communities Foundation, Atlanta Scholars Kollel, Temima High School for Girls; Past Board Member: The Epstein (Solomon Schechter) School, Congregation Beth Jacob
Jackie Jacobs
Profession: Executive Director Emeritus, Columbus Jewish Foundation, Retired
Education: SUNY Binghamton, Geography
Volunteer Involvement: Board Member: Restored Citizens Network, End the Violence, Cleveland Jewish Publication Society, several central Ohio local foundations and Jewish non-profits; Former Chair of UJC’s affinity group for North American planned giving professionals and co-founder of Leave A Legacy, a planned giving awareness program embraced by over 100 communities nationwide
rabbi scott klein
Profession: Jewish Army Chaplain, United States Army; Education and Engagement Consultant, NECHAMA
Education: Rabbinic Ordination, Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.); Masters in Jewish Professional Studies w/ concentration in Non-Profit Management
Volunteer Involvement: Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs, AUSA Fort Bragg & North Carolina Chapter; Member, West Point Field Force; Member, Fayetteville Advisory Committee on Transit
Robert Loeb
Profession: General Partner, SurePoint Self Storage
Education: BA from The University of Wisconsin: MBA from Emory University
Volunteer Involvement: Past President of Temple B’Nai Israel, Victoria, Texas; Past Chairman: Victoria Business and Education Coalition, Victoria YMCA, Victoria Regional Museum Association, Victoria Preservation, Victoria Country Club, Victoria County Navigation District – Victoria, Texas; Past Chairman: Texas Self Storage Association; twice recipient of YMCA CM Ferguson Award Volunteer of the Year; Victoria Rotary Citizen of the Year
Rabbi David Lyon
Profession: Senior Rabbi, Congregation Beth Israel, Houston, Texas
Education: University of Arizona (1984) with BS in Business Administration; Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters (1988) at HU-JIR, Los Angeles; ordained Rabbi (1990) at HUC-JIR, Cincinnati
Volunteer Involvement: Member of the CCAR (Central Conference of America Rabbis) Board of Trustees and Chair of Professional Development Committee; Immediate-Past President of SWARR (Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis). In Houston, serves on the United Way of Greater Houston Board of Trustees and its Community Impact Committee; serves on Interfaith Ministries of Houston Board of Trustees; Immediate-Past Chair of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center and a Lifetime Honorary Board Member
Catherine peterson
Profession: Intellectual Property Paralegal
Education: Iowa State University
Volunteer Involvement: Member of an unofficial leadership team that has been working to grow and promote women’s ice hockey in Lincoln, NE (2021-present); Treasurer/Board of Trustees for Congregation B’Nai Jeshurun (2020-2023) and co-founded of Lincoln’s Young Jewish Initiative; TeamMates Mentor (2019-2022); Refugee Resettlement Volunteer for a Yazidi family through Lutheran Family Services (2017-2018)
deborah kaplan polivy
Profession: Non-profit Consultant
Education: BA from Jackson College, Tufts University; MSW and PH.D. from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
Volunteer Involvement: Member of Advisory Board of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University; past Board Member of Temple Emanu-El, Reno, Nevada; Food Bank of Northern Nevada; Hebrew High School of New England; Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy, Bloomfield, CT
Howard M. Rieger
Profession: Past President/CEO of Jewish Federations of North America; Past President/CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh
Education: PhD in Government from Southern Illinois University and BA/Master’s in Public Administration from Roosevelt University, Chicago
Volunteer Involvement: Past Chair, path-breaking social innovation incubator for Pittsburgh Public High School Students; convener of East End Neighbors and Southwestern PA Resident-Led Town Halls, both of which are focused on combating air pollution. Board member, Jack Buncher Foundation in Pittsburgh; served for 5 years as the founder and volunteer President of Jewish Neighborhood Development Council of Chicago and President Emeritus
Jay L. Rubin
Profession: Past CEO Shalom Austin/ Past Executive VP Hillel International/ Past Exec Dir Jewish Federations New Haven (CT)/ Canton (OH), Augusta (GA)
Education: Stuyvesant HS (NY)/ BA- Binghamton University (NY)/ MA- Washington University St Louis (MO)
Volunteer Involvement: Past Chair of CJF Small Cities and Intermediate Cities Executive Institutes/ Past Board Member of AJCOP, JCSA and JPRO/ Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Jewish Austin Men (JAMen) Dinner and Speakers Forum/ Austin Jewish Film Festival Executive Committee/ Past Chair, Congregation Tiferet Israel Strategic Planning Committee and Bylaws Committee/ Member, Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Committee Grant Scoring Committee
David Shapiro
Profession: Attorney (Retired, Inactive Member WV State Bar)
Education: BA (History) – Ohio University, Athens, OH; MA (History) – George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; JD – University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Volunteer Involvement:
Jewish Community Organizations: Temple Israel, Charleston, WV; Current Chair and Member, Investment Committee, former Board Member, two-time President, Treasurer, and Chair of Rabbinic Search, Long-Range Planning and Security mommittees; Union for Reform Judaism: former President and Board Member, URJ Mid-Atlantic Regional Council; former URJ Board and Executive Committee Member
Charleston WV Community Organizations: former Board Member – CAMC (Charleston Area Medical Center) Foundation, Inc.; former Steering Committee Member – Kanawha (County) Coalition for Community Health Improvement; former Board Member and President, West Virginia Health Right, Inc. (free and charitable clinic); former Board Member and Finance Committee Chair, Sunrise Museums, Inc.
ronald sklar
Profession: Real Estate Developer and Home Builder
Education: BS in Business, Washington & Lee University ‘70
Volunteer Involvement: Southern Jewish Cemetery Assoc.; West Tennessee Home Builders Assoc.; City of Germantown Economic Commission
Becky Sobelman-Stern
Profession: Nonprofit Philanthropy Executive; Executive Vice President, Chief Impact Officer Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
Education: Bachelors of Social Work in Community Organization from Hunter College; BA in Business Education from New York University
Volunteer Involvement: Fulfillment Fund: Mentee; Freedom School of the Children’s Defense Fund: Volunteer; Jewish Communal Services Association (JCSA): Member Southern California Jewish Communal Professionals Association: Member AJCOP Awards Committee: Former Member; United Jewish Communities: Certificate of Merit