HAZON - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- Chairman ( Pikesville
Aaron Max has been actively involved in the Jewish Community of Baltimore for over 25 years. Aaron serves on the board of his synagogue, Chizuk Amuno Congregation, and he previously served on the boards CHAI (Comprehensive Housing Assistance Inc.) as well as the Greater Pikesville Recreation Council. In 2019, when Aaron became the immediate past president of the Pearlstone Board, he stepped into the role of Co-chair of Pearlstone's newly formed Justice Committee. He is an owner of Max Realty a commercial real estate management company, and lives in Pikesville with his wife Jill. He loves spending time with his grown children Jake and Samantha, and in his free time Aaron enjoys reading, watching Orioles games and golf. He recently retired from his pick-up basketball career.
Job Titles:
- Jewish Youth Climate Movement Manager
Abby Bresler has a background in both national and local youth climate justice organizing and helping movements center equity and inclusion. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College, and enjoys music and writing in her free time.
Job Titles:
- Adamah ATL Community Program Coordinator
Amy is Adamah ATL's lead educator. She was trained in outdoor Jewish environmental education through the Teva Learning Center and is known throughout the Atlanta Jewish community as a leader in outdoor education. She has taught people of all ages from kids at Jewish Kids groups, to local synagogues and at Camp Ramah Darom.
Job Titles:
- Hospitality Services Manager
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Communications Manager
Ally's background is in art, art history, and writing. She loves to garden, cook, and eat, and is obsessed with tichels (headscarves) and the rise of the farmfluencer. Ally enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and labradoodle.
For the past 15 years, Amit has supported collaborative teams committed to youth leadership and community development. Amit has a MSW from the University of Michigan and loves spending time outside with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Director of Immersive Retreats
Amy believes in immersive experience and its transformative power to shape individuals and build community. With years of experience in retreats and summer camp, she is very excited to have the opportunity to continue this work at Pearlstone.
Job Titles:
- Adamah ATL Community Program Coordinator
Amy is Adamah ATL's lead educator. She was trained in outdoor Jewish environmental education through the Teva Learning Center and is known throughout the Atlanta Jewish community as a leader in outdoor education. She has taught people of all ages from kids at Jewish Kids groups, to local synagogues and at Camp Ramah Darom.
Andrew loves nature and helping others. In his free time he enjoys hiking, photography, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Chairman of Pearlstone Advisory Board ( Reisterstown
Becky Brenner is passionate about Jewish Day School education, the environment, and the Hillel movement. In addition to her work with Adamah and the Pearlstone Campus, she currently serves as President of the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Baltimore and is on the board of the Associated Jewish Charities. She lives and gardens in Reisterstown, MD with her husband and two sons.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- Vice Chair, Chair of Audit Committee ( New York, NY )
Brett currently resides on the Upper West Side (NYC) with his wife Heidi. He retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2021, where he spent the majority of his career as a National office partner in the Accounting Services Group. While in National, Brett led the income tax team and served as a liaison to the pharmaceutical and life sciences practice. An avid cyclist and environmentalist, Brett's first encounter with Hazon was back in 2007 when he and his entire family (wife, children and parents) participated in their first of many Hazon NY Bike Rides. Brett currently serves on the Boards of both Adamah and the Friends of the Arava Institute. He has been a trustee and finance committee member at Congregation B'nai Israel in Millburn, NJ and is also active in AIPAC, Jewish Federation of Metrowest, ADL, and JNF. Graduating with a bachelor's degree in accountancy from the State University of New York at Albany, Brett is a CPA in both NY and NJ.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Adamah Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Assistant Professor of Environmental Planning at Utah State University
- Climate Action Chair ( Logan, UT )
Daniella is an assistant professor of environmental planning at Utah State University where she teaches and conducts research on sustainable and resilient futures. Prior to working as a researcher, Daniella helped to design sustainability rating systems for cities across the country and worked as a climate adaptation planner. Daniella holds a PhD in landscape architecture and environmental planning from the University of California Berkeley, a master's of environmental management from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- Member of the Baltimore Jewish Community
- Treasurer and Chair of Finance Committee ( Baltimore
David Platt grew up as a member of the Baltimore Jewish Community, graduating from Krieger Schechter Day School and Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community High School. David works as a finance professional for a Baltimore-Based startup Hungry Harvest and is committed to using business as a driver for change. He joined the Pearlstone Board in 2020, poised to be a part of an entrepreneurial organization that is consistently finding innovative ways to connect to the community and expand its reach to the broader world.
Job Titles:
- Chief Finance & Administration Officer
David started at Hazon in 2006 and staffed over 40 bike rides for Hazon before transitioning to the Director of Data and Analytics and then to Adamah CFO. After 15 years in Manhattan, David and his family moved to Philadelphia in summer 2020.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Harriette Wimms is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in supporting LGBTQIA+ folks across the lifespan, as well as people of color who have experienced trauma from power and privilege.
Currently, she is serving as the ritual chair of Hinenu: The Baltimore Justice Shtiebel, as a rising Kohenet at the Hebrew Priestess Institute, and as the program development consultant for Chizuk Amuno Congregation. Harriette is championing social issues in every pocket of Jewish Baltimore. In addition to the work above, she is an assistant professor at Loyola Clinical Centers, the Clinical Director and founder of The Village Family Support Center of Baltimore where she trains and mentors doctoral students.
At the root of her volunteer leadership in our community is the calling to build mishpacha (family) for Jewish people of color and their families and allies. She brings energy and drive to carve welcoming spaces in Baltimore for those who are still searching for their place at the table. At Hinenu, she has found a home where she's in turn supported and surrounded by the queer community and People of Color.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Immediate past Chair of the Pearlstone
Emile Bendit is the immediate past chair of the Pearlstone board. He has been actively involved in the Baltimore Jewish community for the last 30 plus years and is a member of Beth Am Synagogue. He has previously served as chair of Hopkins Hillel, Jewish Family Services, and The Park School boards and been on the boards of WYPR and Sheppard Pratt health system. He is particularly interested in healthy organizations and is a psychiatrist by training.
Eve is a 30+year hospitality industry veteran and non-profit leader having worked with Hershey Entertainment, Hyatt, Habitat for Humanity, and 15+ food operations. Eve is certified by the National Restaurant Assn. and a graduate of Johns Hopkins U.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- CEO of Adamah
- President & CEO ( Reisterstown
Jakir Manela is the CEO of Adamah. Born and raised in the Washington DC metropolitan area, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2004 and went to work at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center as a Teva Jewish outdoor environmental educator. In 2006 he established Kayam Farm, North America's first Jewish Community Farm at Pearlstone, and in 2012 Jakir was promoted to become Pearlstone's Executive Director. For the past ten years, Jakir has helped lead Pearlstone to its perennial status in the Slingshot Guide as one of the most innovative Jewish organizations in North America. Today, Jakir works collaboratively with the wonderful staff and board members at Adamah, as well as funders and partners across the country, leading the new merged entity into a new chapter of growth and impact. Jakir lives just up the road from Pearlstone with his family. He coaches youth sports and loves building campfires and making music with friends.
Jakir was trained as a Teva educator in 2004, established Kayam Farm at Pearlstone in 2006, and served as the Executive Director of Pearlstone and as a Hazon board member from 2012-2021. In 2022, he became the CEO of Hazon-Pearlstone, leading the merger into Adamah. Jakir is deeply inspired by Adamah's amazing team and holy work happening every day. He lives just up the road from Pearlstone with his family, coaches youth sports, and loves night hikes and campfires.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board Officers Team
- Secretary, Chair of Advocacy Committee ( Bronx, NY )
Jessica is Secretary of the Board of Adamah, after serving as Vice Chair of the Board of Hazon for over a decade. At Adamah, she was founding Chair of the Climate Action Committee and the Advocacy Advisory committee, among others. She is formerly the Executive Director of The New Majority NYC, an organization building political power for women in NY. In her varied experience, Jessica was a candidate for NYC council on a sustainability platform, co-founded a Fin-Tech start-up, and co-founded a climate-tech start-up with a NASA climate scientist. She has an M.P.A. in environmental science and policy from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and the Earth Institute and a B.S. in Economics and Information Management from the Wharton School of Business. She is a Leader with The Climate Reality Project, trained and charged by Al Gore to speak publicly on the climate crisis. Jessica serves on the Board of JCRC-NY and the Riverdale Nature Preservancy. Jessica has been honored with the 2022 Jewish Week's 36 to Watch and 2023 City & State Magazine's Bronx Power 100 and Power of Diversity Women 100. Jessica lives in the Bronx with her husband and four children, two of them are pictured on the posters at Isabella Freedman.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Co - Founder and Director of Marketing of PLNT Burger
Jonah Goldman works as the Co-Founder and Director of Marketing of PLNT Burger. He is a marketing specialist, social entrepreneur, and environmental activist with a background in the natural food industry, regenerative agriculture, compostable packaging and fighting food waste. Jonah studied political science, food policy and food security at Colorado College before working in the U.S. and Israel with politicians, farmers and a range of companies and organizations to reduce food waste and advance food security and food justice. Jonah sits on the board of Conscious Capitalism DC and is working to increase access to plant-based foods and empower more people to "Eat the change!"
Job Titles:
- Member of the Adamah Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Co - Chairman of Chesapeake Realty Partners
- Nominating & FRD
Josh Fidler is Co-Chairman of Chesapeake Realty Partners, a diversified real estate development business, and Founding Partner of Boulder Ventures, a venture capital fund active in the Mid-Atlantic and Colorado. He is responsible for project acquisition, design and development, contracting, operations, leasing, finance, legal affairs and administration. He was formerly a practicing attorney with Paul, Weiss in New York, specializing in general corporate and federal securities matters. Josh presently serves on the Boards of Private Client Resources (Chair 2012-2019), BurnAlong, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Baltimore Community Foundation and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. He has Chaired several other non-profits in the Mid-Atlantic. He received his law degree from New York University School of Law and his BA from Brown University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Chairman of Governance Committee ( Pikesville
Liz Minkin-Friedman is deeply committed to the Baltimore Jewish Community having served as both a Jewish Communal Professional and lay leader for over 25 years. With a Masters in Social Work and a Masters in Jewish Studies, along with a Certificate in Jewish Communal Service, she has built her career doing grassroots organizing, counseling, coaching, fundraising, leading, and building community and relationships. Passions and expertise include working with and advocating for the following target populations: women and girls, LBTQA community, Israel, the environment & earth-based Judaism, leaders & professionals working in the Jewish community, and Jewish Day School education. She lives in Baltimore with her partner and three children, and in her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking, reading, running, listening to music, dancing, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Immediate past Chair ( New York, NY )
- Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Jewish Communal Fund
Marina is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Jewish Communal Fund. She served most recently as the Chief Operating Officer at the Foundation for Jewish Camps, and prior to that had a high-profile career in banking as Global Head of New Business Development for BNY Mellon, where she successfully managed large teams in complex and competitive environments. She was consistently recognized and promoted for her ability to profitably grow her businesses, develop strong client relationships, and develop, coach, and mentor talent within her organization. In addition to serving on the board of Adamah, Marina serves on the Board of the Marlene Myerson JCC Manhattan. She believes deeply in the importance of Jewish continuity and philanthropy. Marina received her BA degree from Barnard College/Columbia University and MBA from New York University. She lives in NYC with her husband, Andrew, and they have two grown sons.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Chairman of Isabella Freedman Committee ( Kingston
Mark has been a practicing veterinarian for over 40 years specializing in veterinary neurology and holistic medicine. He served as President of the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center's Board of Directors for 4 ½ years and formerly chaired the Elat Chayyim Jewish Retreat Center's Board. Mark and his wife recently created a farm-to-table restaurant and day retreat center at their small farm in Plympton Massachusetts. He also serves on the Board of Selectmen there and fervently spearheads open space preservation and park formation. Other interests include long distance walking, building forest paths, and teaching Jewish contemplative practices.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Youth Empowerment Chair ( Dedham
Peggy K. Wolf is a native of Baltimore who now resides with her husband outside of Boston. She was previously on the Pearlstone Board until she moved north and is thrilled to be able to continue her association with Adamah serving as the chair of the Program Committee. Her volunteer commitments include chairing the Baltimore Jewish Community Center, The Baltimore Jewish Council, president of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, and director of My Sister's Circle. She believes individuals and groups can bring about change and positively impact the way we treat one another and care for our planet.
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
Rachel Siegal has a 20 year career in fundraising and board development. She loves helping bring big ideas to life, and is inspired by her family, colleagues and leaders who are moved by Adamah's mission to unite people and planet.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Egremont
Richard retired after 20 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and U.S Trust, most recently as Director of Institutional Sales. Prior to his moving to the private sector, Richard was the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest, New Jersey for eight years. Previously, he served for three years as the Director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City after having practiced law there for five years. Richard also serves as a member of the Board of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Berkshires, Construct, Inc. in Great Barrington, MA and the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA. He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Emory University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Chief National Programs Officer
Risa Alyson Cooper supports the incredible teams driving Adamah's Youth Empowerment and Climate Action work, along with the outstanding humans who are manifesting Adamah's mission within our regional community impact hubs. Risa currently lives in Toronto with her partner and two children and is happiest when frolicking in fields and forests.
Sonia Cummings has been an activist/ philanthropist for the past 20 years, focusing on the environment, Jewish Life and the arts. She currently serves on the boards of Artis, I am Your Protector, (IAYP) and The Nathan Cummings Foundation.
Sonia is a former board member of The Jewish Funders Network, The Friends of the Arava Institute, (presently on its Advisory board), the Jewish Community Foundation of The Los Angeles Jewish Federation, (presently on its advisory board), the Medici Archives, the American Friends of the Tel Aviv Foundation, the Institute of Contemporary Midrash and the Santa Monica Museum of Art. She chaired the first giving circle for Arts in Schools! of LA's 81 schools districts, the funding circle of the Inter-Agency Task force on Arab Israeli Issues, the Visual Arts committee of the Jewish Federation Tel Aviv /Los Angeles Partnerships and was a member of the Environment Initiative and the Steering Committee of the Jewish Federation Tel Aviv /Los Angeles Partnerships. She was an active member of the Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning Leadership Committee of New York's Temple Emanu-El.
Prior to becoming a lay leader and environmental activist, Sonia worked in the design industry developing products and private labels, marketing, licensing and forecasting trends, in Asia, France and the US. Sonia is also a fine arts painter and is currently working on a video project on legacy and contributes a regular column on design and art.
She is a member of the Council of American Jewish Museum, the Environmental Grantmakers Association, JFN, Threshold and an alumna of the Wexner heritage Foundation leadership program. She and her husband James both vote in CA.
Val Yasner practiced Endodontics and taught at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine for 15 years. After severe carpal tunnel, Val retired from Endodontics and rediscovered her love of food. Val's involvement with Adamah (formerly Hazon) began when she helped bring Hazon CSA of Southern New Jersey to her Cherry Hill community. Over the years Val has participated and taken leadership positions in the full range of Hazon activities including riding and crewing the NY Labor Day Ride, cycling in the California Ride and a portion of the Israel Ride. Val brings her health care perspective to the world of food and nutrition. She has a passion for cooking, eating, and talking about food while tying all of this to our Jewish heritage and tradition.
Job Titles:
- Chief Brand Officer
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
Wendy Bronfein is Co-Founder, Chief Brand Officer and Director of Public Policy at Curio Wellness. As a member of the executive leadership team, Bronfein drives the company's legislative agenda across multiple states, oversees the Curio brand, and all corporate communications. Under her leadership, Curio Wellness has become Maryland's leading medical cannabis company, securing 90% brand awareness within the first year of operations. Prior to joining Curio Wellness in 2016, Bronfein served as Creative Director of On-Air Promotions at LIVE! With Kelly & Michael and was a Managing Producer at BBC Worldwide Americas from 2006-2010. She has also served in various freelance production roles in New York and Los Angeles working on shows such as The Andy Milonakis Show, Wanda Does it, and The Sharon Osbourne Show.
Job Titles:
- Chief
- Program Officer
- Chief Program Officer, for Programming and Initiatives
From 2008-2021, Yoni Stadlin served as founding director of Eden Village Camp, the Jewish environmental sleepaway camp. Yoni's recognitions include the Covenant Foundation's Pomegranate Prize and Jewish Week's "36 under 36", and he holds an MA in Informal Jewish Education from JTS. He has traveled extensively as an environmental educator and activist. Yoni lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.