Leslie Edelman
Co-President
Leslie has been actively involved with OHDS for the last 15 years as a parent, active volunteer and Board member. Prior to moving to the Bay Area in 1993 she worked in marketing for American Express. Leslie attended Jewish day schools for all of her elementary and high school years. She has a BA from Barnard and an MBA from Columbia.
Elissa Kittner
Co-President
Elissa works for Martha Montag Brown & Associates, a national executive search firm focused on senior level searches in corporate responsibility and philanthropy. She previously served as a Vice President with Business for Social Responsibility, worked in Corporate Affairs at Levi Strauss & Co. and was the Director of Planning and Development at a non-profit in Santa Barbara County. Elissa is currently co-chair of the Capital Campaign at Netivot Shalom. Elissa has a BA from Brown University and has a MA from City University.
JB Leibovitch
Treasurer
JB is the Information Systems Director, Application Development at Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream in Oakland. Prior to joining Dreyer's in 1993, he had a brief career in systems consulting with Price Waterhouse. JB has been active in the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, and his family belongs to Temple Beth Abraham. He has a B.S. in Engineering from UC Berkeley.
Rabbi Judah Dardik
Halachic Advisor
Rabbi Dardik is the spiritual leader of Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland. He received his BA from Yeshiva University's Sy Syms School of Business, his MA from the Azrielli Graduate School of Jewish Education, and his ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) of Yeshiva University. He is involved with numerous Jewish organizations locally and nationally.
Hilda Applbaum
Hilda is the Senior Vice President of The Capital Group and President, Income Fund of America, a part of Capital Research & Management, the research arm and subsidiary of the private mutual fund firm. Prior to joining The Capital Group in 1994, Hilda was a Principal Investment Officer and Director of Equity and Fixed-Income Research for the California Public Employees Retirement System. She serves on the Barnard Board of Trustees. She has a BA from Barnard.
Anne Bakar
Anne is President and Chief Executive Officer of Telecare Corporation, a leading national provider of mental health services for individuals with complex needs which that she has spearheaded for the past 20 years. Previously, Anne spent several years in investment banking research and corporate finance at Montgomery Securities. She is actively involved in numerous community and business organizations including the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, the Ann Martin Children's Center, the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, the Wexner Foundation, and the Young President's Organization. Anne is native to the Bay Area and has a BA from UC Berkeley.
Dan Cohen
Dan is the founder and President of Full Court Press, a business which provides public relations, public affairs and crisis counsel to companies, foundations and non-profits who wish to use strategic communications to make social change. He previously worked for General Mills and served as a political consultant for initiatives and Democratic candidates for offices from mayor to Congress. He was recently named by the East Bay Business Journal as one of its 40 under 40. He serves on the Board of Directors of Alameda County Meals on Wheels and is a member of the Executive Board of the East Bay Jewish Community Relations Council and Chair of its Alameda County Political Outreach committee. Dan has a BS from Babson College and a JD from the William Mitchell College of Law.
Alan Engel
Alan has spent the last twenty years growing and managing the Engel family apartment business S-101 Management. Prior to that he worked for Price Waterhouse in San Francisco. Alan is an active volunteer, fundraiser and board member. He was a Board Member of the Yavneh Day School, Chair of Yavneh's annual fundraising campaign, a Vice President of the Silicon Valley Jewish Community Center, and a Vice President on the Board of Directors of Congregation Sinai in San Jose. He currently is on the AIPAC Northern California Board of Directors, is a member of the AIPAC National Council, and sits on the board of Beth Jacob. He also current serves on the Board of Directors of the Housing Industry Foundation, an organization that works to prevent homelessness.
Dr. Brian Kaye
Brian has been involved with OHDS since its inception, as his daughter Naomi was the very first student signed up to attend OHDS. Brian is a doctor with a specialty in rheumatology, arthritis and autoimmune diseases, with a practice in Berkeley and Orinda. He is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Brian is also very active in the Jewish community. He is a past-president, co-founder and current board member of the Jewish Community High School of the Bay, past-president of Oakland Hebrew Day School, and is currently serving as President of the Beth Jacob Congregation. Brian has a BA from Princeton University and an MD from Baylor College of Medicine.
Phillip Ross, M.D.
Phil is a doctor with a specialty in urology. Phillip has played an active, leadership role in numerous Jewish organizations over the past 20 years in Montreal and here in the Bay Area. He is currently a board member of Congregation Beth Jacob in Oakland where he is also co-chair of the membership committee. Phil earned his Doctor of Medicine at University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, NY. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at University of Colorado, in Boulder, CO.
Dean Rubinson
Dean works in real estate development for Ellis Partners. Dean is a licensed civil engineer and has practiced as a consulting engineer for over eight years on complex infrastructure projects throughout the U.S. Previously, Dean was the Director of Project Management for CB Richard Ellis' San Francisco office, where he provided development and construction consulting services to landlords and tenants throughout the Bay Area. He also served as Director of Development for the Penobscot Corporation. Dean holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Columbia University.
Catherine Shachat
Catherine Shachat is the Director of Benefits and Human Resources Information Systems for Children’s Hospital in Oakland. She previously worked for Kaiser Permanente and GATX Capital Corporation in a variety of roles including senior vice president and managing director - Human Resources. She has a BA from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
Gerald Yanowitz
Jerry is Vice President Federal Affairs for the California Cable and Telecommunications Association. Jerry has a long record of lay leadership roles on the local and national levels. He is a Member of the UJC Budget, Financial Relations and Fair Share Dues Committees, Past Chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the East Bay, Past President of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Northern California Region), and Past President of the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay. Jerry has a BA from Antioch College.