Nancy Sheldon

President

Nancy worked in banking for 13 years with UBS in New York before moving to Santa Barbara with her husband, Mike, in 2001.  They have four children, who have grown up in at CBB.

Nancy has spent over 15 years in the non-profit world. She has been on the executive board of MOXI for over 10 years and chaired the capital campaign for the building. She is also on the Board of Crane School and chairs the Development committee.

Nancy has chaired the Foodbank Gala for several years alongside Diane Zipperstein. Nancy has served as the head of the Beit Ha Yeladim Parent Association, and as the Preschool Trustee and At-Large Trustee on the Board of Congregation B’nai B’rith.

Marcy Wimbish

President

Marcy’s family was considering a move to Santa Barbara from the New York City area in 2007. After attending services in the outdoor chapel and meeting Rabbi Steve and Cantor Mark, they were hooked and moved out west two months later.

Marcy worked on Wall Street in New York City on a Bond Trading floor, after earning an MBA from the Stern School of Business and an MS from Columbia University School of Engineering.  She attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts for undergraduate studies.

After retiring from the finance industry, she raised two children with her husband Jon.  Their daughter Tally just completed her third year at USC, and her son Jimmy studies at the University of Oregon.  They both attended religious school at CBB and went all the way through until Confirmation.  Marcy enjoys playing tennis, and was very involved in the public schools while my children attended them in Santa Barbara. She looks forward to serving as CBB Board President.

Janet Wolf

Executive VP

Janet was born and raised in Playa del Rey, a small beachside community in Los Angeles.  She met her husband, Harvey, in junior high school and they both went on to attend the same high school and UCSB.  She received a BS degree from UCSB, a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology, and a teaching credential from UCLA.   After completing her studies at UCLA, Harvey and Janet married in 1977 and moved to San Francisco where Harvey attended law school. Janet taught PE and English at a junior high school in Pacifica and in 1981, after their first daughter Jessica was a year old, they moved back to Santa Barbara. They immediately joined CBB and have called CBB their spiritual and social home ever since.   Harvey served on the CBB Board for many years and their daughters Jessica, Stephanie, and Kimberly participated in CBB education programs from BHY preschool through Confirmation.

Janet worked as a vocational rehabilitation consultant with a Los Angeles based company for three years and in 1987, she opened her own rehabilitation consulting business with offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. She continued to work in this rewarding field for over 20 years.

Janet’s career in public service began in 1993 when she was elected to the Goleta School Board where she served for twelve years.  In 2006, she was elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and was re-elected in 2010 and 2014.  She retired from the Board of Supervisors in January 2019.

Janet and Harvey have been married for 45 years and are blessed with a beautiful family.  Jessica, Howard and their children Micah, Avi, and Sophie live in Agoura Hills; Stephanie, Blake and their daughter, Talya, live in Seattle; and Kimberly, Bjorn and their daughter, Frida, live in Oslo, Norway. Janet’s family brings her an abundance of love, joy and happiness.

As a retiree, Janet plays pickleball, cooks traditional Sephardic Greek food, takes walks with longtime friends, travels, and continues  to be involved in all things political.

She is tremendously grateful for the opportunity to serve on the CBB board as Executive Vice President and looks forward to giving back to the CBB community.

Dan Cerf

Administrative VP

Dan Cerf is a proud member of Congregation B’nai B’rith.  Since joining our congregation in 2012 with his wife Robin, they have become deeply involved with our CBB community.  While Dan upholds many roles on our administrative team, his favorite moments at CBB are shared with his family, welcoming the Sabbath in the Abrams Outdoor Chapel each spring and summer.  As a CEO/President for over 40 years, Dan brings his expertise, knowledge, and experience in small business operations, and entrepreneurial skills to his current roles at CBB as the;  Vice President of Administration, Chair of Task Force for Reopening, Investment Committee member, and Finance Committee member.  Dan shares his time and skillset with CBB in big ways and small with the goal of assisting The Board, The Executive committee and the staff in their efforts to operate efficiently, and effectively.

Jonathan Gartner

Financial VP/Treasurer

Jonathan Gartner, and his wife, Patricia Marks Gartner (“Pam”) joined CBB in 2017.  After attending Torah study for a number of months, Elizabeth approached us and said, “has anyone asked you to join the synagogue?”  Truth to be told, we were already sold on CBB when, after moving to Santa Barbara following a fairly peripatetic life, we first went to Shabbat services at the outdoor sanctuary.  Suddenly, all of the evening prayers seemed to make sense, the connection to nature made sense, CBB made sense.

Jonathan’s business career was primarily in finance.  He worked in politics (Congressman AF Hawkins), banking (JP Morgan, Drexel Burnham, ABN Amro), private equity (Navis Capital), Energy (Ping), and Ed Tech (LEAP).  He is currently the CEO of Sustainable Change Alliance, a Santa Barbara-based impact-oriented education and investment group focused on fostering businesses and entrepreneurs who are seeking to build profitable firms which are also trying to create positive social and environmental outcomes.

Jonathan and Pam have raised two children, Eleanor and Simon, in three continents.  We lived in the US, Europe, and Asia over the past two decades before returning to the US and stumbled upon Santa Barbara.  We are very happy we did.

Bethy Fineberg

Membership VP

Bethy has called Santa Barbara home for almost thirty years, but her introduction to CBB was through BHY preschool where both of her children attended. She quickly got involved with fundraising through the preschool and eventually joined the board as fundraising events trustee for several years.

Born and raised in Santa Monica, Beth moved to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona where she majored in finance and met her husband. She has worked as financial analyst, landscape designer, and property manager. But most of all, she loves raising her children (Casey, 19 and Zach, 16) here in Santa Barbara and helping to support CBB and the greater Santa Barbara community.

Bethy is so grateful to CBB for everything it has given her and her family, including a wonderful community including what she knows will be lifelong friends, a Jewish framework for her children and a home away from home. She looks forward to re-engaging with the board of trustees and helping to bring CBB and all of our members into our exciting future.

Summer Foster

Education VP

Summer first became acquainted with CBB when she and her husband James were married by Cantor Mark Childs in 2013. From there they were welcomed with open arms to the CBB community and then by the BHY community. Summer is very fond of BHY and everything the school has to offer. She spent two years as the Parent Association Chair so she knows firsthand that BHY is a very special place.

Summer is the lucky mother of three boys: Crosby, Rockwell, and Bixby. She is currently a stay at home mother and she loves being home with her boys. She feels so fortunate to be able to stay at home with her boys and experience the daily adventures in their young lives.

Prior to being home with her children, Summer was and still is an educator. She has taught at a number of elementary schools throughout Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, in grades 2^nd through 6^th. Summer earned her BA in Psychology from UCSB in 2003, and has her Masters in Education and an elementary teaching credential from UCSB’s Teacher Education Program. She also earned my administrative teaching credential through Santa Barbara County Education Office’s PASC Program. She has always loved working in education and couldn’t think of a more rewarding career.

Summer grew up in Santa Monica and came to sunny Santa Barbara in 1999 to attend UCSB. She loves everything about Santa Barbara and couldn’t imagine a more wonderful place to raise her family. She enjoys walking along our beautiful beaches, reading, working out, and spending quality time with her family.

Ann Pieramici

Program VP

Ann’s connection to CBB began when her daughters, Arin and Lily, attended Beit HaYeladim preschool soon after the Pieramici family relocated to Santa Barbara from the East Coast in 2001. Ann immediately got involved with the preschool, co-chairing the auction and serving on the Board as preschool trustee.  Her involvement grew to leading interfaith outreach and serving on the nominating and gala committees.  CBB provided Ann’s family with a wonderful community and dear friends.

Ann has worked over the past two decades as a public relations consultant and freelance writer in both the private and non-profit sectors, and over the last two years as a contributing writer to Noozhawk.  Her past experience includes work at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC and the Hearst Corporation, Forbes, Inc. and Young & Rubicam Advertising in New York City. She has been active in the local Santa Barbara community, serving on the Boards of MOXI, the Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, the Foundation for Santa Barbara High School, Crane Country Day School, and Storyteller Children’s Center, and volunteering throughout the years at Planned Parenthood.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Ann graduated cum laude from Syracuse University and completed post-graduate coursework at Johns Hopkins University. And having grown up in Baltimore, she appreciates the mountains, ocean and Santa Barbara sunshine and enjoy living here with her husband, Dante, their daughters Arin and Lily and their golden retriever, Auggie.

Diane Zipperstein

Past President

Diane was CBB President between 2019 and 2022. She joined the CBB Board in 2014 as an at-large Trustee, later becoming Program Vice President, then Development Vice President.  She has served on the Executive Committee since 2016.

Diane was born in New Jersey, raised in Granada Hills and Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a BA and MS in Psychology. She went to UC Davis Law School where she met her husband, Steve.

The Zippersteins lived in Los Angeles, Bethesda, Woodland Hills, and Princeton before happily landing in Santa Barbara. During that time Diane worked as a lawyer for First Interstate Bancorp, Standard Chartered Bank and Homes Savings of America in securities, mergers and acquisitions.

Diane has been involved with many Santa Barbara non-profits since moving here in 2011. Some of the local non-profits include  ADL, Girls Inc, Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, Food Bank  of Santa Barbara County and Women’s Fund.

Diane and Steve have been married for 37 years. They are so lucky to have three daughters, Emily, Margot and Hilary, two sons-in-law, Eric and Rob, and four grandchildren, Lyla, Henry, Celeste, and Olivia. We are also fortunate to have Steve’s mom, Bobbie, living in Santa Barbara

Jeffrey Kupperman

Development VP

Dr. Jeffrey L. Kupperman has practiced Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care Medicine, and Internal Medicine in Santa Barbara, California, since 1981. He is a Diplomate of the American Boards of Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Diseases, and a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians.

Dr. Kupperman is a native of New Orleans, and went to Newman School. He received his B.S. undergraduate degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and his M.D. medical degree from the Tulane University School of Medicine, where he was elected to the Αlpha Omega Αlpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society his junior year. He completed his training as a Medical Intern and Resident and an NIH- and American Heart Association-Awarded Respiratory Physiology and Medicine Fellow at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he was awarded both the Outstanding Resident and the Outstanding Fellow Awards.

Dr. Kupperman has practiced medicine at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital since 1981. He was Secretary of the Board of Directors of Cottage Health, and Chief of Staff of Cottage Hospital, and now Chairman of the Cottage Health Medical Staffs’ Credentialing Committee. He has also served as Chairman of the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Medical Director of the Respiratory Care Department, Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit, and Chief Medical Information Officer. He has been active in the House Staff Training Program at Cottage Hospital since 1981, and is Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He was awarded the Outstanding New Faculty Award at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in 1982, and has won the Excellence in Teaching Award yearly from 1981.

Dr. Kupperman has been active in the Santa Barbara community as a Board Member of the American Heart Association and the Santa Barbara Jewish Federation, a member of the Health and Grants Committees of the Santa Barbara Foundation, and a Past-President of the American Lung Association of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. He was honored with the 2010 Healthcare Hero Award from the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Health Clinics, and was the Co-Chair of their Honorary Campaign Cabinet and a member of their Board of Directors. He is, in addition, Past-President of the California Thoracic Society, and an active member of the American Lung Association, the American Thoracic Society, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the California Medical Association.

Serena Zahler

Secretary

Serena and her husband, Bailey Hochhalter, became members of CBB when they set out to put down roots in Santa Barbara after their marriage in 2017. During that exploration, Serena met Rabbi Brenner and they collaborated to energize a community of young Jewish professionals with monthly Shabbat gatherings, now known as CBB’s OpenDor. Now with their baby daughter Shiloh, Serena and Bailey are looking forward to growing with the congregation.

Serena comes to the Board with over a decade of experience in corporate management. After many years as a marketing, media and events manager for luxury furniture brand JANUS et Cie, she now works with her husband, helping to manage their growing family business, Clear Construction, a design-build and general contracting firm serving Los Angeles to Santa Barbara counties.

Born and raised in Long Beach, Serena fell in love with Santa Barbara as a student at UCSB, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in art studio and communications. After graduating, she knew she wanted to make Santa Barbara her forever home.

Growing up, Serena lived blocks from her local synagogue and walked to Hebrew school and Shabbat services and has fond memories growing up within an active Jewish community. Serena and Bailey are excited for their young family be a part of the vibrant and wonderful Jewish community that is CBB.

Craig Zimmerman

Administrative Trustee

Craig currently serves as Director of Montecito Bank & Trust, where he was elected to the Board in April of 2010 and serves as the Chair of the Governance Committee. He also consults for real estate companies in Southern California.

Craig recently retired from The Towbes Group, Inc., where he served for 20 years, most of which as President.  After joining The Towbes Group in January 1999 as Vice President of Commercial Property Management, Craig was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and then appointed President in June 2001. The Towbes Group is a diversified building and development firm which develops, constructs and manages properties in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties.  While at The Towbes Group, Craig oversaw all of TGI’s operating divisions including development, construction, commercial and residential property management, and maintenance services.  Prior to The Towbes Group he worked for Maguire Partners in Los Angeles.

Craig also serves on the Boards of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project, The Towbes Foundation, Storyteller, and is a Trustee of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.

Craig and his wife Amy live in Santa Barbara and have two children, Charlie and Maisie.

Nick Woolf

Finance Trustee

Nick and his wife, Sara, were first introduced to CBB in 2013 when they attended Rabbi Cohen’s Torah study. After the first session they were hooked and never looked back, gradually becoming more and more involved with activities until the synagogue had become a focal point of their lives. As well as a rekindled involvement with Judaism, they have made countless wonderful friends and never forget how lucky they are to be part of the CBB community.

Nick was also lucky enough to participate in CBB’s Leadership Institute. He began volunteering with the CBB Caring Community, later becoming Chair of the Caring Community Committee. He now serves on the Board as the Finance Trustee, working with Finance VP Jonathan Gartner in overseeing financial reporting.

Nick worked as a CPA until the early 1990’s, when he got his PhD at the University Iowa and became a qualitative research consultant, teaching workshops and participating in research projects all over North America. He completed this career by writing a Routledge textbook on qualitative research methods.

Nick grew up in North-West London, moving to the U.S. in 1976. Theater and performing are major hobbies, and Nick taught an improvisational theatre group in town which included several CBB members. Nick’s son Ben achieved acting fame in three seasons of the TV show American Horror Story, and his daughter Kathryn followed in Nick’s footsteps as a CPA. She lives in Goleta with husband Brian and Nick and Sara’s grandsons, Sidney and Elijah.

Ari Goldstein

Religious Practices Trustee

Ari Goldstein, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in Santa Barbara. He is also a lead facilitator and researcher for the Kind Mind Program – a local non-profit providing mindfulness instruction to elementary school students. Before becoming a psychologist he worked as a high school special education teacher in San Francisco Unified School District, and believes strongly in the power of schools to serve as vehicles of systemic change. He earned his MEd and PhD in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at UCSB, where he delivered mental health services in schools for students with behavioral and emotional challenges. For his dissertation, he created and ran a school-based mindfulness program. Ari completed his doctoral internship at The Help Group in Los Angeles and subsequently trained with Dr. Radhule Weininger in Santa Barbara. He also holds a license as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. He is originally from the Chicago area, an avid Michigan fan, tremendously enjoys the Californian mountains, and aspires to never have them stop taking his breath away.

Laura Habecker

Caring Community Trustee

Laura came to UCSB from the San Fernando Valley and fell in love with Santa Barbara. She was fortunate enough to meet her awesome husband Dan here and raise their two children in Santa Barbara.

Laura has been in Medical Sales for over 25 years. She’s worked in pharmaceuticals and more recently entered into the space of genetic testing. Laura has worked in prenatal testing, pediatric genetic testing and recently entered the world of diagnostic imaging.

Before Laura and Dan were married they attended a “Basic Judaism” class. Now over 30 years later their children have graduated through all stages of CBB life from early beginnings at BHY, Religious School, Confirmation and as Madricha. Laura loves anything community! She enjoys being involved and feels very grateful to all that CBB has given to her and her family. She looks forward to another term in her board position and contributing in a meaningful way.

Alan Levy

Parliamentarian

Alan grew up in Goleta, after his parents moved the family up from North Hollywood, and he became a Bar Mitzvah at CBB.  On the wall near the Clergy offices is a picture of him with his confirmation class in nice sky-blue robes. Alan and his wife, Lisa, have been members of CBB for over 25 years.

Alan was CBB Caring Community Committee Chair from 2002 through 2018 and served as Caring Community Trustee from 2003 until 2012. Alan currently serves on the Board of Trustees as CBB Parliamentarian in which he has been addressing your Bylaws and Rules of Order needs since 2012. Alan also serves on the Melton School Advisory Committee and can often be found at the Shabbat morning minyan chanting from the Torah in the Girsh-Hochman Sanctuary.

Alan completed a Ph.D. in Physics at UCSB in early 2006 and has been working since then as a Systems Engineer at Raytheon Vision Systems in Goleta

Tessa Kaganoff

Development Trustee

Tessa joined CBB during the pandemic after relocating to the Santa Barbara area in 2020.  A Goleta native, she’s very happy to be back after living in Los Angeles for many years.

Tessa recently retired from her position as Director of Prospect Research at UCLA, a post she held since 2012. She managed a team of seven prospect researchers who support development staff across the university. Prior to this post, Tessa was a Principal Gifts Research Analyst at UCLA from 2007 to 2012. She spent two years as a Program Officer at First 5 LA, designing grant programs and RFPs. Her responsibilities also included briefing First 5 LA Commissioners as well as the LA County Supervisors. She spent 11 years at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica as a Research Analyst. She conducted qualitative research across a number of research areas including Education, the Arts and the Department of Defense.

Tessa’s history of community service includes serving as a “Big” at Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles (four years), and running RAND’s story hour program at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee’s homeless shelter (nine years). Her board service includes The Upward Bound House in Santa Monica and Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles.

Tessa has a B.A. in Psychology from Vassar College, an M.A. in Public Policy from Duke University, and an MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Nancy Sinai

Youth Education Trustee

Nancy and her family moved to Santa Barbara from Oakland, CA  in October of 2019 having no idea what was in store for the world and her family in a new place. The CBB and BHY community made the move easy and helped them get anchored here with a warm, welcoming, loving, Jewish community. Her three boys have attended or are attending BHY and her oldest  (twins) are finishing their first year in Netivot.

Nancy grew up in a reform Jewish synagogue in Oakland, CA, going to UAHC summer camps, and participating in Jewish youth group.  These formative experiences shaped her relationship with Judaism at a young age and has helped her find home in Jewish community throughout all the new experiences, challenges, and places she’s been in her life.  Together with her husband Jim, they want to give their three young boys the same experience of growing up with a Jewish identity.

Outside the temple community, Nancy is a veterinarian for small and exotic pets, working both in private practice as well as for the county shelter. When she’s not working or at home, you can usually find her swimming laps in a pool or heading to the beach for some Vitamin Sea.

Moran Golan

BHY Trustee

After hearing so much about CBB and BHY from many generations of members, Moran and her husband, Ron, knew they needed to join as soon as they arrived in Santa Barbara in the summer of 2020. Between BHY, Family Camp and Tot Shabbats, the active Jewish community was exactly what they had been looking for as they established our home here in Santa Barbara with their three young children (Annabelle, Natalia, and Rafael). Moran and Ron really appreciate their children’s Jewish education at BHY, and love attending the family activities regularly offered.

Moran was born in Tel Aviv, and had been living and working there as a real estate attorney with Amsel, Levi & Hasid after her service in the Search and Rescue Unit of the IDF. She moved to New York City in 2013 and subsequently joined HAP Investments, a real estate investment and development company. There she worked as the VP of Development until 2018. After obtaining her MBA from NYU, she went on to serve as Managing Partner in Operations and Head of Procurement for HAP Construction, a full service construction management company.

Even though she always considered herself an urbanite, she fell in love with Santa Barbara immediately. The Golans’ favorite activities are going to the beach, playground hopping, spending time with friends, and trying new restaurants. They are grateful for the wonderful community and incredible people they have met through CBB.

Lynn Altschul

Tikkun Olam Trustee

Lynn from the Chicago area where she and her husband, Joel, were married over fifty years ago. Three children and four grandchildren later, they began visiting Santa Barbara upon retirement. After thirteen years of exploring this stunning area and building a community of friends, they have put down roots and feel so fortunate to be able to call Santa Barbara home.

Lynn is relatively new to CBB, having officially joined the congregation four years ago. She has served on the Social Action Committee, Board Governance Task Force and she completed the two year Melton Education program in 2019. In 2018 she traveled to Israel with Rabbi Cohen and other congregants which solidified her commitment to the CBB community.

Lynn is a Marriage and Family Therapist by profession, specializing in child development and families with young children. She received her undergraduate degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin as well as a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois and a post graduate degree in Family Therapy from The Family Institute at Northwestern University. She built a private practice as well as served as a clinician at the Jewish Children and Family Services Agency. In 2002, Lynn started a non-profit called The Family Room which provided education, support and a community to young families in the Chicago area.

Lynn feels fortunate to have been so warmly welcomed by the CBB community.

Merith Cosden

At Large Trustee

Merith and her husband, Alan Spiker, moved to Santa Barbara in 1982.  They have been CBB members for over 30 years. Their two sons attended religious school and became Bar Mitzvah here, and Cantor Mark later officiated at her younger son’s wedding. Merith also served briefly on the Board, helping with educational programs.

Merith was a Professor of Clinical Psychology in the School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara during much of this time, retiring in 2015.

Since her retirement from UCSB, Merith has been busy in other ways.  Her sons are married and live in Los Angeles, and Merith and Alan go weekly to help with their grandchildren.  Merith does abstract painting, takes adult education classes at City College, and is on the Board of the Goleta Valley Art Association. Finally, she participates in many of the educational opportunities offered at CBB.  Merith was in the first cohort to graduate from the Melton two-year curriculum, and she attends Torah study and Talmud study weekly.  She also currently serves on two Temple Advisory Committees, one for Melton educational programs and one on mental wellness.

Jill Feldman

At-Large Trustee

Jill’s family joined CBB when they moved to Santa Barbara in 2002 from Dallas, Texas.  Her husband, Arnie Brier, is from Santa Barbara and celebrated his bar mitzvah and his confirmation at CBB.

The Feldmans immediately felt at home at CBB and Jill joined the board in 2005.  She served for 10 years as At-Large Trustee, Religious School Trustee and Education VP. She is so happy to continue service the board in her third year as an At-Large Trustee.

Jill is the President of Strategic Development Associates. Their clients include start-ups, mid-sized companies, and large national companies with a focus on technology, and our areas of specialization include consumer insights, market validation, and industry and competitive analysis.  Jill founded SDA in 1997, following roles within the wireless telecom industry with AT&T Wireless Service and Verizon Wireless. Prior to that, she was an Associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Merchant Banking Departments with Merrill Lynch Capital Markets and a Business Analyst with McKinsey & Company.

Since 2008, Jill has also served on the faculty of University of California, Santa Barbara teaching courses in the College of Engineering’s Technology Management Program.  She received a BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Go Blue!) and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.  She is also currently serving as the Chair of the University of Michigan Industrial and Operations Engineering Advisory Board.

Jill and Arnie have been married for over 28 years and have two amazing children, Zoe and Ethan.

Janet Malki

At-Large Trustee

Over twenty years ago, Janet and Alan attended services at CBB’s outdoor sanctuary and were so impressed with the beautiful surroundings and welcoming community. Fast forward they moved to Santa Barbara in 2016 from Redlands, CA where they raised their two wonderful children Alisa and Aaron.

Janet and Alan are both in the medical profession. Alan is a cardio thoracic surgeon and is presently working part-time at Stanford Hospital. Janet is a registered nurse and has worked in various settings and hospitals presently assisting the Sansum Diabetic Research Institute on a drug study. She has been on various boards with the most recent being Dignity Health Foundation in Redlands.

Janet was born and raised in Southern California and met Alan while both of them were working at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. They were married at Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles. Judaism has been a very important and integral part of their lives. While in Redlands, they were active and instrumental in sustaining a small vibrant conservative synagogue. When they moved to Santa Barbara they immediately joined CBB.

Janet is honored to be asked to serve on the Board of Trustees and looks forward to contributing and being a positive addition to CBB and our Jewish community.

Daniel Hochman

Shomrei HaBrit (Guardian of the Covenant)

Daniel is connected to CBB by music, prayer, friends, community, and volunteering. He also has a multi-generational family history with the Synagogue.

Daniel calls himself a professional volunteer, having spent more than two decades in service to the community in which he lives. Educated in Economics, Business, Math, and Music, he has been fortunate to manage a hotel, design and install hardware dependent telephone systems, manage real estate investments, and teach college prep AP, while also being a professional musician, actor/singer, and energy worker. Daniel has been blessed to lead congregations, trade organizations, parks, Y’s, and to serve the city of Santa Barbara as a charter member of the Creeks Advisory Committee and as a Park and Recreation Commissioner.

Daniel is a 2^nd generation Santa Barbarian, born as one of the last baby boomers. He played soccer and rode horses when he was younger, and went to college to get his Master’s. Daniel is ecstatically married to Mandy, who loves him more than perhaps he deserves. They look forward to maybe getting another dog someday.

Steven Amerikaner

Building Dreams Trustee

Steven and his wife, Phyllis,  have been members of CBB since they moved to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles in 1982.  Their son David celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at CBB in 1992; their daughter Kate celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at CBB in 1995.  Kate is a member of the CBB Adult Choir, and for a number of years Phyllis worked with Aaron Ettenberg on the scripts for the annual CBB Purimspiel.

Until his retirement in December 2021, Steven was a partner at the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a national boutique law firm with 240 lawyers that specializes in natural resources, intellectual property, and government relations.  His work concentrated on representing property owners, builders and developers in securing land use approvals from local and state government, including the California Coastal Commission.  Steven’s professional career began in 1973, after his admission to the California Bar.  For eight years between 1982 and 1990, he served as Santa Barbara City Attorney.

Steven was born in New York City (Queens) and grew up on Long Island.  After attending public high school, he graduated from Harvard College in 1969 and Harvard Law School in 1973. Steven met his wife in Los Angeles in 1975; they married in 1977 and moved to Santa Barbara with their two young children in 1982.  Phyllis was born in Memphis and grew up in Atlanta.  She attended University of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Tarheels!) and has worked for many years as the Librarian at the Goleta Center for Girls Inc.  They have a wonderful daughter-in-law (Kristina) and three grandchildren, Molly (2010), Bennett (2013) and Eli (2021).

Aaron Ettenberg

Honorary Board Member

Aaron and his wife Ina have been members of CBB since their move to Santa Barbara in the summer of 1982. Both of their children, Michael and Sharna, received their Hebrew names in CBB’s sanctuary, made life-long friends at Beit HaYeldim, had their Bar and Bat Mitzah at CBB, completed our religious and Hebrew school programs and were married by our clergy! So, their family has had a long and close connection with this fabulous congregation. Ina has served, and continues to serve, as a mentor and educational advisor for teachers in our religious school, and Aaron finally left the board a few years ago after having completed 26 years (yikes!) as a member of our Board of Trustees. During those two-plus decades of Board service Aaron held almost every position including a rewarding two-year stint as President. He was sincerely humbled to have been recognized with the Viola Girsh Award for commitment and service to the congregation and for having been named a life-time “honorary” member of the Board.

While now retired, Aaron remains involved in leadership through membership on a variety of CBB ad hoc committees and continues to serve on the Boards of Santa Barbara Hillel and the local chapter of the Anti-defamation League.