Board of Directors

Pronouns: she, her

Gaby and her husband, Dan, joined Temple Beth Am in 2008. Since that time, they have had two kids, both of whom are enrolled in the Gan. Gaby originally joined the Board of Directors in 2014, later holding roles of secretary and 2nd VP before returning to the board in 2022. In addition to her work on the Board, she has previously been chair of Young Families at Beth Am (YFBA), which she helped found in 2010, chair of the Development Committee and has chaired several TBA Galas. Over the past few years, Gaby has also served on the board of The Perkins School. Gaby works as a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County. When not lawyering, wrangling kids, or volunteering, Gaby feeds her not-so-secret desire to be the Jewish Martha Stewart by being crafty.

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Stacey joined Temple Beth Am in 2018, soon after moving from Madison, WI for work. She lives with her two great kids, Sadie (in college at Johnson & Wales University) and May (high schooler), and 2 adorable cats. She has appreciated the many opportunities for kids to stay engaged through religious school, the Madrichim program, and the Covenant Renewal Program.  Stacey has served on the Gala Committee, Acknowledgement, and Finance Committee. She currently leads Project Bina at Beth Am, which aims to collect diverse perspectives and insights from all of our congregants in order to inform our future planning, programming, and services. In her professional life, Stacey has worked across a wide range of industries in research and analytics including automotive, financial services, retail, and travel, in addition to advising C-Suite executives and helping non-profits like the ADL, with their research needs.   She currently works in user research at a large tech company in Seattle, leveraging her training in social science and survey methodology as well as coaching and developing researchers. Outside of work and Temple life, Stacey has been a member of the board and the grants manager for the Seattle Jewish Chorale, enjoys puzzles of all types and volunteering to help reduce food insecurity.

Lauren has been part of the Temple Beth Am community since she and her husband, Jarrod Dudakov, moved to Seattle from New York City in 2016. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, the Young-Dudakov family joined Temple Beth Am for the Young Families at Beth Am program, and now both their kids, Quinn and Baxter, are enrolled in The Gan. Lauren is involved in The Gan Committee, the Hearth Group Committee and has served as an Elul Group lay leader.

Lauren worked for many years as a bench scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before switching to Public Health where she now works as data manager on vaccine clinical trials at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In addition to passionately working in the global health arena, Lauren loves to read, travel and spend time outdoors in her spare time.

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Danielle joined Temple Beth Am in February 2020 with her husband Damon and two children, Paige and Persephone. Danielle has been a member of the Finance Committee at Temple Beth Am since 2022 and has enjoyed getting to know community members through hearth groups and other community activities. She is originally from Brooklyn, NY, and was active in B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and her college Hillel group. Danielle was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana, and lived in Washington, DC for several years before moving to Seattle in 2009. She enjoys rowing, good books, and spending time with her children. In her professional life, Danielle is a senior analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where she conducts performance audits on federal agencies and programs related to physical infrastructure.

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Joel grew up in the Seattle area and never left. After attending UW, he continued to move north to Mountlake Terrace where he settled down with his wife Katie and their two children, Jackson and Hannah. Joel is big into the BA Brotherhood and volunteers as a Cubmaster/Den Leader for Pack 76 in Mountlake Terrace. His biggest passion is hanging out with our TBA community and Joel’s favorite thing in life is coffee and doughnuts.

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Rebecca and her spouse, Robert Heller have been members of Temple Beth Am since 1992. Their adult son and daughter, who live on the east coast, both celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah and Covenant Renewals in the Sanctuary. Rebecca participated in TBA’s first adult B’nai Mitzvah cohort. She is co-chair of the Sisters of Beth Am, and is part of a long-term TBA chavurah. Rebecca is a retired city planner, who loves to travel (pandemics permitting), and is passionate about voting rights

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Kaitlin and her husband Zach joined Temple Beth Am in 2016. Since joining, they’ve had the pleasure of observing multiple life cycle events with the TBA community, including their wedding and welcoming two children, Solomon and Lilah. Kaitlin is involved in the Advancement committee, and Kaitlin and Zach both volunteer with the Gala committee. When not engaging with Temple or chasing her children around, Kaitlin enjoys baking, knitting, reading, and navigating the complexities of international tax law and accounting at Deloitte.

Pronouns: she, her

The Beth Am community has been an integral part of Rebecca and her family’s life since 1998.  Her daughter Ilana attended religious school and became b’nai mitzvah at Beth Am, and Rebecca followed in the adult cohort in 2018. Rebecca and her husband Richard participated in the TBA Israel Trip in 2020. She has led Hearth groups and organizes greeters and shamushim for services. As a certified mediator, she volunteers with the Seattle Federal Executive Board and the Dispute Resolution Center. She has also served on a number of non-profit Boards, including a workplace daycare and small private elementary school. After a long career as an environmental scientist at NOAA, Rebecca enjoys being retired and traveling, hiking, sewing, reading and cooking.

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Mark and his family have been Temple members since 2013. He and his wife, Nancy Friday, emigrated from Massachusetts in 2000, and decided to put down Jewish roots as their eldest, Miriam, approached Bat Mitzvah age. She, and later, her sister, Margalit, were Bat Mitzvah at TBA and are both products of the TBA religious education programs. Mark was raised as a “Hillel Kid” on the campus of Brandeis University and was Bar Mitzvah there. He appreciates being part of an intentional Jewish community at TBA in a region where Jewishness is not a cultural staple, as it is in the Northeast US. He has served the community on the old Religious School Board and more recently on the Advancement Committee. Mark underwrites the training and travel that are part of his daughters’ the Irish dancing careers as the IT Director of a growing flow management company.

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Liz and her husband Joe joined Temple Beth Am in 2010. All three of their daughters—Shoshana, Miriam, and Simone—got their start at SEED Early Childhood Center and now continue their Jewish education through the Gan. Liz grew up in Northern Virginia, where she was a member of Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation, a reform synagogue that reminds her a lot of Temple Beth Am. Liz attended Brandeis University and, after living in Boston and San Diego, Liz settled in Seattle in 2007. Liz is an Elementary School Principal in the Bellevue School District and lives in the Fremont neighborhood with her family and very lively puppy corgi (named Goose). Liz is looking forward to deepening her connection to the Jewish community and applying her educational insights to the Temple’s future plans through her service to the TBA Board.

Pronouns: he, him

Sam and his wife Marnina have been a part of the Temple Beth Am community since 2016. They are proud parents to Max, aged 9, and Jacob, aged 2. Max attended the early childhood school at Beth Am and continues his Jewish education through The Gan, while Jacob is currently in the 1s program at SEED ECS. Having relocated from New York City to Seattle in 2016, Sam and Marnina discovered a spiritual and cultural home at Beth Am. Sam, originally from California and having been raised in Fresno, Los Angeles, and Portland, OR, pursued his undergraduate and graduate education in Pennsylvania and New York. It was at a latke cookoff at Hillel where he met Marnina, and on Hillel spring break excursion to Peru when they started dating. Presently, Sam applies his expertise as a scientific writer at a global health research institute at the University of Washington. Beyond his professional pursuits, he finds joy in coaching youth sports, embarking on runs with his five-year-old French Pyrenean Pointer, playing tennis, exploring independent bookstores, and ardently supporting Arsenal Football Club. Sam eagerly anticipates contributing to a welcoming and inclusive environment at TBA while deepening his engagement with Jewish life throughout the greater Seattle area.

Pronouns: she, her

Kelly and her family have been living in Seattle since 2012, after returning from 12 years in France. They joined Temple Beth Am in 2016 when her then 4th grade daughter decided she wanted to have a bat mitzvah. Her two sons still don’t want to, but they attend services once a month just the same. Kelly enjoys being an active member of Temple Beth Am: co-leading the monthly Angeline’s lunch program, participating in Advancement committee, and of course, her board service. In her spare time, Kelly is vice-president of digital engagement at a large technology company, and likes to garden, read, and spend time with her musician husband, Eddy, three kids, four cats, and a dog.

Steven and his wife Helen Spencer-Snyder, and their children Hannah (25), Lev (22) and Ari (16), joined Temple Beth Am when they moved to Seattle in 2016. By day, he’s a lawyer for a family office who loves working with innovators and philanthropists. At home, it’s all about family, great books (especially history), singing and guitar, long Shabbat dinner conversations over good food and good wine, bike rides, hikes and kayaking. Before moving to Seattle, he served for many years on the Board and the Quality Improvement Committee of Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Boston, and more recently on the Board and the Development Committee of Temple Ner Tamid in Blomfield, New Jersey. At TBA, he’s served on the Development Committee.

Pronouns: he, him

T.J. and his wife, Nora, have been proud members of the Temple Beth Am community since 2013 and are devoted parents to Guri and Myer. T.J. works in the King County Executive Office developing budgets and business plans for agencies serving the county’s two million-plus residents. He is delighted to have the opportunity to learn from and serve the community through the Beth Am Board.