Board of Directors
Temple Beth Ami’s Board of Directors manages the clergy, senior staff, and finances of the Temple, sets policy, leads major initiatives, and oversees activity according to the terms of the TBA Constitution. Executive Board members are elected to a single 2-year term. At-Large members are elected to a two-year term with a limit of two 2-year terms.
The Executive Committee of the Board meets on the first Thursday of every month at 7:30 pm. The entire Board meets on the third Thursday of every month at 7:30 pm. All TBA members are welcome to attend full board meetings.
To learn more about the board and its current agenda, please contact TBA President Kal Migler at TBAPresident@bethami.org.
TBA Board of Directors
Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026)
Kal Migler – President
My wife and I have been members of the Temple for almost thirty years, starting on Hurley Avenue when our oldest child was in the 2’s. Our three children have since become B’nei Mitzvah at Temple Beth Ami. I enjoy giving back to the synagogue by serving on the Board, and have worked in various capacities including Secretary, Treasurer, and Financial Secretary. I find the Temple to be a wonderful Jewish home that creates many meaningful ways to celebrate our community
Heather Luxenberg – 1st Vice-President
Heather, her husband and two children have been members of Temple Beth Ami for ten years. Both of her children attended Machane. Heather’s children both became B’nei Mitzvah at TBA. Heather served on the Rabbi Transition Committee when Rabbi Pokras joined TBA and has also served on the Purim Planning Committee, Challah Bake Committee, Culinary Crew Member, and TBA Cares.
Stacy Derrick – 2nd Vice-President
Stacy, her husband Greg, and children, Sara and Matty have been Temple members for over 10 years. Greg is a pre-school teacher at Gan Ami, and both of her children attended Gan Ami (then TBANS), Machane and TBA High. Stacy previously served on the Board of Directors and served on several committees, including the Mental Health Committee, Inclusion Committee, and Security Committee.
Gail Orendorff Weiner – 3rd Vice-President
Gail, her husband, Barry, and children, Paul and Isabelle have been members of Temple Beth Ami since 2009. While her children attended Gan Ami (then Temple Beth Ami Nursery School), Gail co-chaired the nursery school’s silent auction several times and developed close ties with the staff and fellow parents of the nursery school. Gail teaches 3rd grade Judaics and Hebrew in Machane every Sunday and is a member of WTBA. Gail’s children became B’nei Mitzvahs in January 2020 and November 2021, respectively. Gail herself became Bat Mitzvah through TBA’s adult B’nei Mitzvah class in the spring of 2023. She is honored to have served the TBA community as a member of the Board of Directors.
Michael Wolly – Treasurer
Mike has been a member of the Temple since 1979. He previously served on the Board for 10 years and was Temple President in 1996 when the congregation decided to move from Hurley Avenue. He then chaired the fundraising campaign for the new building. He has written and participated in many of the Temple’s theatrical productions and Purim shpiels. His three sons all became Bar Mitzvah at TBA and are graduates and confirmands of the religious school. Now retired, Mike was a labor and employment lawyer who served as General Counsel for several national railroad labor unions. He and his partner Cathy Friedman are regular attendees at Friday night services and serve as greeters, welcoming all who come to share in the special spirit that is a TBA Shabbat.
Jackie Kauff – Assistant Treasurer
Jackie Kauff and her family joined Temple Beth Ami in 2003. Her three daughters each went through Gan Ami, Machane TBA, B’not Mitzvah, confirmation, and TBA High graduation. Jackie previously served on the board as a member at large and as third vice president. She also chaired the endowment allocation committee for several years and served on the budget committee for the past three years. In addition to volunteering on several projects with the Tikkun Olam committee and TBA Cares, she is an active participant in the Free Birds group.
Ron Weinstein – Financial Secretary
Ron and his family have been members of Temple Beth Ami for over 12 years. He has served as the assistant financial secretary, financial secretary, a Member at Large on the board, has chaired the Security and Spirituality 2020 committee, and is active in TBA Brotherhood. Ron and his wife Lisa have two kids in Machane TBA, and his daughter will become Bat Mitzvah in 2026.
Andra Abramson – Assistant Financial Secretary
Andra Abramson has been a member of TBA for 16 years. Andra previously served as an at-large member of the Board for 4 years and since leaving the Board has served on several committees. For the past 8+ years she has been a key member of the Financial Aid committee. Her daughter, Meredith, attended TBANS starting at age 2 and finished Machane in the Confirmation class of 2022. Meredith celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at TBA and has appeared in multiple Purim Spiels and shows, including the recent Stephen Schwartz cabaret. Professionally, Andra is a Senior Content Strategist who is currently assigned to a key project at the Department of Education. Andra and her husband Jordan live in the Lakelands. Meredith attends Bryn Mawr College.
Jennifer Blacker – Recording Secretary
Jennifer and her family have been proud members of Temple Beth Ami for nine years. She and her husband, Scott, have two daughters. Her older daughter attended Machane and became a Bat Mitzvah in 2023. She volunteers as a Madrachim for Machane and attends TBA High. Her younger daughter is a rising 5th grader in Machane. Her husband and younger daughter have been proud cast members of the Purim Spiel for the past few years. Jennifer enjoys giving back to the Temple by serving on the Board.
Samantha Kravitz – General Counsel
Samantha, her husband, Michael, and their identical twin 12-year-old girls Madelyn and Hailey joined TBA in 2021. However, Samantha is no stranger to TBA, as she was a member more than 35 years ago and celebrated her Bat Mitzvah in the old building on Hurley. You can also see her confirmation picture on the wall! Madelyn and Hailey love attending Machane, and they will become B’Not Mitzvah at TBA in October 2025! Samantha is a family law attorney at Offit Kurman practicing in Maryland and DC. When she is not in a courtroom, you can see her performing in TBA’s Purim Shpiel, attending Moms of Machane (MOM) events, co-leading Mah Jongg for MOMs, and participating in TBA Cares.
Lauren Bogart – Immediate Past President
Lauren is a proud mother of three young adults and a 27-year Temple member. All three of her children attended TBANS and Machane TBA. Lauren has served on the Temple Board for nine years, eight of them on the Executive Committee, and was a member of the Rabbi and Executive Director search committees that hired Rabbi Pokras and Debbie Ezrin. Lauren is an estate planning attorney and previously worked for the National Brain Tumor Society. Temple Beth Ami has been a support for Lauren’s family in good times and bad, and she is honored to have the opportunity to give back to the Temple community through lay leadership roles.
Judi Rosenzweig – WTBA Representative
Judi Rosenzweig and her husband Elliot joined TBA in early 2022 after moving from NY. They have 2 married sons and 5 grandchildren. Although new to Maryland and TBA, Judi is not new to temple life. Since joining TBA Judi joined the board of WTBA and is involved in Encore planning. Judi does a lot of volunteering, at “I support the Girls”, “Comfort Cases”, “Manna”, and making soup for ill congregants. Judi also volunteers at Gan Ami regularly and runs the Cooking Chug on Sundays for pre-K-2nd graders in Machane. She is known in school as “Morah Judi”. She is a regular at services, and enjoys Live and Learn, Rosh Chodesh, Broadway Buzz, and the friendships she’s making. Judi is happy to be on the “Cantor Transition Committee”, paying forward the warm welcome she received at TBA as a new member.
Matthew Rosenstock – Brotherhood Representative
Matt, his wife Lori, and daughter Julia have been members of Temple Beth Ami for 12 years. Lori works for Machane TBA (religious school) and Julia attends TBAHigh and is a Madrichim on Sundays. Matt chaired the Executive Director search committee and is the cooking specialist for TBAHigh. Matt is currently the President of the Brotherhood, and a Culinary Crew member.
Dave Barash – Member-At-Large
Dave and his wife Shari have been proud members of Temple Beth Ami for 15 years. He has led Kehillah groups for parents of teens and tweens and is active in the Free Birds social group. Dave has also served on a human resources task force and the billing practices committee. Their children, Seth and Leah, became B’nai Mitzvah at Beth Ami and attended Machane and TBA High. Dave is a Board member so he can help give back to the Temple and make a difference for his fellow congregants.
Alain Briançon – Member-At-Large
Alain joined the Temple in 2017, and his wife Iris joined in 2012. Alain is a regular at Torah study, a charter member of the TBA TV team for services and B’nei Mitzvahs and is currently the chair of the Endowment Investment Committee. Alain is Vice President of Research and Data Science at Dynata a market research company. He an advisor to Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), where he mentors entrepreneurs and helps startups get NSF grants. Alain holds a Ph.D. from MIT and 90 patents.
Bob Drummer – Member-At-Large
Bob and his wife, Susan Stiles, have been members of Temple Beth Ami for about 9 years. They have two adult sons, each of whom is married and three delightful granddaughters. He is a dedicated member of the Torah Study class led by Rabbi Pokras, a member of the TBA financial aid committee, and a volunteer for TBA TV. Bob was a practicing attorney from 1978 until his retirement in 2022. He was the Senior Legislative Attorney for the Montgomery County Council from 2007 until 2022. Prior to that, he was the Senior Counsel for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) for 23 years, an Associate County Attorney for Prince George’s County for 5 years, and an associate attorney for a private law firm for 1 year.
Matthew Felrice – Member-At-Large
Matthew and his wife Erin, along with their two children Leo and Dylan, have been members of Temple Beth Ami since 2014. Both kids became B’nei Mitzvah through TBA. Matt has served on the Rabbi search committee and was manager of the TBA Blue softball team. Erin has been a teacher at Machane TBA for the past 8 years. Leo and Dylan were volunteers at Kayitz. Dylan is currently attending TBA High and will be on the board for 2025-26 school year. Matt has been a veterinarian in Montgomery County for over 20 years and currently works at Bennett Creek Animal Hospital in Clarksburg.
Jill Lachter – Member-At-Large
Jill and her husband Lou have been members of Temple Beth Ami since 2008. Her children attended TBANS, Machane TBA and had their B’nei Mitzvahs at TBA. Jill is currently a substitute teacher weekly at Machane and occasionally in Gan Ami and at Kayitz. She also is a shadow for a child with a rare neurological disease. Jill was a member of the TBANS Parent Committee and the Challah Bake Committee and currently serves on the Purimpalooza Planning Committee and TBA Cares.
Geoffrey S. Platnick – Member-At-Large
Geoffrey is an attorney specializing in family law. Geoff and his wife, Tobi, and two daughters, Morgan (21) and Gracyn (16) have been members of the Temple since 2011. Geoff’s daughters had their B’not Mitzvahs at TBA. Geoff has previously served as the board’s General Counsel.
Alysa Reich – Member-At-Large
Alysa Reich has more than two decades of experience as an accomplished communications executive in public relations and marketing. Throughout her career, she has created and led external and internal communications strategies, media relations, and social media strategies for numerous nonprofit organizations. The Reich family joined Temple Beth Ami nine years ago. Her children, Ben and Katie, attended TBA for Machane and several years of Kayitz. Ben’s Bar Mitzvah was in August 2022, and Katie’s Bat Mitzvah was in August 2024. Alysa has actively participated in temple activities, including volunteering at Makom events, NNIA meetings, supporting MOTs events, Rebuilding Together, and serving as a weekly driver for Meals on Wheels with JSSA, which she connected with through TBA’s Tikun Olam Committee.
Jon Sambur – Member-At-Large
Jon is a partner of the law firm Eversheds Sutherland LLP, where he is a member of the tax group. Jon and his wife, Stacy, have been members of TBA since 2012 and their three children, Alyssa (14), Hailey (11) and Eli (8) attended TBANS and are enrolled in Machane TBA.
Rachel Schwartz – Member-At-Large
Rachel and her husband, Scott, have been members of Temple Beth Ami since 2015. They have three children in Machane, Hannah (14), who serves on the Teen Board and will be volunteering at Kayitz this summer, Josh (12), who will be celebrating his Bar Mitzvah this year and will also be volunteering at Kayitz this summer, and Emma (8), who attended Gan Ami and will be a camper at Kayitz this summer. Rachel is the Associate Vice President for Conferences and Events at Hillel International. She co-founded/co-leads Moms of Machane (MOM) and serves on the Purimpalooza Planning Committee.
Kate Wernick – Member-At-Large
Kate and her husband Seth have been members of TBA since 2010. Their three boys went through the Nursery School and continue to study and serve with Machane and TBAHigh, and as madrichim. Kate has taught kindergarten and first grade at Machane TBA, served on the Nursery School Parent Advisory Committee, 20th and 25th anniversary committees, and as President of the Parent Committee. She has served on the Rabbi Search Committee that selected Rabbi Pokras and the Cantor Search Committee that selected Cantor Inbal Sharrett-Singer, as well as the TBA 50th anniversary gala committee. Recently, Kate has used her background in musical theatre to direct TBA’s large, intergenerational Purim Shpiels. Kate and Seth also support the USHMM, FIDF and the JFofGW.