Categories for Emeritus Board

Professor Karla Goldman, Ph.D.

Karla Goldman is Sol Drachler Professor of Social Work and Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan where she directs the Jewish Communal Leadership Program. She is a scholar whose work focuses on the history of American Jewish communities and the experience of American Jewish women. She served…

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Daniel Heller

Daniel is the Global Logistics Business Operations Lead at Amazon. Previously, he was VP of Finance & Operations for Social Construct, a San Francisco-based construction technology startup that radically reduces construction costs to help the market provide high-quality urban apartments for the middle class. Prior to Social Construct, Daniel founded The…

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Debbie Heller

Debbie Heller, a native of New York, is a graduate of Lehman College and holds graduate degrees from Michigan State University and Johns Hopkins University. She has worked as coordinator of student activities at the University of Detroit, director of student activities at Georgetown University and assistant director of the…

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Robert Holgate

Robert Holgate is an interior designer who has had his own design firm for nearly twenty years. A humanitarian as well as a designer, Robert is dedicated to critical social issues, with an emphasis on those affecting the LGBTQ community. With his hands-on approach to philanthropy and social justice, he…

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Patty Jacobson

Patty Jacobson enjoyed a career of technology, product development, and problem solving before retiring in 2019. Her initial consulting practice helped small businesses improve operations and profitability. With a group of friends, she launched a Lotus Notes software development shop that was acquired before the dotcom bonfire. Patty took her…

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Stuart S. Kurlander, Past Chair

Stuart Kurlander is a Past President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. He has previously served as Vice President for Financial Resource Development, Vice-President for Israel and Overseas, Vice President at Large, Co-Chair of the Campaign’s Philanthropic Leadership Group, and Co-Chair of Operation Promise, all for the Jewish Federation…

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Dr. Joy Ladin, Ph.D.

Dr. Joy Ladin has long worked at the tangled intersection of literature, Judaism, and transgender identity, publishing a memoir of gender transition, National Jewish Book Award finalist Through the Door of Life the first book-length work of Jewish trans theology, Lambda Literary and Triangle Award finalist, The Soul of the…

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Dr. Shawn Landres, Ph.D.

Connecting people, ideas, and resources, Dr. Shawn Landres has earned international recognition for his leadership in social innovation. He is co-founder of Jumpstart Labs, a philanthropic research and design consultancy. Shawn is a past three-term chair of the County of Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commissioner and a current City…

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Dr. Betty Morningstar

Dr. Betty Morningstar is a clinical social worker in private practice in Newton, MA. She is a former member of the Continuing Education faculty at Smith College School For Social Work, where she also received her MSW and PhD. Betty received a MA in Religious Studies at Andover Newton Theological…

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Rabbi Deborah Newbrun

Rabbi Deborah Newbrun’s career as a Jewish community leader (particularly in Jewish environmental education) spans thirty years, including working twenty-five years as Camp Tawonga’s Director, four years as Hazon’s Director in the Bay Area, and eight months as Keshet’s Interim Bay Area Director. Additionally, she serves on the faculty of…

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Keshet successfully brought out the largest ever canvass on a transgender-specific policy issue or campaign I've seen in my 20 years of organizing. Keshet was an extraordinary part of the Yes on 3 coalition and made an incredible impact on all facets of the campaign.

Amy Mello, Vice President of Public Engagement for Freedom for All Americans