Richard N. Abrams: Richard “Dick” N. Abrams was born and raised in Chicago, and graduated from the University of Illinois (BS, accounting, 1963). First a tax CPA and then a stock broker, he started his own business in 1970 providing funeral financing to consumers and now owns several niche companies in the funeral financial business. In 2000, he became a director and officer of Surety Capital Corporation. After commuting from Chicago, he moved to Fort Worth in 2002. He served on the board of the Jewish Federation in Fort Worth Foundation and serves of the ZBT Fraternity Foundation board. Dick is involved with the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Black Chamber, and various Democratic party organizations as a member and officer. He donates caskets to the local police and fire departments for their fallen heroes, gives scholarships to mortuary students, and donates money through his foundation to needy Jewish families. Dick’s wife, Julie, is a licensed real estate broker and publisher of the Hispanic weekly newspaper in Fort Worth. He has four adult children, who carry on his entrepreneurial spirit. He also has four granddaughters and one grandson and can’t wait for more!
Bernard Appel:
William B. Finkelstein: Attorney, K&L Gates LLP, Dallas, Texas. Board of Directors and former Campaign Co- Chairman (2008-2009), Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas; Dallas Area Council, Israel Bonds; Past-President, Dallas Kosher; President, Mount Zion United Jewish Cemetery, Inc.; Member, Congregation Shaare Tefilla, Dallas, Texas; Texas Cowboys Alumni; Member , Dallas Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite & Shrine. Bill has been married for 38 years to Jeri, also active in the Jewish community. They have 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren. Bill received his B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and JD, cum laude, from Baylor Law School.
Mike Friedman: Senior Vice President of Retail Services at CB Richard Ellis. He has 35 years of experience in commercial real estate, specializing in retail leasing and sales, dispositions, sale-leasebacks, shopping center sales and retail land sales. He has represented clients such as 7-Eleven, Blockbuster, RadioShack, Pep Boys. Lone Star Restaurants and WAMU. He is actively involved in numerous organizations and volunteers each week at Medical City Dallas and Children’s Medical Center where he is a performing clown for children with cancer. Mr. Friedman holds a B.S. from the University of North Texas and a Masters of Real Estate Finance from Harvard University. He holds the position of Board of Directors at Harvard Real Estate Initiative, University of North Texas Alumni, Juvenile Diabetes of Greater Dallas, Cancer Foundation for Life, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Legacy at Willow Bend, Jewish Family Service, and is also Board of Directors and President Legacy at Preston Hollow. Mr. Friedman is the past president of the Lions Club, a past board member of Dallas Hebrew Free Loan and was awarded the Stemmons Award in 2006.
Sherry Goldberg: Partner with her husband Ken in their family business, doing Community Relations work with the City of Dallas. Former fulltime advocate and volunteer for the Dallas and Richardson Independent School Districts; founding member of the RISD Religious Practices Advisory Committee and The J.J. Pearce High School Excellence in Education Fund; member of the boards of the Dallas Jewish Community Center and Federation, of the Jewish Community Relations Council, of the North Texas Regional Hillel, of the University of Texas-Austin, Hillel, and of the Dallas BBYO; former Dallas Teen Tour to Israel Chair and Jewish Community Center Board of Education Chair.
Morton L. Herman, JD: Attorney, Cantey & Hanger, LLP, Fort Worth, Texas; Past President of Congregation Ahavath Sholom, Fort Worth; President of the TCU Hillel Community Board; Former Board member of the Liberal Arts Advisory Council of the University of Texas at Austin; Co-founder and former board member of the Texas Cowboys Alumni and a member of the T Association at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a former and present member of various community service non-profit organizations.
Stephanie Hirsh, PhD: Dr. Stephanie Hirsh is the executive director of the National Staff Development Council (NSDC). NSDC is the only national education organization whose 12,500 members are committed to improving student performance by strengthening educators' learning. Prior to her appointment as executive director, Hirsh served the association as deputy executive director for 18 years. She began her educational career as a junior high teacher and also served as a school district administrator in the Richardson (Texas) Independent School District. In 1996 she was elected to the Richardson school board and served for three terms. Hirsh has published numerous books and articles on educational leadership, professional development, and school improvement. She speaks on these topics nationally and internationally and advises federal and state policymakers on issues related to education policy and in particular teachers and teaching. Hirsh serves on advisory boards for the Data Quality Campaign, Learning First Alliance, USDOE Region IX Equity Assistance Center, Texas Virtual School Network, Chalkboard Project, University of Texas College of Education Foundation Advisory Council, University of North Texas Jewish Studies Program, and chairs the executive committee for the Jewish Community Relations Council. She has been recognized for her scholarship, volunteerism, and leadership by the University of North Texas, Texas Association of School Boards, Texas Staff Development Council, Jewish Community Center of Dallas, Richardson Independent School District, Junior Achievement, and Kappa Delta Pi.
Mike Kissner: Mike is a lifetime accredited Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Mike has held senior level human resources positions with companies such as Tom Thumb-Page Stores, Albert Fisher North America, Pavestone. L.P. and most recently Pro*Act, LLC. Mike has taught several business courses at the community college level for over twenty five years. Mike also provides generalist HR consulting service to business. Mike is a 1970 graduate of NTSU (UNT) and serves as "Chair-Elect" for the Advisory Board.
Allyn Kramer: President and owner of Kramer Direct (a national direct marketing advertising agency; INC 500 Honoree; author of two books on marketing; guest lecturer at SMU’s Cox School of Business; National Board Member of AIPAC.
Mitchel Kruger, MD: Cardiovascular Specialists, P.A.; Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society; United States Army; former Chair of Medicine and Chief of Staff of Presbyterian Hospital of Denton; Member, Presbyterian Hospital of Denton board of trustees; Denton County Medical Society; Lewisville Chapter of the American Heart Association; and past President of Congregation Kol Ami, Flower Mound, Texas.
William S. Lee, JD: Attorney and CPA. Principal areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, and income tax planning. Member of the board of Hebert Acquisitions, LLC in Austin, Texas. Formerly, board member of Tide-Air, Inc. of Houston, Texas, and Vice President and General Counsel of INDSPEC Chemical Corporation in Pittsburgh, PA. Member, State Bar of Texas, and a member and former board member of the Texas Society of CPAs and the Dallas Chapter, TSCPA. Past President of Congregation Kol Ami, Flower Mound, Texas.
Mike Leve: A 1970 UNT graduate with a B.S. in Education, Mike Leve worked as a secondary school teacher from 1970 to 1973 at Terrell and Dallas schools where he became interested in the effect of vision problems on learning. Graduating from the University of Houston College of Optometry in 1979, Mike has practiced optometry for 30 years in the Dallas area. He has been the owner of Leve Eyecare in Mesquite the past 17 years. He is a member of the American Optometric and Texas Optometric associations, and participates in Vision U.S.A, which donates free eye exams to the working poor, and in the Sight for Students program. Leve has been married 41 years to Rita, and has two daughters and four grandchildren.
Nathan Margolis: Born in Dallas, Nathan graduated from the University of North Texas in 1975 with a degree in Business Administration. He moved to Houston in 1982 and married Terri. Since graduation, he has worked in the financial services profession, and has been with AIG Investments (the investment arm of AIG insurance) for 22 years. Nathan has over 30 plus years in volunteer/philanthropy service in Dallas, Denton, and Houston starting with UNICEF while attending Sunday school at Temple E-manuel. At UNT, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity, active in charity events, including the American Heart Association, blood drives, and work at Denton State School. He subsequently participated in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program as a mentor to a Jewish child for five years with whom he is still in touch. In Houston, he has been involved with Seven Acres (Houston’s Jewish nursing home) “friendly visitor” program assisting residents for over five years. In 1998, he started his second tour of Big Brothers Big Sisters giving guidance to a Jewish teenager and is currently chapter advisor to Sigma Alpha Mu at Texas A&M. Other fraternity activities include UNT Sammy Alumni Club president, National Alumni Relations Coordinator, and part of Sammy’s Centennial Committee. His hobbies are gardening, motorcycles, muscle cars, helping worthwhile organizations, and community projects such as National Night Out.
Lou E. Pelton: Marketing professor at UNT, Lou (Ph.D., University of Mississippi) served as visiting scholar at prominent universities across the U.S. and abroad. His principal research interests include relationship marketing and international distribution. He is senior author of four marketing channels textbooks that are published in several languages. He is also senior editor of several books on business ethics. He has published more than 100 research articles in prominent journals and international conference proceedings. Dr. Pelton has delivered educational programs and keynote addresses for governments, firms and tertiary institutions worldwide. Past President of the Association of Marketing Educators, Federation of Business Disciplines, he served as vice president of the Academy of Marketing Science, the American Marketing Association, and the World Marketing Congress. He represented the U.S. in the APEC Leadership Summits. He is recipient of national and university teaching awards, as well as the UNT President’s Award.
Lillian Pinkus: Lillian has a B.A. from Brandeis University and an MEd from Harvard University. Lillian is an active member of the Jewish community. Married to Jon Pinkus, Lillian and Jon are small business owners in Dallas, Texas.
Dmitry Portnoy, M.D.: Associate professor, Anesthesiology Department, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; Medical Director of Anesthesia Support Services, UTMB; Member of American Society of Anesthesiologists; Member of European Society of Anesthesiologists; Member of Society of Obstetric Anesthesiologists; Former member, Advisory Board, Operation Rainbow Inc. (non-profit Medical Mission Organization), Houston; Staff Anesthesiologist, Operation Smile Inc. (international non-profit organization).
Richard Rafes, PhD: Special Assistant and Policy Advisor to the Chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Senior Fellow for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Former president of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewisburg, WV, and of East Central University, Ada, OK; University of North Texas, former Senior Vice President for Administration; UNT System, former Vice Chancellor and General Counsel, and served as the chief legal officer; former Director of the Center for Education Law, Administration and Policy at UNT; former General Counsel, Texas State University System; former Assistant Attorney General of Texas; founder, Texas Higher Education Law Conference at UNT.
*Bernard Rapoport: Bernard Rapoport, better known as B, was raised by Jewish Russian immigrant parents – his father initially sold blankets from a pushcart in San Antonio. B went on to found the American Income Life Insurance Company, which grew to a multi-billion dollar company catering to labor unions. B never forgot his roots, which helped shape the establishment of The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation. Today the foundation seeks to further the pursuit of social justice and equality, help the disadvantaged and underserved, support reading and music, and provide children with education. B has been active in civic affairs, and his interest in politics has often led him to the national stage, as a major supporter of the late Governor Ann Richards, Senator Ted Kennedy, and President Bill Clinton. B’s, along with his wife Audre’s gifts to institutes of higher learning in Texas have funded buildings, established scholarships, and created endowed chairs. The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice at the University of Texas (UT) serves as a focal point for critical discussion and analysis of human rights law and advocacy. For his service on UT’s Board of Regents, B received the university’s highest recognition in 2008 the Santa Rita Award. In 1999, B was recipient of the Horatio Alger Award of Distinguished Americans, given to individuals who succeed despite adversity and in turn encourage young people to pursue their dreams. He was also named one of America’s 40 most generous philanthropists by Fortune magazine in 1988. For more than 40 years, the Rapoports also have supported the Texas Observer, a twice-monthly news magazine that serves as the state’s leading journalistic outlet for liberal voices and hard-nosed political coverage in Texas.
*Deceased
Mark Schor, PhD: Senior Vice President, Executive Services Right Management North Texas Region; Past President, Dallas Jewish Historical Society. Member and former Chair of the Scholarship Committee of the Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas; former Vice President of the Southwest Region of the American Jewish Congress; member of the Human Resource Committee of the Dallas Jewish Community Center, CEO Netweavers, and Society of Information Management. Dr. Schor is a member of Congregation Shearith Israel, Dallas, where he taught confirmation and post-confirmation classes for 15 years. Received his PhD from the University of North Texas.
Jaynie Schultz: Vice President, Garrett Creek Ranch Conference Center; Partner, Retreat Central; Director of the Schultz Family Foundation of Dallas, Texas; past President of the Akiba Academy Board of Directors; Chair, Jewish Education Department of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas; Moishe House Board, iCenter Board; Communiteen Board; The Women’s Museum Board.
Alex Shapira: Alex Shapira is a senior high–tech executive with expertise in turnaround and high-growth corporate strategies with over 20 years of experience in CAD/CAM, real-time production management and mission critical defense systems. He has launched many innovative, award winning software products and contributed in defining the new Digital Manufacturing domain within industrial software.
Alex is currently the VP of US Operations at NextNine. Prior to NextNine, Alex was the CEO of Proficiency, Vice President of Production Management at UGS (currently Siemens PLM), managed the Global Product Operations at Tecnomatix, General Manager at USDATA and VP of Research & Development at PC Soft International and Cimatron. Involved in the community life, Alex is also the Chairman of the High-Tech Committee with the Texas Israel Chamber of Commerce, promoting business and partnerships between Texas and Israel, and founder of ExeVis - an executive consulting practice, helping small and medium companies define and implement their growth strategy successfully. Alex holds a BSEE from the Technion in Israel, a M.Sc. in Computer Science from the Bar-Ilan University and an International Executive MBA from Kellogg-Recanati, Northwestern University of Chicago & Tel-Aviv University.
Iris Young Sheppard: WW Program Manager, Hewlett Packard Corporation. Current President, Academy of Torah in Greater Dallas (ATID) a supplementary program for 11th and 12th graders. Former board member of BBYO, the North Texas Youth Commission. Former board member of the Dallas Jewish Community Center. Former board member of Ann and Nate Levine Academy, a Solomon Schechter School.
Fredell Shulkin: Board member of Congregation Tiferet Israel, of Bnai Brith Youth Organization, and of the Dallas Area Torah Association; member of the Education Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and of Texas Hillel in Austin; social worker for Home Health Agency; Chair of Jewish Community Center Arts Fest Volunteers.
Larry Strauss: President of the Dallas chapter of Bnai Zion; Board member of Israel Bonds, Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association, and Dallas Area Torah Association; Past president of Congregation Beth Torah (Richardson); previous board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas.
Peggy Tobolowsky, JD: Professor and Chair of the Criminal Justice Department, University of North Texas; formerly a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia and a litigator at a major law firm with offices in Dallas, Texas, Washington, DC, and several other cities. Past Chairperson and current Life Trustee of the Board of Trustees of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation; former Member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas; former member of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Foundation Board of Directors.
Helen Waldman: President of UNT Hillel; Psychotherapist with Legacy Counseling Center of Dallas; member of the Mental Health and the Social Work committees of the New Leadership Network of AIPAC, and of the non-profit child advocacy organization TEX Protects; former board member of BBYO, the North Texas Youth Commission, Family Outreach of Carrolton, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas Young Leadership, Akiba Academy (Dallas), and Solomon Schechter Academy (Dallas); former member of the Steering Committee for the Jewish Family Services Career Placement.
Howard Watt, JD Advisory Board Chair: Attorney at Law, The Law Office of Howard E. Watt, P. C., Former Municipal Judge, City of Denton; former president, Congregation Kol Ami, Flower Mound, Texas; former chair, Big Brother, Big Sister of Denton County; Denton Country Child Welfare Board; and Regional Hillel of North Texas.
Sharon Wisch-Ray: I was born and raised in Fort Worth where I graduated from Trinity Valley School. I graduated from Washington University with a BA in Psychology. I earned my MSSW from UT Arlington. I maintained a private practice for several years and was an adjunct at UTA's school of Social Work. In January 2002, when my father passed away, I was "ABD" for my doctorate, and left social work to help out at the Texas Jewish Post. I have been at the TJP ever since.
Martin Yaffe, PhD: Professor of Philosophy and Religion Studies, University of North Texas; Curriculum Consultant and Bar/Bat Mitzvah Director, Temple Emanu-El, Dallas, Texas (1973-2003); Research Director, Institute for Jewish Studies, Dallas, Texas (1972-83); member of Academy for Jewish Philosophy, American Academy of Religion (President, Southwest Region, 1989-90), Association for Jewish Studies, National Association of Scholars, North American Spinoza Society, North Texas Philosophy Association, Society for the Study of Ancient Greek Political Thought.
Fred S. Zeidman: Fred S. Zeidman was appointed Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council by President George W. Bush in March 2002. The Council, which includes 55 Presidentially appointed members and ten members from the U.S. Congress, is the governing board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Museum is America’s national institution dedicated to remembering the Holocaust and teaching its lessons to future generations. Over 30 million people have visited the Museum since it opened in April 1993. The Museum has welcomed 90 heads of state and thousands of dignitaries from 132 nations, but its most important visitors have been the more than 7 million schoolchildren from across the nation. A public-private partnership, the Museum receives over half of its $78.8 million budget from the federal government; the private sector supports its educational outreach and scholarly programming. In his capacity as Chairman, Mr. Zeidman is leading the Museum’s plans for its second decade, including building the institution’s endowment campaign. A prominent Houston-based business and civic leader, Mr. Zeidman is a Principal at XRoads Solutions Group. He is also Chairman of the Board at SulphCo, and serves on the Board of Directors of MegaWest Energy Corp, Hyperdynamics Corp and Prosperity Bank. He serves on the Jewish National Fund’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee and chairs its audit committee. He is also National Board Member, Development Corporation for Israel; Texas State Chairman, Israel Bonds; Vice Chairman, Republican Jewish Coalition; and Vice Chair of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Development Board. In addition he serves on the Executive Committee of the Houston Ear Research Foundation and as the Vice Chairman of the Investment Committee at St. Thomas University. He is the former Chairman of the Board of Seitel, Inc. He is past Vice Chairman of the Board of Regents, Texas Southern University; past Chairman, Southwest Region, Anti-Defamation League; former Vice President and Director, Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, former member of Texas Inter-Faith Housing Corporation’s Executive Committee, and has played a leadership role in a number of other organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston; as a member of the Alumni Board of Governors, Washington University, St. Louis; and as a Director of the American Jewish Committee. In April 2004, Mr. Zeidman served on the U.S. delegation to the Antisemitism Conference in Berlin, a major international conference organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The recipient of many awards, he has been recognized with the American Jewish Committee’s National Institute Human Relations Award (2009), the Hineni Triumph of the Spirit Award (2009), the Orthodox Union IPA Public Service Award (2006), the Texas Southern University Lifetime Hero Award (2005), the Thomas Jefferson Citizen Diplomat Award (2004), AIPAC’s Southwest Region Distinguished Leadership Award (2001), and Israel Bonds’ Shalom 2000 (1994) and Jerusalem 3000 (1996) Awards. Mr. Zeidman has been named by the Forward newspaper as one of its “Forward 50” Jewish leaders three times (2004, 2005, and 2006). In 2002 his leadership was recognized by the American Friends of Lubavitch, who honored him at their annual Washington gala. Mr. Zeidman holds a Bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Master’s in Business Administration from New York University. He is married with four children.