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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Paul Caradonna
Sara Gold
Carol Goldsmith
Howard Himelhoch
Jennifer V. Kurland
Angela Petersen-Ernst
Edmund Rose
Susan Shernit
Cathy Radner, Immediate Past President
EXECUTIVE BOARD
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP
Mary Monahan, President
Mary began attending the Birmingham Temple in 2015 and became a member in 2020. She first became involved with a Secular Humanist group operating separately from the Temple, but heard some great things about the Temple and its services through some of the co-members in her group. She has been involved with raising money/making donations through the Social Justice Committee. Secular Humanism is a very important cause to her. She believes this type of organization has more to offer the community in a time when younger people especially are less likely to believe in an organized religion but are still looking for some sense of community, organization, and purpose.
Mary works as a psychologist for geriatric and complex medical populations. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy and her master’s from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She is a member of the International Association of Psychology & Counseling and stays active in learning about new research in her field. She is also involved with the Freedom From Religion Foundation and VegMichigan. Vegetarianism is another cause that is dear to her heart. In her spare time, Mary enjoys reading (mostly about science), traveling, spending time outdoors, and doing barre workouts.
Alan Levy, Vice-President
Alan Levy has been working in the position of Treasurer for the last two terms. As Treasurer, he has spearheaded the revamp of the Finance Committee Report to make it easier for the Board of Trustees to understand and use. He has also spearheaded an analysis of membership trends, both in terms of member numbers and funds raised. Prior to his current role, Alan co-chaired the Membership Committee with a focus on developing cost-effective recruitment mechanisms and integrating newer families to retain increased membership numbers. During his first term, he also co-created the recommendations to the Board for changes to the dues structure and the congregation’s name. Alan is married to Libby Lillian-Pachota Levy, and they have two children, Elyse, age 15, and Jake, age 13, who were both B’Mitzvahed at CHJ – Metro Detroit.
Alan has worked as the Executive Director of two community development nonprofits. He has held several governmental positions, culminating in the position of Deputy Director for Planning and Development for the City of Detroit. For the last 18 years, Alan has been the principal of Goaltrac, LLC, which provides strategic planning services to community development and economic development nonprofits and governmental agencies. In 2015, he developed a strategic plan for the Society for Humanistic Judaism that Rabbi Miriam Jerris credited as a well-thought-out guide for the national organization.
Karen Strichartz, Treasurer
Karen currently serves on the CHJ Board of Trustees, Social Justice Committee, Programming Committee, and Gardening Committee.
Karen obtained a BGS degree and an MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan. She has had a long career in Information Technology project management, specializing in leading teams in the design, development, and maintenance of software systems that help businesses grow and thrive. In her project management role, Karen has been responsible for planning and delivering large projects on time and under budget. During her career, she attained the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification, the Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) certification, and the ASCM Certification in Production and Inventory Management.
After retiring from the corporate world, Karen began a second career as a volunteer project manager serving nonprofit organizations. Many of the projects she supports involve creating program metrics and tracking progress toward program goals. She also volunteers as an instructor in a physical fitness/martial arts program for children and adults with special needs.
Dayna Elfont, Secretary
Dayna is a health coach and medically retired physician. She, her husband (Paul Caradonna), daughter (Izzie), and son (Parker) have been members of the temple for over 10 years. Rabbi Falick officiated the couple’s vow renewal ceremony in 2018. Both children were educated through the Spinoza Program and had their B’Mitzvahs at CHJ. Paul has served on the board in various positions, including President. Dayna has been on the general board for the last two years and looks forward to supporting the temple as Secretary, for the next two.