Ron Simon, Ph.D., President
 Ron and his family have been members of Congregation Beth Israel for almost 40 years. He is President of the congregation. Previously, he served as Treasurer for 4 years. Ron has served on CBI's Finance, Investment and Endowment committees since 2002, and serves on the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee. He was honored as a Volunteer of the Year in 2005.
Ron was born in Cairo, Egypt, and came to the United States in 1942. He graduated from Harvard University with a major in economics, earned an M.A. in History from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Business from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
He has worked in various financial and corporate positions throughout his business career. Currently, he is a director of American Independence Corp., Ellington Financial, LLC and a private company. Ron is a member of the board and Past President of San Diego Country Club, and chairman of its budget and finance committee. He is also on the audit committee of the San Diego Zoo.
David Bark
 David Bark received his JD and MBA from the University of San Diego, and has been practicing Real Estate Litigation/Transaction Law at Pettersen & Bark. In addition, he is also currently employed as the Foreclosure Trustee at First American Title, heading up the commercial foreclosure department for California, Arizona and Nevada.
David has been a member of CBI for many years, with all three of his boys attending religious school and becoming Bar Mitzvah. He and his family are also active with San Diego’s Jewish Summer Camp, Camp Mountain Chai, of which David is a board member.
David is also very proud to be a member of The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He enjoys participating in the Annual Policy Conference in Washington DC, and has attended this event the last 6 years. He is an active participant in the many San Diego AIPAC events.
He is very involved with his communities of Mission and Pacific Beach. David has been the President of PYSL, Inc. (a community youth soccer league serving the coastal beach areas) for the last 7 years. He serves on a variety of parent groups for La Jolla High School, where his three sons currently attend.
Kaylee Brogadir
 Kaylee Brogadir and her husband, Daniel, have been a part of the CBI community since their eldest son was in the day school in 2001. She serves on the board of Women of Beth Israel and has participated in CBI’s Leadership Development Program. Her children and husband are also actively involved in congregational life, participating in the family band, youth choir, and the Men's Club.
After completing her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from San Francisco State University, Kaylee held various accounting positions in the high tech, engineering, and publishing industries. Prior to forming her own general accounting practice in 2007, she was the controller of a local publishing company. Her company, KVB Accounting, provides general accounting and bookkeeping services for small businesses in various service oriented industries.
Besides her involvement in CBI, Kaylee has been active in other community organizations including the JCC Youth and Camp Committee and Curie Elementary School PTA. She currently serves as treasurer for her sons' school foundation, Friends of San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family and creating memories with friends. Gardening and reading a book by the pool are her favorite ways to relax.
Amy Corton
 Amy Corton, Immediate Past President of the Board, has been involved at CBI for many years. She served as Treasurer and Vice President of Endowment, and was involved in the Beth Israel Day School Parent Advisory Board when her children attended the school. She was honored as a Volunteer of the Year in 2005.
Amy is a Development and Planning Consultant. She has worked in the past for Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties and built their Planned Giving Program. She wrote grants for Planned Parenthood and was involved in raising money for their Capital Campaign. Previously she was the Chair of the Board of Directors from 1996-1998 and served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors prior to becoming Chair. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Women's Division of the United Jewish Federation and is a member of the San Diego Foundation's Women's Foundation where she previously served as Governance Committee Chair.
Amy earned a Law Degree from Emory University School of Law and graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Economics. She began her law career in New York City and moved to San Diego in 1988 where she joined Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison as a lawyer. Amy and her husband, Carl Eibl, have two children and live in La Jolla.
Deborah DeBow
 Deborah DeBow is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a UC Berkeley alumnus. CBI’s educational, religious, musical and social programs and its friendly congregation inspired the Weissman family to join CBI, where Deborah became involved in the Social Action Committee and currently serves as chair.
Deborah has been a lawyer since 1978, in private practice and then as Principal Counsel to the California State Legislature’s Assembly Judiciary Committee. She served as president of the Sacramento County Bar Association in 1995 and as president of the Sacramento Law Foundation, Sacramento Women Lawyers and Feminist Legal Services (co-founder).
An avid environmentalist and gardener, Deborah serves on the board of the California Native Plant Society (San Diego Chapter) on the Citizens Advisory Board of the San Dieguito River Park and also on its Plan Review Committee. She has been active in the SDJA PTO, serving in various capacities. She and husband Herb Weissman, Ph.D., a clinical and forensic psychologist and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCD, have one son, Benjamin.
Cynthia Fram
 Cynthia Fram has worked in the Human Resources field for over 15 years. She is the Human Resources Generalist for the United Way of San Diego County. She earned her B.A. in communications from The University of Oregon and her Certificate in Human Resources Management from University of California at San Diego. Cynthia grew up in Portland, Oregon, and moved to San Diego in 1995.
At Congregation Beth Israel, Cynthia has served on the Long Range Planning Committee, the Rabbinic Search Committee that selected Rabbi Michael Berk, the Preschool Parent Committee, and is a Chavurah coordinator. Cynthia is now involved with the Parent Committee at our Religious School.
Nadine Finkel
 Nadine Finkel and her family, originally from Chicago, have been active members of Congregation Beth Israel since 1977. As CBI’s first Program Director, she initiated the Havurah, Mixed Doubles and Fine Arts programs. Nadine has served as United Jewish Federation’s Director of Planning/Community Partnerships and Program Development for 17 years. Dedicated to building Jewish community, she has worked with San Diego synagogues and agencies to create programs which foster Jewish continuity such as Shalom Baby, Camp Mountain Chai, Israel Center, Community Chaplin, Melton Adult Mini-School and Youth Camp and Israel Scholarships. Nadine served on CBI’s Search Committee which selected Rabbi Michael Berk and currently serves on the Membership and Caring Community Committee.
Nadine and her husband, Phil have celebrated many family life cycle events at CBI. Her grandaughter, Lauren attended Beth Israel Day School and participated in the Religious School and Madrichim program.
Heidi Gantwerk
 Heidi Gantwerk, a Congregation Beth Israel member for eight years, is Vice President of Viewpoint Learning, a La Jolla based firm that develops dialogues for business and public policy. Heidi specializes in civic engagement, public policy research, community relations and media production. She has designed and directed civic and stakeholder engagement projects on a wide range of complex public and private sector issues including healthcare reform, land use and housing development, governance reform and caring for the elderly. Heidi runs the La Jolla office of Viewpoint Learning.
Formerly the director of youth programs at Price Charities, Heidi also has extensive experience as a media liaison and producer. She served as director of community relations for San Diego's NBC owned-and-operated station. Prior to joining Viewpoint Learning, her career focused on building bridges between communities, from serving as a liaison between local communities and network television to creating and implementing innovative educational opportunities for inner-city schoolchildren.
Heidi holds a B.A. in psychology from Yale University. Her husband Andy Mayer is the pianist for the Friday Night Chai Band and one of this year's Volunteers of the Year Award winners. Heidi often sings with the Chai band at Friday Night Chai Music Shabbat services and other CBI musical events. Heidi and Andy live in Tierrasanta with their three children, Isaac, Sebastian and Gabriel.
Jerry Goldberg
 Jerry Goldberg, our Honorary Board Consultant, has served the Congregation for over 20 years in a variety of leadership capacities including President (2001-2003), founding chair of the Tikkun-Social Action Committee, chair of the Aleinu-Continuing Education Committee and co-chair of the 2004 Senior Rabbi Search Committee.
He has also fulfilled leadership roles nationally for the Union for Reform Judaism as Regional Vice President and member of the Commission on Social Action, and locally for the United Jewish Federation of San Diego including Vice President for Planning and Allocations, Treasurer, founding chair of the Audit Committee and chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council. A strong advocate of synagogue/ Federation partnership, Jerry was a founding member of the UJF Synagogue Committee. He co-chaired the 2008 Men's Event. Jerry is a member of the prestigious Wexner Heritage Foundation Jewish leadership program.
Jerry is a senior partner in the law firm of Hecht Solberg Robinson Goldberg & Bagley LLP and its litigation and risk management group. Jerry's professional interest in housing and development dates from the beginning of his career as an Attorney-Advisor for the General Counsel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and has continued in other endeavors including his service as a founding Trustee of the San Diego Housing Trust Fund, pro bono counsel for a variety of Jewish and secular nonprofit organizations and various teaching roles.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Jerry is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and Miami University (Ohio) where he received various honors including election to Phi Beta Kappa. He is the husband of Linda and father of Matthew (a Beth Israel Day School "lifer"), a lawyer living in San Francisco. Jerry's avocations include running, hiking, baseball, golf and travel.
Michael Harnett
Michael Harnett is founder and President of Harnett Investment Advisers LLC, a San Diego-based financial advisory firm that assists families and individuals, businesses and non-profits achieve their investment and retirement objectives.
Mike began his finance career as an investment banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) in New York and later moved to the West Coast, continuing his career at Robertson Stephens and JMP Securities in San Francisco. Mike moved to San Diego in 2004. Prior to entering the private sector, Mike served in the U.S. Navy and is a veteran of the first Gulf War. He also worked as a legislative aide for U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman in Washington, D.C.
Mike currently serves on the Finance Committee of the United Jewish Federation of San Diego, the board of the San Diego Harvard Business School Club, and is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of San Diego. Mike graduated with an M.B.A. from Harvard University (1996) and a B.S. with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy (1989).
Mike’s first priority outside work and his greatest joy is his one year old son, Ethan. Mike, Ethan and their two adopted dogs reside in Carlsbad
.
Gary Hirschfeld
 Gary Hirschfeld works in San Diego for a financial services firm in the capacity of Senior Administrator for Operations. Gary’s wife Tracy and daughters Abbi and Ilana are actively involved in the CBI community. Gary has lived in San Diego since 1999 after moving from London where he and the family lived for three years and prior to that having lived in the New York Metro area for 10 years.
Gary earned his MBA from Tulane University and his Bachelors degree from UCSD. Gary and Tracy were married in New Orleans, where Tracy is from, and moved to New York for Tracy to pursue her musical career at the Manhattan School of Music. Gary was a commodities trader for many years until moving to San Diego to pursue his current profession.
Tracy teaches voice and piano from her home studio in University City. Tracy, Abbi and Ilana are actively involved in the CBI choir and hope to continue that affiliation for many years.
Joan Jacobs
 Joan Jacobs served as president of Congregation Beth Israel from 1976 to 1978. She was the first woman president of CBI. Currently Joan serves as Honorary Life Consultant & President of the Cemetery and Mausoleum Association.
Emily Jennewein
 Emily Jennewein is president-elect and co-VP-Education of Congregation Beth Israel. Professionally, she is the principal of Emily Jennewein Marketing Communications, a website and marketing communications firm whose clients include the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, The San Diego Foundation, Sunrise Capital Partners, Run Women Run and the San Diego Museum of Art. She created CBI's Web site in 2002, and served as the synagogue's volunteer Webmaster.
At Beth Israel, Emily chaired the rabbinic search committee that selected Rabbi Michael Satz and she served on the search committee that selected Rabbi Michael Berk. In 2008, Emily chaired A Musical Night in Jerusalem, which honored Cantor Arlene Bernstein for 10 years of service. Emily chaired the Religious School parent committee for several years. She designed CBI's first weekly e-newsletter. In 2003, she was honored as Volunteer of the Year, and served on the Capitol Steps fundraiser committee. She co-chaired the committee that produced the One People Many Voices youth choir concert in 2006.
Emily earned an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College and graduated from Amherst College. Emily lives in Del Mar with her husband Chris. Their daughters, Maddy and Penny, became b'not mitzvah and celebrated their confirmations at CBI.
Marty Klitzner
 Marty Klitzner received his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan. In addition, he did three years of post-graduate work in economics at UCLA. For the past 25 years Marty has been Managing Director of Sunrise Capital Partners, an alternative investment hedge fund manager.
Marty has served for many years as a Board member of the United Jewish Federation and on the Executive Committee as its Treasurer. He also serves on the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego Board and is the current chair of its Grants Committee. Marty has been a member of CBI for 25 years. He and his wife, Terry, were married at CBI and his son, Lee, had his bar mitzvah at the temple as well.
Meg Mandel
 Originally from Altoona, Pennsylvania, Meg Mandel has been a member of CBI since she and her family moved to San Diego from Iowa in 2006. Meg is a co-chair of the Religious School Room Parent Committee and serves on the Youth Education Advisory Committee. Meg also serves on the Membership Committee and participated in CBI’s Leadership Development program.
In addition to her involvement with CBI, Meg is on the Board of the Women’s Division of UJF, serves as co-chair of the La Jolla Lunch Club, and volunteers at her kids' schools.
Meg graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in American Civilization and earned an M.A.T. from Rice University. Her professional background is in college admission, education, and fundraising. Meg lives in La Jolla with her husband, Jess, and their two children, Emily and Jonathan.
Meryl Maneker
 Meryl is an attorney in private practice and a partner in the San Diego law firm of Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP. Meryl specializes in the defense of employment and other class actions and product liability claims. In addition to her practice, Meryl is an active member of the San Diego legal community. Meryl is a former president of the San Diego chapter of the Federal Bar Association and currently serves as a Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Lawyers Club of San Diego. She is also currently a Lawyer Representative to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California and Co-Chair of the Lawyer Representative Committee.
A native of New York, Meryl graduated from Brown University and New York University School of Law. Meryl and her family moved to San Diego in 1996 and have been members of CBI since 1997. At CBI, Meryl has served on the Membership Committee and the 2008 Assistant Rabbi Search Committee. Meryl and her husband, Peter Herman, a professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University, have two children, Alison (age 16), a member of CBI’s Teen and Youth Choir, and Jonathan (age 10), a graduate of CBI’s preschool and student in CBI’s Religious School which Alison also attended. The entire family went to Israel in 2008 with Cantor Bernstein’s Teen and Youth Choir Trip.
Gregory Markow
 Greg Markow joined CBI in 2002 shortly after moving to San Diego. He is a partner at Hecht Solberg concentrating in real estate-related litigation and risk management. He has served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Second Chance and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Real Property Section of the State Bar of California.
Greg is married to Julianne Markow and they have two children, Isaac and Seth, who attend CBI Religious School. They live in Hillcrest. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and has lived in Boston, Washington and Chicago. Greg graduated from Harvard College and the University of Chicago law school.
Robert Metz
 After graduating with a degree in business from Wayne University in Detroit Bob started a window manufacturing company, serving on the national Board of the Architectural Aluminum Manufacturers Association and the United Way of Oakland County, Michigan. Fifteen years later he ventured into commercial real estate, and served as a vice president of the Detroit Board of Realtors.
Bob moved to San Diego in 1976 where he pioneered the consumer video industry. In 1980 as an owner and CFO at Voice & Video Inc., commercial video equipment sales organization. Bob has served on the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club Board for over 27 years and was president in 1987. He co-founded The La Jolla Festival of Arts, served as the Site Chairman for 22 years and as General Chairman in 2001. He was treasurer of the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Foundation for over 10 years and is a member of the Foundation Board and the Investment Committee.
In 1996 Bob and his wife Judy joined CBI. In 2001 he co-chaired the Social Action Committee. He was co-founder of the Stand With Israel Committee and is active on the CBI Men's Club, serving as president from 2007-2009. Bob was named CBI Volunteer of the Year for 2002/03.
Bob and his wife Judy served on the Shalom Committee for 8 years. Bob has two children, Bill a La Jolla architect, and Ellen Friedman a physical therapist residing in Phoenix, and two adult grandchildren.
Larry Newman
 Larry Newman grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He then attended the University of Michigan where he graduated with honors and went on to spend the next four years at Chicago Medical School where he received his MD degree. He was elected into the honor society ALPHA OMEGA ALPHA. His internship and immunology fellowship was at Stanford University Medical Center. He spent two years in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon, which was followed by an ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan.
Larry moved to San Diego in 1975 and joined CBI. He served on the CBI Board of Directors in the late1980’s. He served on the Rabbinic Search Committees that selected Rabbi Jonathan Stein and Rabbi Michael Satz.
Larry and his wife Rebecca have two grandchildren in the CBI Preschool.
Jerry Sampson
 Jerry Sampson and his wife Lynn have been active members of CBI since 1988, when they were married. Together they are raising two children, Rachel and Jacob.
Jerry has served on the T'filah/Worship Committee and the Aleinu Committee. As a volunteer, he also enjoys welcoming and greeting visitors and members to numerous Congregation events and activities. Jerry is a regular attendee at the Shabbat morning Torah study and Minyan service.
For more than 20 years, Jerry has been a procurement, contracts, and materials management professional in the San Diego area. He is a graduate of Arizona State University with a major in Business Administration and Production Operations Management. Jerry was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois.
Marge Schane
Marge Schane has been an active member of CBI since 1968. She has served on the Membership Committee and the Kelliah Caring Committee. She is presently on the Women of Beth Israel Board and is a past co-president of WBI. In addition, Marge has completed CBI’s Leadership Program.
In the community Marge has served on the Jewish Healing committee as well as having served as a committee member for Project SARAH (Stop Abusive Relationships At Home) where she helped in fundraising for several events. In addition, she is a member of Planned Parenthood.
Marge and her husband, Sanford, are originally from Detroit moving to San Diego in 1965. They have two married daughters, Sheryl and Debra, and two grandchildren, all of whom live in San Diego. Sheryl and Debra celebrated their B'not Mitvah, confirmations, and marriages at CBI.
After graduating from law school, Marge became a probation officer for the County of San Diego where she worked for over 13 years. She currently works in the travel industry as a cruise specialist with Cruises Inc. She serves not only our community but the entire United States and Canada.
Molly Schneider
 Molly Schneider has been on the CBI board since 2005. She is a transplanted Detroiter who came to San Diego to attend UCSD in 1986 and never left! She’s been active in the Jewish community since moving here.
Most recently, she's been on the Women's Division Board of UJF since 2005 and was chair of the UJF North County Coastal Lunch Club for three years. She's been on several committees for many Jewish organizations and is a former intern, liason and young leadership chair for AIPAC. Molly has been involved in the Bill and Sid Rubin preschool since her children began attending in 2001 and is thrilled to still have a child in our fabulous pre-school for one last year.
Molly is a six year veteran PTA chair and volunteer at Ashley Falls Elementary School in Carmel Valley. She has been self employed in the baby clothes business for many years and currently manages a Web site business, babymonograms.com. Molly, and husband Jon, are proud to be active CBI members and live in Carmel Valley with their three children, two of whom are at Religious School and one at Preschool, so you can find her at CBI most days of the week.
Mitchell Siegler
 Mitch Siegler and his family have been involved in Congregation Beth Israel since 1990. Mitch and his wife, Elizabeth, have been active in the San Diego community since they moved here in 1987. In 2006, Mitch co-founded Pathfinder Partners, LLC, a leading acquirer of distressed loans and commercial properties from financial institutions. He is currently Senior Managing Director of Pathfinder. Mitch began his career as a corporate executive for a Fortune 100 firm, spent five years as a partner in a boutique investment banking/venture capital firm and founded and served as CEO of a number of businesses. Mitch earned a B.S. with honors with dual majors in finance and economics from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and an M.B.A. with the highest honors from Pepperdine University. Mitch and Elizabeth live in Point Loma with their two children, Jacob, 15, a CBI Madrichim, and Rebecca, 9, a student in the Religious School. |
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