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 of Yoder Wealth Management. Formerly a structural engineer engaged in large-scale projects including the Bay Bridge. Certified Financial Planner™. BS, Civil Engineering, and MS, Structural Engineering, University of California Berkeley. A native Israeli who has spent most of her life in the US.
Deanne Raskin, Vice President
Co-founder and CEO of 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 University of California Berkeley.
Nathan Petrowsky, 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.
Michael Tarle, Secretary
Previous Board member and President of Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, where he remains active. BS 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.
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.
Raphael Parker, Executive-at-Large
Consultant for early-stage startups on sales and marketing. Raphael began his professional career as a corporate lawyer.
TRUSTEES
Edith (Edee) Ben Ari
Edee Ben Ari has over 25 years of service and professional expertise in special education working as a teacher and an administrator in a variety of educational settings. Her broad depth of experience includes both public and private schools, non-public schools (NPS), and residential settings. She is passionate about ensuring that families understand their child’s learning profile, and that their children are receiving the best support possible in their school settings. Edee earned a Masters’ degree in Special Education from Dominican University of California, and holds a current Mild/Moderate Education Specialist credential earned through San Francisco State University.
Tom Bradpiece
Originally from London, fortunate to have lived in South Africa and Israel before moving to San Francisco. Civilization B.A. from the University of Leeds. Partnerships and digital marketing for consumer technology firms.
Leo Hmelnitsky
Former Head of Global Equity Trading at Mellon Capital, venture capital investor, and consultant in digital assets and financial services. 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.
Isaac Negrin
Businessman from Antioch and former President of the Jewish National Fund in Northern California. Engaged in local politics on behalf of the Jewish community. Born into an immigrant family in Zur Moshe, Israel, with roots in Saloniki, Greece. Served in the IDF in the Special IDF Paratrooper Unit, culminating in the rank of Captain.
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.
Marieka Schotland
Executive Director of Innovations for Youth, a youth equity research center at UC Berkeley, School of Public Health, focused on strengthening youth voice and wellbeing in community engaged research. She received her Ph.D. in Community Psychology from New York University and her BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley. Previous Contra Costa Jewish Day School Co-President of the Parent Association.
Karla Smith, Past President
Educational Therapist. Former Board member of Congregation B’nai Shalom. 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.
Natalie Todd
Natalie is a clinical psychologist currently in the role of Director at Rogers Behavioral Health in Walnut Creek. She completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA and obtained her doctorate degree in clinical psychology at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium. Natalie also worked as a PJ library community connector for Concord and Pleasant Hill.