The School’s Board of Trustees actively contributes expertise in an array of fields – business, education, finance, law, and public service – as parents and as dedicated community leaders.
OFFICERS
Anat Yoder, President
Co-Founder and Principal, Yoder Wealth Management. Formerly a structural engineer engaged in large-scale projects including the Bay Bridge. Certified Financial Planner™ and Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist. BS, Civil Engineering, and MA, Structural Engineering, University of California Berkeley.
Nathan Petrowsky, Vice President/Treasurer
Vice president of LPC Real Estate Corporation. Past volunteer roles include serving as a policy consultant to the CCJDS Finance Committee. Degree in Business Administration from University of Connecticut.
Deanne Raskin, Secretary
Co-founder and CEO of the Behavioral Intervention Association, serving children with autism spectrum disorder. MA in special education from Cal State-San Francisco and BA in cognitive science from University of California, Irvine. Also studied executive leadership at the Haas School of Business at UC-Berkeley.
Michael Conneran, Immediate Past President
Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP. JD, University of California, Hastings College of the Law; AB, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.
Jori Carmel, Executive-at-Large/Past President
Founder and former Executive Director of several multi-site preschool/child care programs. Board member, Women’s Philanthropy Division, Jewish Federation of the East Bay. Former Board member, Contra Costa Jewish Community Center. MS Ed. Early Childhood Education, Wheelock College, Boston; MBA coursework, Golden Gate University; BA, Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles.
Leo Hmelnitsky, Executive-at-Large
Head of Global Equity Trading, Mellon Capital. Board member at the Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, member of the Advisory Board at the Chabad of Contra Costa, chair of Limmud Bay Area 2013 and co-chair of Limmud FSU West Coast 2016, member of the San Francisco Security Traders Association, former Board member the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay. MS, New York University’s Stern School of Business, with concentration in finance and computer science.
Jay Koppelman, Executive-at-Large/Past President
Former President (retired), Accent Mortgage Corporation, Walnut Creek, CA. Former Campaign Chair and Board Executive Committee member, Jewish Community Federation of the East Bay. Former Board member, Temple Isaiah. First Lieutenant in the US Army Signal Corps. MBA, University of California, Berkeley; BA, University of California, Los Angeles.
Colin Schlesinger, PhD, Executive-at-Large/Past President
Former Executive, ICI South Africa. Former Development Director, Chevron Chemical Company. Former Vice President, Temple Isaiah. Former Chairman, Sandton Hebrew Nursery School (South Africa). Former President, South African Institution of Chemical Engineers. PhD, Chemical Engineering, Imperial College of the University of London; Post Doctorate, Rice University.
TRUSTEES
David Bobrowsky
Certified Financial Planner™, Gateway Advisors. Chartered Life Underwriter™ and Chartered Financial Consultant™. Former member, Development Committee of Temple Sinai of Oakland and Community Investment Committee of the Jewish Federation of the East Bay. BA, Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles; MA and MPhil, Politics, New York University.
Lenny Katz
Vice President of Clinical Development, Myovant Sciences. Previously in leadership roles at BioMain, Amgen and Merck & Co. Member, Organizing Committee for Limmud FSU, West Coast. Clinical training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at University of California, San Francisco. BA, Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz; MD, University of California, Davis.
Raphael Parker
Raphael began his professional career as a corporate lawyer. Eleven years ago, he and
his wife Morgan moved to the Bay Area. He now consults for or advises about two dozen
early -stage startups on sales and marketing.
Ken Schmier
A life-long transit activist, Ken is responsible for the San Francisco Muni Fast Pass. He
is the inventor and founder of NextBus, the reporting and status system used by SF
Muni and transit agencies around the world. He has served on the Boards of Temple
Beth-El of Berkeley, as well as the Concordia Argonaut of San Francisco. He is a
graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Business and UC Hastings College of Law. Ken is
a member of Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon, and there sponsors a fund providing
financial assistance for Jewish summer camp fees.
Victoria Sherman
Public policy consultant with expertise in campaign management, voter outreach, and messaging. Volunteer and writer for local political campaigns. More than 20 years of experience as a Registered Nurse in academic and outpatient settings. Volunteer RN for The Order of Malta Clinic in Oakland. BS in Nursing, BA in Legal Studies from John F. Kennedy University, and an MA in Public Leadership from the University of San Francisco.
Karla Smith, Past President
Board member of Congregation B’nai Shalom. Educational Therapist. Former Board member, AIPAC, Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, and the Jewish Community High School of the Bay. Former Board member, Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living. Former Vice Chair, Center for Jewish Living and Learning. Former Board member, Camp Ramah. 1988-1998 Vice President of Congregation B’nai Shalom. MA, Educational Administration, St. Mary’s College; MA, Curriculum and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University; BA, Political Science and Psychology, USC.
Dena Stein
Senior Director of Development at Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco. Over a decade of global experience in building and deepening relationships with donors, leaders, and community members. Past Board member, Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley and Contra Costa Midrasha. MA degrees in Religious Education and in Jewish Nonprofit Management from Hebrew Union College; BA in English and Judaic Studies from University of Connecticut.
Iren Suhami
A member of Temple Beth El, Iren participates in Bay Area cultural activities, such as
Limmud, film festivals, and lectures. She speaks Ladino and nurtures her ties to the
Iberian Peninsula and to Israel.
She has a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Chemical Engineering. She began
working for Exxon in 1982 and remained with the oil industry for 39 years. Iren adds
analytical expertise among her top assets through her successful career.
Michael Tarle
Previous Board member and President of Nevitot Shalom in Berkeley, where he remains
active. He received a degree in Chemistry from the University of Arizona and has
enjoyed a successful 25 -year career in the Biotech/Pharmaceutical industry.
Michael also serves on the fundraising committee at Hebrew Free Loan of San
Francisco.