Staff & Board

Rabbi Denise L. Eger is an international Jewish leader, author, sought after speaker and social justice activist. The first openly LGBTQ person to be president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the first women to head the Southern California Board of Rabbis, she is Founding Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, CA.

She is an author and editor of three books including “7 Principles for Living Bravely,” “Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells, A Celebration of LGBTQ Jewish Life and Ritual” and “Gender & Religious Leadership: Women Rabbis, Pastors, and Ministers. Eger is a contributor to numerous anthologies and books. She most recently contributed to Dr. Ron Wolfson’s book, Jewish Communal Leadership: Lessons Learned from Leading Practioners.

Named as one of the most influential Jews by the Jewish Forward, and the #1 LGBT Clergy Person by Huffington Post, she has won numerous awards for her activism for LGBTQ people, women, and Israel.  Ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, she has her Doctor of Divinity from HUC. She was given an honorary doctorate from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Rabbi Eger has a master’s degree from HUC-JIR and undergraduate degree in Religion and Jewish Studies from the University of Southern California. She is a Sr. Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Rabbi Eger is a PCC level accredited executive and performance coach and currently coaches clergy, non-profit executives and consults with non-profit organizations.   She has served on numerous national boards including Zioness, Human Rights Campaign Religion and Faith Council, National Council of AIPAC, Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion, Union for Reform Judaism, and is currently a trustee of the Reform Movement’s Pension Board.

She resides in Austin, TX with her wife, Rabbi Dr. Eleanor Steinman who is the Sr. Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom.  Her son and daughter in law live in California. Rabbis Eger and Steinman are proud grandparents.

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Toby Klein is A Wider Bridge’s Director of Programs. 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.

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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.

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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.

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Imry is a part-time staffer of A Wider Bridge while also serving as the VP of Public Affairs at the Aguda – Israel’s Association for LGBTQ+ Equality. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics (PPE) and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Tel Aviv University. His professional journey began at The Aguda as Head of the Social Media Department. He later served as the manager of the “Local Pride” project, which develops local LGBTQ+ communities across Israel, and subsequently as the Head of Policy and Government Relations for the LGBTQ+ Organizations Coalition in Israel. In that role, he led the amendment of the “Bereaved Families Law” to recognize same-sex partners and advanced LGBTQ+ inclusive policies across various government ministries. In his current position, Imry oversees all public affairs activities for The Aguda, including social media, public relations, and government relations.

Photography credit: Noam Atia

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Elan Divine graduated with a degree in Art History from Brandeis University and received a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School for Social Work in 2018 . A fourth grade teacher at the Charles E  Smith Jewish Day School in Maryland. He now serves as director of AMCHA, a family foundation that provides resources to underserved communities in Israel and the United States.

Carmella Ettinger has lived in Portland, Oregon, her entire life, growing up surrounded by the smart, liberal professionals in Portland’s small Jewish community and then raising her son in that community. She has been traveling to Israel regularly since she was ten months old. Her father was the sixth generation of his family born in the Old City of Jerusalem. She has also been active in Portland’s large, progressive lesbian community, including several years as the chair of Portland’s Pride celebration. In relatively recent years, she has attended Burning Man twenty-two consecutive times.

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Judy has had stand-up specials on HBO, Comedy Central and LOGO and appeared on Netflix’s Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration. She is the author of Yes I Can Say That: When They Come For The Comedians, We Are All In Trouble, a critically acclaimed book about free speech and cancel-culture which debuted as the number one comedy release on Amazon and was featured in the New York Times Book Review. The solo show, Yes I Can Say That! directed by BD Wong and starring Judy premiered in March 2023 at 59E59 Theaters and received rave reviews. The show is set to begin touring in 2024. Judy is also host of the hit podcast, Kill Me Now with Judy Gold.

Judy’s recent acting credits include, Showtime’s City On A Hill (Cassndra Kassell), FX’s Better Things (Chaya). Showtime’s The First Lady (Elizabeth Read). Judy also guest stars as Sophie in the Apple TV+ drama series Extrapolations. Other guest stars include Hulu’s Life and Beth, and Season 2 of Peacock’s Girls 5 Eva. She has had recurring roles on Comedy Central’s Awkwafina, Netflix’s Friends from College and TBS’ Search Party. Her recent film credits include Love Reconsidered, along with the upcoming She Came To Me, and Eternal Buzz.

Judy is one of the main subjects in the Hulu documentary Hysterical.  She has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Tonight Show. From 1999-2010, Judy was the host of HBO’s At the Multiplex with Judy Gold. Judy also won two Emmy awards for writing and producing The Rosie O’Donnell Show. She was also a writer on the final season of Better Things.

Judy has written and starred in three critically acclaimed Off-Broadway hit shows, the aforementioned Yes I Can Say That!  The Judy Show – My Life as a Sitcom (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother (GLAAD Media Award – Outstanding NY Theater, Drama Desk Nomination – Actor). Judy received rave reviews as Gremio in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park all-female production of The Taming of The Shrew. She also co-starred in Off-Broadway’s Clinton! The Musical, and Disaster! The Musical. 

Judy has made numerous appearances on The View, The Today Show, The Drew Barrymore Show, and on MSNBC, CNN and NewsNation as a free-speech advocate. She often pops up on The Food Network, but please do not mention Chopped All Stars or Rachel vs. Guy to her. 

Judy’s three albums, Conduct Unbecoming, Kill Me Now and Judith’s Roommate Had a Baby are available wherever you get your music. You can also check out her website, JudyGold.com or follow her on Twitter, Instagram or Tik Tok – @jewdygold

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Sam Lauter is a public affairs professional with almost 40 years of experience in local, state and national politics. Sam, a fifth-generation San Francisco native, utilizes his years of experience to manage Barnes Mosher Whitehurst Lauter & Partners’ (BMWL) public affairs and lobbying business.

Sam began his professional career working for Congressman Philip Burton (D-CA), and 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) and later for California Lt. Governor Leo McCarthy, heading up his San Francisco office.

In 2000, Sam formed BMWL with his partners, one of California’s leading boutique public affairs and campaign consulting firms. BMWL and Sam have earned numerous awards in public affairs and political consulting over their 20+ years for clients ranging from Google to the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, and from housing and office developers to numerous union locals.

In his volunteer life, Sam is a key voice and fundraiser for the organized Jewish community in both California and Washington, D.C. In early 2022, Sam was appointed by President Biden to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.  Among Sam’s other affiliations: Past Chair of the Northern California Board of Directors of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC); member, National Council of AIPAC; member, Board of Directors for the Democratic Majority for Israel; member, Board of Directors of A Wider Bridge; 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 Weekly), Brandeis Hillel Day School (now The Brandeis School of San Francisco), the BayKeeper, and the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau (now San Francisco Travel), among others. In 2008 Sam spearheaded the first trip by a San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom, to visit Israel, as part of the Haifa-San Francisco Sister City relationship, and co-chaired and organized 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 and Jacob. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Seth Schermer current serves as Chief Operating Officer & Chief Development Officer at LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Seth has spent his career advancing organizations that focus on equality, access, and social justice issues. Seth helped launched Bloomingays, a neighborhood LGBTQ+ community group in Washington, D.C. focused on local engagement, supporting local business and investing in the Washington, D.C. LGBTQ+ community.

Prior to joining Victory, Seth served in leadership roles with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, The Optical Society Foundation (OSA Foundation), now Opitca, and the American Association for Justice (AAJ).

Seth has been engaged with A Wider Bridge for several years, The Kurlander Program for GLBTQ Outreach & Engagement, and the Hineni Fellowship for LGBTQ Jewish Leadership. Seth lives in Washington, D.C. with his husband and their dog Pepper.

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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.

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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.