Staff & Board

He/Him

Ethan Felson has been an out and proud professional for more than 30 years, serving in senior national roles with The Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Ethan has done pioneering work in interfaith relations, people-to-people peacebuilding, and Israel advocacy. LGBTQ activism has always central to Ethan’s life since campus days in the 1980s. In 2022, Ethan was named one of the 100 Most Influential LGBTQ leaders in New York City and one of the 50 most influential LGBTQ Jewish leaders in New York in 2020.   

Ethan Serves on the boards of the American Zionist Movement, Shir Shalom Congregation, the Israel Education Travel Alliance, and the JFNA Jewish Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. Ethan has authored articles for the Jerusalem Post,  Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sapir and others as well as chapters in several books touching on Jewish public affairs. An attorney, author, and activist, Ethan is proudest of his twin children and hopes that the work of A Wider Bridge helps build a safer more inclusive world for them and all of us.

She/Her

Efrat joined A Wider Bridge while working for the Association for the LGBTQ Equality in Israel as the director of the association’s hotline.
Efrat joined the organization as a volunteer at its reporting center, but fell in love with the people and the organization and decided to stay. Previously, Efrat worked for UNITAF, which provides an alternative educational framework for kids and toddlers in south Tel Aviv to foreigners and asylum seekers.
With a passion for community work and human rights, Efrat completed her bachelor’s degree in social work, which led to practical volunteer work with the communities of eastern Nepal. In addition to working with and for the LGBTQ community, Efrat continues to conduct research on public policy in developing countries as part of her M.A. studies.
Efrat spends her free time with the puppy she adopted a few months ago.

Toby Klein (she/her) is A Wider Bridge’s Program Manager. Toby recently completed her PhD in Public Policy with a specialization in Social Justice from the University of Arkansas. During her first three years of graduate school, Toby brought the first LGBTQ+ graduation ceremony to the University of Arkansas, and also served as the co-president of the only Jewish temple in town for two years. She holds a Masters of Science in Community Health Promotion, and is a proud alumni of the Borns Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University, where she completed honors BAs in both Jewish Studies and Psychology. While Toby could talk about her research and intersectional activism all day, she’d much rather you ask about her dog (Ruth) and the other dog(s) she fosters.

He/Him

Ian Sugar is a veteran political operative, strategist and fundraiser who has worked at the intersection of LGBT activism, progressive politics, and pro-Israel advocacy for over a decade. Prior to joining A Wider Bridge, Ian consulted with over a dozen non-profit groups and political candidates.

From 2013 – 2017, Ian served on the senior staff of a Washington-based strategic communications firm. Previously he was Deputy Political Director at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, and in 2012 was Nevada Finance Director for a US Senate campaign.

Prior to his years in Las Vegas, Ian cut his teeth in politics during the 2008 Presidential election. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Ian graduated from Boston University in 2007.

She/Her

Ilana Yares has been working in office management for almost ten years, first as Education Director and then as Secretary for two different synagogues in Cleveland. Throughout the pandemic, Ilana digitized the office of the Beachwood Kollel allowing a remote and virtual setting to thrive. Ilana has always been a detail-oriented person constantly keeping everything organized and in its place. Ilana always finds ways to help the greater community by being an advocate for those who do not have a voice and guiding others on the path to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion for all.

He/His

Andy Austin has been a communication professional for more than 40 years, with broad experience in both traditional and digital media. Proprietor of Words and Strategy, an NGLCC Certified LBGT Business Enterprise, Andy provides communication strategy and editorial services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. An avid networker, he is President of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce’s Out Business Builders business referral group, and is also an active member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s New York chapter.

A native New Yorker, Andy has long been involved in the LGBTQ and Jewish communities. In his teens, while serving as president of his congregation’s USY chapter, he found his way to what became known as Gay and Lesbian Youth of New York, becoming a regular at their Firehouse meetings. Post-college, Andy served on the Chelsea Gay Association’s steering committee and continues to support its offshoot, the Anti-Violence Project.

In addition to his work with A Wider Bridge, Andy is an active member and supporter of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, New York’s LGBTQ synagogue, where he regularly volunteers his expertise on a range of communication initiatives. He holds a B.A. in Speech Communications from the University of Michigan.

He/Him

Daniel is a native Arizonan, lifelong Democrat, and Member of the Arizona State Legislature. He currently serves on the Judiciary and Federalism Committees and is the Co-Founder of the LGBT Caucus.  Daniel has received praise for his work to find bipartisan solutions; from introducing a bipartisan resolution in recognition of Israel’s Independence Day. In 2011, while working in the office of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Daniel took actions on January 8th with which he is credited with saving her life. That day and the aftermath drove him to advocate for Gun Violence Prevention at the state and national level, which he does to this day. Daniel is a 2018 Alumnus of the AWB LGBTQ Leadership Mission to Israel.

He/His

James Moon is a partner with the law firm Meland Budwick, P.A. James is as passionate about Israel as he is about progressive and LGBTQ issues. Although he is not Jewish, James makes the case that progressives and LGBTQ in particular can and should support Israel – the only country in the middle east where LGBTQ can find hope for a valued and respected life. James has recognized Israel’s special place in the world since he first learned about it as a boy, and has always found ways to support it, including encouraging his friends and family to buy Israeli goods from Israeli companies to show their support, especially during times when Israel finds itself under attack.  James is a board member of SAVE, and Vice Chair of SAVE FOUNDATION: organizations dedicated to protecting members of the LGBTQ community from discrimination. James is also a board member of the Koyzak Minority Mentoring Foundation which brings bar members and minority law students together in mentor/mentee relationships with the goal of increasing diversity in the legal profession. James has also served on the board of the Outshine Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and chaired the Inclusion Mentoring and Fellowship Committee of the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar, which is tasked with diversity outreach to and for the Florida legal community. James has been active on boards of various nonprofit organizations over the years and is also a leader in progressive and LGBTQ outreach as a recognized leader within AIPAC. Prior to his legal career, James served for approximately 10 years in the United States Navy aboard both ballistic missile and fast attack submarines as communications and cryptographic specialist and is a Gulf War veteran.

He/Him

James is an investor and senior advisor to early-stage companies. He also has partners with funding accelerators, incubators, angel groups and venture capital firms in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East.  James served as a Partner + Senior Leader with McKinsey & Company, IRI and A.T. Kearney with expertise in the global Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods sectors, delivering significant value creation for Fortune 500 clients and Private Equity firms across traditional and emerging functions, including deep capital markets and corporate finance experience. James holds an MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School and received his AB in Economics with honors from the University of Chicago. James currently is an Advisory Board Member of Start Out, and a member of the Open Tent Committee of United Jewish Appeal (UJA) of Greater New York. James previously severed as a Board Member of Renewal Care and the New York City Mission Society.

She/Her

Cindy comes to A Wider Bridge with almost three decades of leadership experience in the non-profit sector, including serving as executive director of the MDGLCC Foundation/LGBT Visitor Center,  program officer for the United Foundation for AIDS, and director of Miami Beach Pride. Cindy currently runs the Lambda Living Program for LGBT Seniors, a program of Jewish Community Services.  Cindy also runs a consulting firm for non-profits, Cenergy LLC, whose numerous local and national clients have included GLSEN, Miami Beach Gay Pride, the Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, and Equality Florida. Her volunteer connections to the non-profit community have been numerous and ongoing, including serving on multiple boards. Cindy currently serves as the Vice Chair of the LGBT Advisory Committee for the City of Miami Beach, the Vice-Chair of the Mayors Elder Affairs Committee for Miami-Dade County, and a board member of the Haitian American Community Development Corporation. A Florida native, Cindy graduated from Miami-Dade College with a music education degree, and the University of Miami with bachelor degrees in both psychology and criminology.

He/His

Growing up with a keen eagerness to serve the greater Los Angeles community, Bruce has helped clients with risk management, including a multitude of non-profit organizations, since 1987. He leads Knauf Maxwell Insurance Services, (formerly Arroyo Insurance) as a principal partner. In addition, Bruce has been a strong voice and advocate to the Los Angeles Jewish and LGBT communities. Past positions include serving as President of Congregation Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC), the nation’s oldest LGBT synagogue, serving on the ADL Southwest Regional Board and serving on the Board of the Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing, where he helped build and open the first ever low-income affordable housing for LGBT seniors in the country to be located in Hollywood, California. Bruce is an LA native, a profoundly proud graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, studied a year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and earned an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business. Most importantly, Bruce is a father to his two children, Yael and Sam, and gleeful grandfather to Jeremy.

He/Him

Alan Schwartz is a strategic management and finance professional with over 30 years of experience in the private, governmental and nonprofit sectors. He is the principal of AGS Associates which advises clients on strategic development, restructuring, and financing in the United States and overseas. In addition, Alan is an experienced family wealth management advisor, and serves as a trustee of private trusts and foundations with aggregate assets of several hundred million dollars. Alan has held leadership positions in numerous public entities including: Executive Director of the Architectural Conservation Trust and Historic Massachusetts Inc., and Chairman of the Boston Landmarks Commission.

Alan has been a lifelong Jewish, Zionist and community leader. Alan has spent considerable time in Israel since he was a child, and has conducted business in Israel over many years. As an undergraduate at Boston University, he founded one of the first Holocaust Education Week programs on a college campus. Passionate about social justice and human rights, he has been deeply involved in causes ranging from the Save Soviet Jewry movement to efforts on behalf of Syrian refugees. Alan has also been a leader in LGBTQ & HIV/AIDS activism for almost 40 years, including serving as Vice President of Fenway Community Health. Alan is a leader in Manhattan’s downtown Jewish community. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Sixth Street Community Synagogue, a welcoming modern Orthodox synagogue in New York City’s East Village. Among his many awards and distinctions are recognitions from: Bank Boston; the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and the American Institute of Architects. Alan is most proud that the City of Boston designated him a “Special Boston Landmark.

She/Her

Andrea Beth Damsky is a long-time activist in Democratic politics and progressive issues-based campaigns. In the 1960’s she helped her parents found and staff one of our nation’s first recycling centers, at the age of 11 in Baldwin, NY. She campaigned for her first presidential candidate at age 16, in the early 1970’s. In her early 20s’ Andrea Beth was elected President of the Atlantic City, NJ chapter of National Organization for Women, where she organized rallies for the Equal Rights Amendment and abortion rights, supported local women candidates, and managed the Mondale-Ferraro Presidential campaign in southern New Jersey. Andrea Beth also came out during this time, and was active in organizing support for the gay men’s community in Atlantic City during the early AIDS crisis years.

Andrea Beth co-founded the San Diego Progressive Democratic Club in 2015 and served as its Vice President (2017) and President (2018). Andrea Beth is a delegate to the California Democratic Party and has served on its Credentials Committee, and currently, its Resolutions Committee. She is also a voting member of the San Diego Democratic Party.

Witnessing the rise in antisemitism and anti-Zionism in progressive spaces motivated Andrea Beth to learn about and educate others on these issues. She helped co-found San Diego Democrats for Peace in the Middle East (currently serving as VP of Political Action), Progressive Zionists of California (former Vice Chair), and Democrats for Israel-California (currently Executive Vice President). It is her joy to join the Board of Directors of A Wider Bridge.

Andrea Beth lives in La Mesa, CA. She has been serving as a Commissioner on La Mesa’s Environmental Sustainability Commission since 2017, and was recently elected to her third term as its Chair.

As an active leader in the Democratic Party, Andrea Beth provides insight and advice to local leaders, candidates and elected officials on these concerns and a variety of other issues of importance.

Andrea Beth has been a political activist since her teen years, advocating for equal rights for women, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental quality, climate change, healthcare, worker’s rights, and more. Her activism took root in the early 1980s, campaigning for the Equal Rights Amendment, and for health care during the AIDS epidemic.

Professionally, Andrea Beth is a National Board-Certified Acupuncturist and Applied Clinical Nutritionist. She brings her life experience, professional knowledge, and background in Environmental Science to advocate for healthier communities through strong environmental policy and healthcare access. She is a bridge builder between communities and generations, supporting issues of vital importance to our community – immigration reform, racial justice, and equity, to name a few.

Andrea Beth and her wife Randye are in their early senior years. Randye is a Marine veteran and Union Ironworker. Their personal life together adds awareness of veteran, union, and senior concerns to Andrea Beth’s political activism.

They/She

Kaia Ferari is a Millennial philanthropist and activist focused on creating a more equitable world for marginalized communities.

Informed by their experience growing up as the only openly queer and nonbinary person in their rural Pennsylvania hometown, Kaia is passionate about ensuring that political representation reflects the diversity of people’s lived experiences.

Kaia recruits and supports candidates for political office, ranging from local to federal races as a board member of LGBTQ Victory Institute and Victory Campaign Board. They also serve on the Board of the Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York, the only LGBTQ art museum in the United States.

Kaia lives in New York and Greenwich, CT with their four rescue dogs. You can follow Kaia on Instagram @kyleferari.

He/Him

Sam Lauter is a public affairs professional with over 30 years of experience in local, state and national politics. Sam utilizes his years of experience to manage Barnes Mosher Whitehurst Lauter & Partners’ (BMWL) public affairs and lobbying business. Sam began his professional career on the district staff of Congressman Philip Burton (D-CA). Following Congressman Burton’s passing, Sam continued to work for his successor, Congresswoman Sala Burton (D-CA) for three years while at UC Berkeley. After graduating college, Sam worked on the presidential campaign and Senate staff for Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), where he served as the Senator’s personal assistant and later for California Lt. Governor Leo McCarthy, where his responsibilities included field strategy, advance work, fundraising and speechwriting. Prior to forming BMWL with his partners, Sam worked at Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) where he served as its primary contact and strategist in government and community relations for both San Francisco and San Mateo counties. In his volunteer life, Sam is a key voice and fundraiser for the organized Jewish community in both the Bay Area and Washington, D.C. Among Sam’s affiliations: Past Chair of the Northern California Board of Directors of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC); member, National Council of AIPAC; and he serves on or has served as California State Chair of the Jewish Public Affairs Committee, and as a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning, the Jewish Bulletin (now the J), Brandeis Hillel Day School, Jewish Vocational Services, the BayKeeper, San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau (now San Francisco Travel), the Diller Teen Advisory Board and for several years on the planning committee for the annual Jewish Family and Children’s Services Fammy Gala dinner, among others. Sam also spearheaded the first trip in 2008 by a San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom, to visit Israel, as part of the Haifa-San Francisco Sister City relationship, and co-chaired the visit for Mayor Ed Lee in 2016. Sam’s volunteer work in the pro-Israel community has been recognized with the Israel in Our Hearts award given by the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, as the Champion Ally by A Wider Bridge, and several times by AIPAC. Sam and his wife Stephanie have two children, Aliza, a junior at UC Davis, and Jacob, a senior at Lowell High School (Sam’s alma mater). In addition to his family, friends and politics, Sam’s passions include Israel, photography, the San Francisco Giants, and their golden retriever, Levi. Sam graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

He/Him

Ron Lezell is a former CPA with Big Four public accounting experience and currently provides fiduciary services under his consulting firm dba, Teva Associates. He was also Senior Director with the national financial consulting firm, Accretive Solutions, where he provided clients with Interim Controller, CFO, and finance project work for 18 years.  Ron has served on the National Boards of the Association of Reform Zionists of America and the World Union for Progressive Judaism, having been their regional Vice President in Northern California and Pacific Northwest. In 1992 and 1997, Ron represented the Reform movement as a delegate to the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem. Ron is a founding member of Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, where he has served as an officer and board member and is the former Treasurer of A Wider Bridge. Ron has holds a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Golden Gate University.

He/Him

Nate Looney is an American Jewish University alum, agricultural entrepreneur, diversity strategist and US Army Veteran. He was part of rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and deployed to Iraq in 2008.

Nate is a Wexner Field Fellow, a Bend the Arc Jeremiah alum and Selah JOC Cohort alum. Nate is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion in the Jewish community in addition to sustainability and innovation in agriculture. Nate is the Director of Community Safety and Belonging at Jewish Federations of North America, is a board member of the Jewish Multiracial Network, Urban Adamah and JQ International. He speaks publicly about intersectionality and diversity across multiple sectors.

When not working, Nate can be found on the water, sailing, deep sea fishing or body surfing.

She/Her

Laurie Osher is a Maine politician. She served as a Town Councilor in Orono, Maine from 2017 to 2022 and has Represented Orono in the Maine Legislature since 2020.

She is a soil scientist, a building energy efficiency expert, a small business owner. Representative Osher moved to Maine in 1999 to be a Research and Teaching Faculty Member at the University of Maine in Orono after completing a PhD in Soil Science at the University of California, Berkeley and doing Soils & Land Use research with the EPA. Prior to attending UC Berkeley, she was a soil and watershed scientist with the USDA Forest Service, a soil scientist with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and a soil mapper with the USDA Soil Conservation Service.

She launched her general contracting business, Osher Environment Systems (OES) in 2009. The OES team assists homeowners to lower their energy use, heating costs, and CO2 contributions to the atmosphere by upgrading their homes. In addition to being a champion for the environment, she is dedicated to fully funding schools, ensuring the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people, improving Maine’s health care system, providing healthcare for all, fully funding services for adults with disabilities, supporting workers, raising the minimum wage, eliminating sub-minimum wages, and creating a universal paid leave system and healthcare for all.

She serves on the Maine Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee and on the Maine Climate Council’s Natural and Working Lands Working Group, and the State’s HIV Advisory Committee. She is the leader of the Maine LGBTQ+ Equality caucus. She is the solo parent of 20 year old twins Noam and Zivi.

He/Him

An experienced non-profit leader, Frank is a new Israeli citizen, having made aliyah at the end of 2017.  Prior, he was both a senior staff member and volunteer leader for two-decades with the Human Rights Campaign.  Frank was an instrumental member of the team that designed HRC’s largest-grassroots expansion, leading up to its 2018 midterm election, historic wins. As a fundraising leader, Frank was a part of the team that raised the funds required to build HRC’s headquarters building, a powerful, permanent presence for the community, five-blocks from the White House, and helped lead efforts to grow HRC’s mid-level donor program, the Federal Club. Prior to HRC, Frank was an entrepreneur, worked in corporate strategy & planning in the pulp & paper industry and was a management consultant in the telecommunications industry, working with both manufacturers and end-users.  Frank’s active involvement in the Jewish and Zionist communities includes leadership roles with United Synagogue Youth, Hillel, United Jewish Appeal, and a synagogue with outreach to LGBTQ Jews. Living in the heart of Tel Aviv, Frank is involved with the TLV LGBT Sports Club, LGBT Olim, and volunteers with the Aguda – The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel.  Frank graduated from Ohio University with a Communications degree, earned an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and studied at London Business School.

He/Him

Mayor Pro Tem Gabriel “Gabe” Quinto became El Cerrito’s first Filipino-American, the second Asian-American and first LGBTQ Councilmember in the history of the city of El Cerrito.  Born in Berkeley, he grew up in El Cerrito, where he attended public schools. At Cal State University, Long Beach he earned his BS in Radio, TV & Film.

Prior to his election, he served as a member of El Cerrito’s Senior Committee and as Chair of the Human Relations Commission. For many years Gabe was an elected member of the Sierra Club Bay Chapter’s Executive and Political committees, and Chair of the West Contra Costa County Group.

Quinto began his first term on the El Cerrito City Council on December 2014. His second four year term began in December 2018 when he was instrumental in the passage of Measure V which established El Cerrito as a Charter City and implemented a property transfer tax. Measure G was also passed to fund parks and city’s pool.

Quinto has been council liaison to most all of the city’s Boards and Commissions. In 2020 he became the first El Cerrito Councilmember to Chair the Contra Costa Mayors Conference since the 1990s when Councilmember Jane Bartke served.  In 2021 Quinto became the first El Cerrito Councilmember to be on the Marin Clean Energy Executive Committee.

In 2021, Mayor Pro Tem Quinto became the first El Cerritan to be appointed as Boardmember statewide for the League of CA Cities.  Gabe just finished his term as President of the East Bay Division & LGBTQ Caucus and in 2018-2019 was President of the API Caucus as well as a member of the Environmental Policy Committee.  Mayor ProTem Quinto also was appointed to the Committee on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity and Committee on Governance.

She/Her

Representative Brianna Titone was elected in 2018 to represent Colorado House District 27 and is currently serving her third term in office. She proudly serves as the Vice Chair of the Joint Technology Committee, and as a member of the House Health & Insurance, and Agriculture, Water, & Natural Resources committees. She was elected as Co-Chair of the House Majority Caucus and Chair of the Colorado Democratic LGBTQ+ Caucus, and appointed as a board member with the Colorado State Internet Portal Authority and The Energy Council, as well as national policy committees for the National Conference of State Legislatures. She is the first openly transgender legislator in the Colorado General Assembly and the first transgender person in the nation elected to a legislative caucus leadership position.

She worked as a hydrogeologist and geochemist before becoming a citizen activist on equity issues and eventually running for office. Her extensive education includes undergraduate degrees in Physics and Geology and advanced degrees in Geosciences and Information Communication Technology.

During her time as a legislator, she has been instrumental in the passage of bills to protect and support marginalized Coloradans including expanding mental health access, limits on rental application fees, protections for homeless youth, providing free menstrual products in schools, providing the right to repair for power wheelchair users, and banning the trans and gay panic defense in Colorado, as the 11th state to do so.

He/Him

Daniel Wein is a strategic communications professional and social entrepreneur based in San Francisco. He is co-founder of the Center for New Data, a tech nonprofit using big data to combat voter suppression and build a stronger democracy. Previously, he’s led communications initiatives at Facebook, Green For All, and the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. As a passionate pro-Israel and LGBTQ advocate for fifteen years, Daniel has been active with A Wider Bridge since its founding as well as AIPAC, World Jewish Congress, and the Hineni Fellowship for LGBTQ Jewish Leadership. He currently channels his passion for community-driven philanthropy into serving as Chair of the San Francisco Jewish Pride Fund, a giving circle funding nonprofit initiatives in the Bay Area, the U.S., and Israel.

She/Her

Sharon is a committed advocate for Israel with over 25 years of experience building strong bipartisan relationships in both the House and Senate and has served as a consultant to companies and industries both domestically and internationally, as well as foreign governments, regarding American legislative issues.  Sharon was the former Executive Director for the American Jewish International Relations Institute (AJIRI) in Washington, DC, Sharon has extensive lay leadership in Jewish organizations, including AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee, the Women’s International Zionist Organization Long Island Chapter, the Hillel at the Parsons School of Design, and the Women’s Young Leadership Cabinet of the United Jewish Federation. Sharon is also a successful fashion designer and business owner with more than 30 years of design experience for brands like Adidas, Ellesse, and Champion. Her collections have been featured in retailers such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Bergdorf Goodman’s. Sharon holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law, and a BFA in Fashion Design/Merchandising from the Parsons School of Design, New School University.  Sharon is married, to Robert Kinberg, an intellectual property attorney and has two daughters, Michaela and Aliya. Sharon has had strong ties to the LGBTQ  community since her days at Parsons School of Design and has always been a vocal ally of the community.