BOARD PRESIDENT
Howard Simon
Howard Simon is the president of HAMAQOM. After a long career as a lawyer and businessman in biotechnology, he recently began a semi-retirement characterized by teaching, not-for-profit service, and making music. He holds an MA in Jewish Studies from the Graduate Theological Union of Berkeley, and law and business degrees from Berkeley Law and Babson College, respectively.
BOARD VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Marc Dollinger
Professor Marc Dollinger holds the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University. He is the author of four scholarly books in American Jewish history and is a past recipient of Federation’s Volunteer of the Year and JCRC’s Courageous Leader Award.
BOARD TREASURER
Marty Aufhauser
Marty Aufhauser has served on HAMAQOM’s Board for many years. Marty also serves on the Board of the American Jewish Committee, San Francisco. Previously he served on the boards of the Contra Costa Jewish Day School, the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board, the Home for Jewish Parents, the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, and the Jewish Community Relations Council. He retired after 48+ years as Senior Vice President, Investments, from Morgan Stanley.
Rabbi Ruth Adar
Ruth Adar is a Reform rabbi, a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and an active participant in the East Bay Jewish scene since 1993. She is a graduate of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the Divinity School at the University of Chicago, and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Prior to rabbinical school, Rabbi Adar was on the National Outreach Staff for the Union of Reform Judaism, a position that attuned her to interfaith issues. She is well acquainted with both the Catholic and Protestant Christian traditions, as her studies at the University of Chicago were in History of Christianity and History of Religions.
Lisa Douglass
Lisa Douglass Pearlmutter is the founder and president of Douglass Results. Lisa holds an MBA in Marketing and Strategic Planning from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh and a BS in Communications and French from the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University.
Fred Isaac
Fred Isaac is a native New Yorker. He worked for 20 years as a professional librarian in several capacities before serving as Director of the Jewish Community Library in San Francisco from 1990–1995. For the past ten years, he has been a community volunteer, including service on the East Bay Federation and Foundation Boards. His interests include reading (Judaica, U.S. History, and Crime Fiction are favorite subjects) and playing tennis. He lives with his wife, Robin, in Oakland.
Jo-Ann Jacobson
Jo-Ann Jacobson is the longest-serving HAMAQOM Board member, having started her tenure forty years ago under the Lehrhaus Judaica name. She has nearly four decades of real estate experience as a broker with Coldwell Banker. She chairs Under One Tent for the Contra Costa Jewish Community Center and is part of the Alamo Improvement Association.
Scott Kabat
Scott Kabat is an experienced executive and entrepreneur, and is the founder of 621 Consulting. Before starting 621, Scott served in high-level positions at Prezi, Knowmia, Flip Video, Cisco, The Clorox Company, and A.T. Kearney. Scott has previously served on the boards of Brandeis Hillel Day School, the Osher Marin JCC, and YAD. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two kids.
Moses Libitzky
Moses currently works with the Libitzky Family Foundation to enrich the community, and he serves as a Vice President of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He has served on the boards of The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, The Jewish Federation, The Jewish Community Foundation, The Friends of Israel Political Action Committee, The Chabot Space & Science Center, Birthright Israel, and Stand with Us.
Jodie Silberman
A retail executive with extensive experience in operations, marketing and merchandising, Jodie has worked for Williams-Sonoma, Apple, and Habitat for Humanity. Philanthropy, Jewish values, and justice guide her principles, and she is thrilled to be a part of HAMAQOM’s board of directors and future vision.
Debbie Toizer
Debbie is passionate about Jewish learning. Before joining the HAMAQOM’s Board family, she sat on the boards of Kevah, Congregation Rodef Sholom’s religious school, and Jewish Milestones. She is an independent Jewish educator, working with elementary and middle school age children and officiating b’nei mitzvah. Debbie is also a grassroots organizer for social and racial justice in Marin County where she lives with her husband, Eric, and their much-loved dog, Biscotti.
