Board of Trustees

About the Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees charts the long-term future of the Hebrew Day School. It is responsible to ensure that the School is healthy and vibrant not just this year or next year but five, ten, and twenty years from now. Within Jewish tradition, the Board follows the model of Honi Ha-Ma’agel, who legendarily planted trees whose fruit he knew he would not eat himself but which would feed a later generation. The Board’s official name—the Board of Trustees—reflects this orientation. The School is held in trust for Jewish children yet unborn.

As a legal matter, the Board of Trustees is vested with full authority to govern the School. In keeping with its mission, the Board exercises those powers sparingly. After all, the Trustees are not the members of the School community best equipped to make most of the decisions that the life of the School requires.

Instead, the Trustees focus on three core responsibilities.

• First, the Board hires, supports, evaluates, and if necessary discharges the Head of School.
• Second, the Board equips the School’s professionals with the resources, financial and otherwise, that they need to pursue their mission today and keep the School healthy into the future.
• Third, the Board represents and seeks opportunities for the School in the wider community. Trustees are ambassadors for HDS wherever they go.

The Board must attend to these responsibilities with its eye constantly on the long term. If the Trustees commit the School’s operations to the right professional leader, manage the big-picture finances responsibly, and diligently pursue opportunities for the School in the wider world, HDS should be healthy and vibrant when today’s Gansters have Gansters of their own.

2023-2024 Board Members

Deborah Beim is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Michigan. She currently serves on the Foundation Committee of the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Ann Arbor and is active in several other Jewish organizations around Ann Arbor.

Joshua J. Chinsky is an attorney at Butzel Long and officer in the Marine Corps reserve. He currently serves on the JCC Board of Directors and has worked with other organizations in the Ann Arbor community. Josh is the parent of two future HDS students.

Karla Goldman is a professor of Judaic Studies and Social Work at the University of Michigan, where she directs the Jewish Communal Leadership Program. She has served on the national boards of Keshet and the Association for Jewish Studies and is a current member of the board of the Jewish Women’s Archive, of which she is immediate past co-chair. She is the parent of a HDS graduate.

Rob Goldman is the Secretary of the Board of Trustees. He is a former clinical neuropsychologist. He is currently a senior leader in research and development for a pharmaceutical company. He is the proud parent of an HDS graduate.

Samantha Hendren is a colorectal surgeon at the University of Michigan, where she cares for patients, teaches, and does research on the quality of healthcare for colorectal cancer.  She is the parent of two HDS alumni, classes of 2014 and 2016.

Matt Kaplan is the Executive Director of U-M’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT). He served as President of Beth Israel Congregation and was a past member of the HDS Board and the board of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education. He is also an HDS alumni parent.

Ben Kellman is an HDS alumnus, who is a public policy manager at AmeriHealth.

Marie-Adele Kress is a Radiation Oncologist in the St. Joseph Mercy Health System, where she serves as Section Head and is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Huron Valley Physicians Association and the McAuley Health Partners ACO. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor. She is the parent of two current HDS students.

Bobby Levine is the CEO of the engineering company Digested Organics. Bobby is a current HDS parent.

Shana Olson is a Social Worker in Private Practice in Ann Arbor working with Adolescents, Adults and Families.  She is the Mental Health Professional for Habonim Dror Camp Tavor.  She is the parent of 2 HDS alumni and 2 current HDS students.

Monica Woll Rosen is the President of the Board of Trustees. She is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrician Gynecologist at the University of Michigan where she specializes in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. She is the proud parent of two current HDS students and a third future student.

Amnon Steiner is the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. He is a Senior Analyst and the CFO at Employment Research Corporation and the owner of TreeTownVideo. Amnon has a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Connecticut and BSc in Electronics Engineering from Tel Aviv University. He is actively involved as a board member, volunteer, and videographer for local high school theater clubs. Amnon is also a very proud parent of four HDS alumni.

Michelle Stern-Samberg is a child, adolescent, and family psychologist in private practice in Ann Arbor. Michelle has been an active volunteer in the Hebrew Day School community and serves as a parent liaison for Camp Gan Israel of Ann Arbor. She is the proud parent of a current HDS student and a recent HDS graduate.

Ron Sussman had previously served on the HDS Board for 12 years.  He was a public school educator for 37 years and a lecturer at the UofM for 6 years.  He worked with Habonim Youth for 35 years and recently retired from his position as Ritual Director at Beth Israel where he worked with well over 400 families.  He is the father of three HDS graduates and also the grandfather of three HDS grads.

Monica Vaisman is a Dentist who currently practices in Dundee Michigan in a Private Practice. She Is the parent of 2 alumni from HDS, the class of 2014 and the class of 2017. Monica has served in various community institutions in different roles.

Past Presidents