FY23-24 PTBE Board of Trustees
(* designates new member)

OFFICERS
 

Roxanne Cohen, President

Roxanne is a native New Yorker, now in the Bay Area for more than 20 years, living in San Carlos with her husband Dave, and two children – Jacob, age 20, who is a student at New York University, and Helena, age 17, who attends Carlmont High School. They joined the PTBE community when Jacob entered Ganon in 2002 and have been active in the Jewish community throughout the Bay Area including PJCC, Wornick Jewish Day School, NFTY, URJ Camp Newman, and Diller Teen Fellows. The Cohen family traveled to Israel with PTBE on a North Peninsula community trip in 2018. Roxanne brings a passion for Jewish life and has enjoyed stepping into leadership at PTBE over the past several years, first as a member of the Strategic Planning and Security Task Forces, and subsequently as co-Chair of the Senior Rabbi Search Committee, and as Vice President on the PTBE Board of Trustees. She looks forward to continuing to guide our community as President.

Roxanne is a consultant to non-profit organizations, having worked as a Jewish community professional for over 25 years, most recently serving as a Managing Director of Community Impact at the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan, MSW from Columbia University, and MA in Jewish Studies from Jewish Theological Seminary. She is also an alumnus of the Mandel Executive Leadership Program and received a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.

Steve Diamond, Vice President

Steve grew up at Temple Sinai in Oakland, where his beloved great uncle William Stern was the senior rabbi. Steve and his wife Susan have been members of PTBE for 15 years. For the past decade, Steve has led PTBE’s parashat hashavuah Torah study group, for which he received the Or HaTorah award in 2017. Susan was the Director of Senior Programs at the JCCSF for 18 years. As Vice President, he is the Chair of PTBE’s Governance and Nominating Committee. He has also held the portfolio of community security and serves on the COVID Task Force.

 Steve began his career in biomedical research at the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute EEG Systems Laboratory at UCSF, which led him to the high-tech industry and Silicon Valley. Most recently, Steve was Senior Director of Industry Standards at VMware and Global Standards Officer at EMC. Prior to that he held senior positions in mergers & acquisitions, business development, marketing, and strategic planning at Cisco, Sun, and Honeywell. He was President of the IEEE Computer Society, served on the IEEE Board of Directors, was Vice Chair of the IEEE Standards Association Board of Governors, and Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Micro Magazine. He received the IEEE’s Richard E. Merwin Medal for Distinguished Service and the IEEE Third Millennium Medal.

Andy Garlikov, Treasurer

Andy grew up in Arizona and became bar mitzvah at Temple Beth Israel in Phoenix. He and his wife Julie joined PTBE in 2012, where she served as a Trustee from 2017 to 2020. Their two children participated in the education program, bringing their parents along for a couple years in Gesher, and culminating in their b'nai mitzvahs.

Andy started his career in the 1990’s at The White House, where he planned high-profile events for the President and Vice President of the United States. Following two presidential campaigns and a stint in consulting, Andy founded an event marketing firm and produced events around the world, managed conventions for national associations, planned conferences, and led international delegations for think tanks. Since 2015, he has worked in customer advocacy and marketing in the technology industry. Andy earned a BA in International Relations from American University, an MA in Communication from the University of Arizona, and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. He's done earning degrees, but is too curious to ever stop learning. He sees serving on the Board of Trustees as an opportunity to continue learning while serving a community that has given so much to him and his family.

Mindy Shelton, Secretary

Mindy grew up at PTBE and became Bat Mitzvah on her confirmation trip to Israel.  Her parents were active participants in the community, and many know her mom, Judy Garb, from leading the PJCC preschool for over 25 years.  Mindy and her husband Jeff joined PTBE when their oldest son, now 21, was in preschool, and have participated in many of the experiential and family learning programs offered with both of their boys.  Both Andrew, a senior at UC Berkeley, and Aaron, junior at Carlmont High School, became Bar Mitzvah at PTBE. 

Mindy served on the Education Committee for five years, serving as chair for three, and was a part of the search committee that hired Rabbi Laura Rumpf.  Mindy joined the board in 2020, originally as co-chair of the Ganon committee, and later shifting back to a broader education focus after the closure of Ganon. The Shelton family enjoys participating in SSH and Home & Hope, along with other volunteer work in the community.

Mindy is the principal of Arroyo Upper Elementary School in San Carlos. She has been an educator on the Peninsula for over 25 years, serving both in and out of the classroom, with a focus on social-emotional wellness and school culture. Mindy received her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and both a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and Master’s in Educational Administration from Notre Dame de Namur University.

Board of Trustees

Marla Becker, At Large*

Marla grew up in San Diego and resides in Belmont with her husband, Daniel. Her connection to Judaism has always played a central role in her life. She was a sleepaway camp counselor at Camp Beth Israel, spent her junior year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was a participant and then a staff member at Brandeis Collegiate Institute, and taught Sunday School at Temple Beth Israel in San Diego after college while also working part-time as the Outreach Coordinator at San Diego State’s Hillel.

Marla and her husband, Daniel, and their children, Lucas (23) and Ellis (19), joined PTBE in 2009. Marla is a co-founder of Rodfei Tzedek and continues to serve on the leadership team, and began BE Mitzvah tutoring at PTBE in 2017. She served on the Search Committee for the recent hiring of our Assistant Rabbis. Marla and her family participated in the Gesher Family Education program, and her kids subsequently participated in a variety of PTBE’s educational programs, including Rishonim, Confirmation, and the Tikkun Fellowship.

Marla has worked in the field of Public Health for over 30 years. She is the founder of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, and now works as an Independent Consultant, primarily focusing on program development and evaluation, strategic planning, and community engagement. Marla also serves on the board of Health Connected, a local sexual health education nonprofit. She earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health from UCLA, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English and General Literature from Binghamton University in New York.

Gary Greensweig, At Large*

Gary moved to Montara in 2012 with his wife Barbara Greensweig. They were pleased to find PTBE and have been members of the congregation since that time. They lived previously in Santa Rosa for 33 years, where they raised their family and were members of Congregation Beth Ami.  Their three children were in religious school, had B’nai Mitzvahs, and participated in USY youth group.  Both Barbara and Gary served on the board of directors. Their children are grown and married; they have eight grandchildren.  They have traveled extensively in Israel over the years.

Gary is a Family Physician who cared for multigenerational families in Sonoma County, having the privilege of delivering hundreds of babies and caring for adults and children.  Occasionally, he acted as a mohel for members of the community as well as for his own grandchildren! He served as the President of a large Medical Group and Chief Medical Officer for the St. Joseph Health System in Sonoma County. 

Upon leaving Santa Rosa, Gary joined Dignity Health, and its parent company CommonSpirit Health, serving as National Clinical Leader for CommonSpirit Health’s clinical practices across 21 states. He leads clinical quality, safety, and the development of clinical standards, and also served as the as the national practice leader for COVID-19 during the pandemic.  Gary now has a small clinical practice with the Sequoia Medical Group, which is affiliated with Sequoia Hospital.

Through his career, Gary served on several not-for-profit health care boards, in director, trustee, and board chair roles. He actively participated in PTBE’s Covid-19 Task Force, guiding development of health and safety protocols for our community, and is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the PTBE Board. 

Scott Hartley, Co-Chair Development

Scott was born and raised on the Peninsula and lives in San Mateo with his wife Sharon and two daughters, Ariella and Elana, who both became Bat Mitzvah at Peninsula Temple Beth El. Scott co-chaired the Senior Rabbi Search Committee in 2021 and the Bonim B’Yachad Design and Construction Committee. Scott is a past President of the Peninsula Jewish Community Center and served on the Boards of the Jewish Community Federation and the North Peninsula Jewish Campus. He is a Wexner Fellow, past president of the Rotary Club of Burlingame, and was a long-standing member serving on the Bio-Ethics Committee of Mills-Peninsula Hospital.

Scott is an attorney specializing in estate planning, trust administration, and transactional work. After graduating from Carlmont High School, Scott received his bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley, and his juris doctorate from Hastings College of the Law.

Laurie Hepler, Chair Leadership Coordinating Council

Laurie joined PTBE with her daughter Marina in 2012, through connections made at Wornick Jewish Day School. From 2016 through 2022, she led PTBE’s Sunday Sandwich Hevre (SSH), making it more environmentally friendly, continuing offsite throughout PTBE’s 2019 remodel, and developing a successful “At Home” edition during the pandemic with the help of incredibly committed intergenerational volunteers. She served on the Search Committee for our newest Rabbis, the Interim Senior Rabbi Transition Task Force in 2021, and the Leadership Coordinating Council (LCC) since its inception. Laurie has led LCC since Fall 2022.

Laurie grew up in Maryland and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She moved to California to attend UCLA School of Law in 1989 and made the Bay Area her home in 1992. Laurie handles civil appeals in state and federal courts, advising clients throughout the U.S. on west-coast appellate litigation. She serves as 2023-24 President of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and as the Contributing Editor for the leading treatise in her field.

Ross Kirschner, Education Committee Liaison*

Ross lives in San Carlos with his wife, Rabbi Jessica Kirschner, two daughters, Hannah (Rishonim / first grade) and Maya (Shabbat Family Jam / TK), and two cats (Fred and George).  Ross is a lawyer who leads the regulatory, policy, and litigation functions at a financial services startup.  Ross previously worked on both the legal and policy teams at Meta (then Facebook), at WilmerHale in Washington, D.C., and for the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.  Ross is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. 

Ross is a member of the PTBE Education Committee and previously served on the Security Council for Congregation Beth Jacob (while kids attended Nursery School there).  Ross serves on the San Carlos Parcel Tax Oversight Committee and is a youth soccer referee (San Carlos AYSO) and youth basketball coach (San Carlos Parks and Rec.).  This will be a return of sorts, as Ross served on his synagogue’s Board of Trustees in West Essex NJ when he was a senior in high school as the Youth Group President.

Jessica Rosenberg, Co-Chair Engagement

Jessica grew up in the East Bay and became bat mitzvah at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette. She was active in Hillel and UJA during college and was a staff member at Camp JCA Shalom in Malibu. Jessica and her husband Jamie joined PTBE in 2010, and their two daughters have grown up in the Ed Program from Gesher and Rishonim to becoming bat mitzvah and Madrichim. Jessica has served on the Search Committee for our newest Rabbis, and she is part of the Rodfei Tzedek (social justice) leadership team. She looks forward to contributing as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Jessica is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner caring for kids and families on the Peninsula. She earned her BS in Nursing from the University of Washington in Seattle and her Masters in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. She serves on the board of Health Connected (a health education non-profit), is a member of the California School Nurses Organization, and holds a guest clinical faculty role at the UCSF School of Nursing. She has been a community health educator for the Peninsula Jewish Community Center and a volunteer healthcare provider at Samaritan House and Ravenswood Health Center. In her spare time, Jessica can be found enjoying the outdoors with her family.

Steve Sarver, At Large

Steve grew up in Montville, New Jersey and became bar mitzvah at the Pine Brook Jewish Center. He attended a Jewish summer camp in Pennsylvania and participated in a seven-week Jewish teen leadership program in Israel. The trip included three weeks of living and working on Kibbutz Or HaNer, travelling throughout the country for three more weeks, and finally one week of educational training in Tel Aviv. Steve attended the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate degree, worked in lingerie manufacturing in Hong Kong, and then graduated from Harvard Business School before moving to the Bay Area. Steve is an owner of San Francisco Soup Company and Ladle & Leaf restaurants. Currently, he is also on the board of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and the California Restaurant Association. You can find his matzoh ball soup at Mollie Stone’s and Piazza’s.

Steve is married to Erica Park, who is a clinical scientist at Genentech, and has four children — Sam, 21, who became bar mitzvah at PTBE in 2016 and attends Rice University; Zachary and Jacob, 19, who became b’nai mitzvah in 2018 and attend Rice University and Brandeis respectively; and Eliana, 17, who became bat mitzvah in 2020 and attends Design Tech High School. Steve enjoys skiing with the kids in the winter, playing tennis with them in the summer and, of course, cooking with/for them all year.

Josh Smith, Co-Chair Development

Josh and his wife Lael Culiner live in San Mateo with their two children: Arianna (19) and Drew (17) and have been members of PTBE since 2009. Both Arianna and Drew celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah at PTBE.

Born and raised in West Hartford, CT, Josh moved to California to attend college, earning a B.A. in History from U.C. Berkeley in 1987. Josh has worked in commercial real estate investment and development since 1987, including as President of the Western Region at Kimco Realty, Senior VP & Chief Investment Officer at Western Properties, Senior VP at Pacific Retail Trust, and Vice President at Spieker Properties. In 2004 Josh started his own real estate development firm focusing on mixed-use projects in and around San Francisco.

Josh has been involved in community service for more than 25 years. He is currently a member of the Endowment and Capital Planning Committees of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, having previously served on the Federation’s Board of Directors for 10 years and as Chair of the Capital Planning Committee from 2012-2017. He is also serving as a Vice President of the Board at Rhoda Goldman Plaza in San Francisco, and as a member of the Parent Advisory Committee at Peninsula Bridge, where he co-teaches a class on investing and financial literacy. He previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Wornick Jewish Day School, and of Crystal Springs Uplands School and co-chaired their Facilities Master Planning Committee.

Peninsula Temple Beth El     1700 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo 94403     650-341-7701