Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Matt was born and raised here in Los Angeles and went to school at Pitzer College where he earned degrees in History and Psychology. He has spent too many decades in the insurance industry and currently works as a Large Loss Specialist dealing with construction litigation at AXA XL. He is a past President of the Construction Defect Claim Managers Association (CDCMA) and former board member for a small theater company. Matt and his partner have two great children, Isaac and Stella. He is an avid bowler, dancer, skier and is working on his tennis game. He loves to travel, but spent his pandemic hiking, beaching, and mastering monopoly. Matt and his family are members of Congregation Kol Ami where he serves on the Board of Directors.
Janis recently retired after a 22-year tenure at the LA City Attorney’s office where she represented numerous departments within the City, including the LAFD, LAPD, General Services, Animal Services, and Personnel Department. Prior to joining the City Attorney’s Office, Ms. Barquist worked in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City practicing labor law on behalf of public sector unions and private employers. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.
Nancy Bell is a community leader and volunteer who has been involved in Westside JCC for over thirty years. Her family has deep seeded roots in the Los Angeles community. Nancy currently serves as Treasurer of the Westside Center Housing for the Elderly.
Isack and his family moved to the Fairfax district in Los Angeles from Israel when he was 5 years old. He is a graduate of Fairfax High School and UCLA, and went on to earn a JD from University of California, Hastings College of Law and continued to Northwestern University, where he earned a master’s in journalism and was published in various newspapers. Isack is co-founder and CEO of iconic indie retailer Sportie LA, one of the oldest independent sneaker stores in Los Angeles. In 1995, he established the Law Offices of Fadlon & Rozio with Zack Rozio.Isack's involvement with various nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles ranges from his role on the Board of Directors of the Melrose Improvement District, the Mid-City West Neighborhood Council, and the Sephardic Educational Center.
Dr. Matt Lefferman is pioneer in mobile geriatric medical care and has practiced medicine in Los Angeles for over 20 years. Matt is passionate about sports, health, and fitness and participates regularly in adult sports leagues around Los Angeles. Matt and his wife Jill have three children who have been actively involved in J Los Angeles’s teen department. The Leffermans are involved in communal life in Los Angeles with Camp Ramah, Shalhevet High School, and Temple Beth Am.
Lynn is a native Los Angeleno, attorney, and community volunteer. After completing her law degree at George Washington University, Lynn returned to Los Angeles and began her career practicing intellectual property law at a national law firm. Following this, Lynn served as in-house counsel at Warner Brothers and Yahoo. After taking a still-going-sabbatical from law practice, she became a certified Sommelier and adult Bat Mitzvah.Lynn and her husband, Dennis, have two children who attended the J Los Angeles early childhood center the early 2000s.
Lori is thrilled to join the Board after years of being a member at J Los Angeles. She is a retired teacher from Pressman Academy and is philanthropically involved in Young Judea. Lori’s father was a past JCC president in Texas, and her brother, Steve, most recently completed a tenure as J Los Angeles’s Board President. Lori is excited to continue the family tradition of JCC leadership! Lori is married to Brian, and they have one son, Josh.
Amanda has over 20 years of corporate and nonprofit leadership experience. She was introduced to nonprofit board involvement in New York City when she was the President of Cancer Research and Treatment Fund, Young Professionals Committee in 2000, where she remains an active board member today. With hesitation Amanda moved to Los Angeles in 2008 and soon discovered the vibrant, enriching community of J Los Angeles's Early Childhood Center where she was Parent Network President. She has found a place within the diverse JLA community and looks to help strengthen and grow the center for future generations.
Frank is retired from a 40-year career in retail business, and is currently a property manager for several properties in California and Arizona. He is a devoted community leader with a passion for youth and young adult Jewish engagement programs. In addition to the JLA, Frank currently serves on the boards of UCLA Hillel (Past Chair), URJ Camp Newman, and his homeowner’s association. In his long career has served in numerous leadership capacities for Westwood Village Community Alliance (Past President), Stephen Wise Temple, Jewish Community Foundation, LA Jewish Federation and Jewish Education and Engagement Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. His wife owns Art One Gallery in Beverly Hills where Frank helps out. They have three daughters and three grand-daughters.
Ruth is the founder and senior partner of Popkin, Shamir & Golan, an immigration law firm in Los Angeles. She is a contributor to the LA Philharmonic, LA Opera, as well as the Geffen Playhouse, and is a member of Wilshire Boulevard Temple. Ruth is also a board member and supporter of the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Israel. In 2010, Ruth obtained her Ph.D. in Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate School and her dissertation was later published as a book, Jewish Identity: The Challenge of Peoplehood Today.
She has two children and three grandchildren who attend and enjoy JCC programs. Her oldest grandchild is looking forward to playing basketball in the 2024 JCC Maccabi Games.
Tony was born and raised in Washington DC and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School. Currently Tony is Senior Counsel for the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Tony and his wife Laura, also an attorney, have three children who attended the J Los Angeles Early Childhood Center and currently attend JCamp. The family are also active members at IKAR.
Lauren was born and raised in Beverly Hills and has been an active community member her entire life. Lauren and her husband Romeo have three children, all who have graduated from JLA’s Early Childhood Center. Lauren’s family proudly owns and operates Factor’s Deli – where they can often be found taking catering orders and serving everyone’s deli favorites. When Lauren is not busy with her family or at Factor’s, she is working as an Emergency Room Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, and Certified Mobile Intensive Care Unit Nurse at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Aaron is a native Angeleno having grown up in Beverlywood with his parents and sister. He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia University Law School. Aaron practiced law years before joining his father and brother-in-law at their almost 100-year-old family owned and operated distribution business, located in the Downtown LA Arts District. Aaron's affiliation with the Los Angeles Jewish community spans four decades, starting with his enrollment at J Los Angeles for preschool, and continuing in various capacities with Sinai Akiba Academy, Temple Beth Am, USY, and Camp Ramah. Aaron currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Alissa, and their three children. Aaron is an avid pickleball player and is available for pick-up games, singles or doubles, anytime.
Jon Steiner is a native Angeleno and a partner at Levitt, Leichenger, & Aberel LLP, practicing in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice, and business litigation. Jon received his law degree from Southwestern University in 2001 and is an active member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. Jon and his wife Thu Doung have two children who all frequently enjoy J Los Angeles programs. They are also members of Wilshire Boulevard Temple.
Dan is a Partner in the Litigation and Entertainment and Media groups of Greenberg Glusker. He represents clients ranging from artists to Fortune 100 companies in disputes involving copyright, trademark, trade secrets, breach of contract, rights of publicity and privacy, labor law, ERISA, and California’s Talent Agencies Act. Formerly Assistant General Counsel at the Directors Guild of America, Dan represents and advises multinational corporations, production companies, rights-holders, and artists in connection with entertainment industry collective bargaining agreements and pension and health plans. In addition to his entertainment practice, Dan has tried cases for several real estate funds and investors, and has obtained substantial verdicts, judgments, and settlements for real estate industry clients. Dan and his wife Michelle have three children and are deeply involved in the Los Angeles community.
Since 2003 Steve has served as a Construction Manager and Owner’s Representative at Freeman Group, Inc., an established real estate development consulting firm. He spearheads the management and oversight of a wide range of institutional, commercial, and residential projects. Steve has over three decades of experience in architecture, development, and construction, holds a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from The University of Texas, Austin, and is a licensed architect in California. Steve and his family are members of Temple Beth Am.
Beryl has been an established litigator and philanthropist in Los Angeles for 40 years. In the area of litigation, Beryl is involved in complex business litigation as well as family law matters, at both the trial and appellate levels, and participates and conducts mediations and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures. In the area of general business counseling, Beryl advises the firm's clients on matters ranging from business organization to the specifics of various transactions. Beryl is also involved in the leasing, purchase and development of real property and health care law, in which he counsels both health care providers and entities that own and operate health care facilities. Beryl is proud of his deep-seeded Jewish communal involvement raising extensive funds for several organizations over the past four decades.
Eric serves as President of Wilshire Pacific Capital Advisors, LLC, a licensed broker-dealer providing corporate finance services to healthcare companies. Prior to joining Wilshire Pacific, Eric was an independent corporate finance advisor to mid-market healthcare companies. Previously Eric was an investment banker at Huntington Securities LLC, a Los Angeles-based merchant and investment banking firm, and at The Phoenix Group, where he specialized in sell-side M&A engagements, management buyouts and leveraged ESOP transactions.
Jonathan is a Managing Director at B. Riley Advisory Services, a financial advisory firm that specializes in the restructuring industry. He has a bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University and an MBA from The University of Southern California. Jonathan learned to swim at J Los Angeles, played elementary and high school basketball in its gym and continues to attend cultural and sporting events at JLA. He has served on the J Los Angeles Board since 2017.