206-525-0915, ext. 213 | davida@templebetham.org
Davida joined the team of Temple Beth Am in 2018. Her role is to support a thriving Beth Am and SEED community. By working with Rabbi Ruth, lay leadership, clergy, and professionals she works to ensure Temple Beth Am is both financially sustainable and mission aligned by implementing values based strategies in learning, community connections, and worship. She is passionate about advancing our mission and supporting members’ connections to each other.
Davida works hard to support robust communication and collaboration between congregants, professionals, lay leaders, and the community. Davida is a connector. Reach out to her anytime to get support from clergy, professionals, or lay leadership.
Davida has a her BA from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University. She has worked in nonprofit development, educational leadership, and communications for over twenty years. After working as a labor and employment attorney and for public radio, she followed her passion for education by working in K-12 leadership and school advancement. She is the proud mother of two young men and her dog Oslo.
206-525-0915, ext. 219 | reyna@templebetham.org
Reyna joined Temple Beth Am in 2020 as Temple Beth Am was in its early years of transforming youth learning. Reyna works to integrate student-centered, mission aligned, and progressive pedagogy into our youth learning program. Reyna is passionate about Jewish values and ensures they are at the forefront of the learning opportunities for our youth.
Reyna has been working in Jewish education since 2011, she has her BA in Jewish Professional Studies from Gratz College, and is completing her Executive Masters in Jewish Education from HUC in 2025. Children, Jewish learning, and families are Reyna’s passion. Her two children attend the Gan and her daughter is a SEED alumna as well as a Gan student!
206-525-0915, ext. 214 | jacob@templebetham.org
Jacob joined Temple Beth Am’s professional team in 2022 to support the creation of meaningful Jewish experiences with an eye to the future of the Beth Am community and Judaism as a whole.
As the Director of Experiential Jewish Life, Jacob is here to help youth, young adults, adult seekers, and men at Beth Am connect with our ancient traditions through personally meaningful, engaging, and joyful ways. With relationships at the heart of everything he does, Jacob uses music, worship, and learning to connect other’s to Judaism. He sees the moments and times we gather as the most potent opportunity for community connection.
Jacob is a Seattle native, an alumnus of Camp Kalsman since its founding in 2007, and has many connections in the local Jewish communities throughout the Pacific Northwest.
206-525-0915, ext. 212 | chava@templebetham.org
As Music Director, Chava’s role at Temple Beth Am is to uplift the community through moving musical experiences.
A Seattle native, Chava Mirel grew up immersed in the world of Jewish music. Some of her earliest memories are the songs of her father’s Klezmer band, co-founded with TBA’s own Music Director Emeritus Wendy Marcus. Inspired by great mentors, Chava has been a professional Jewish musician, educator and prayer leader for over 3 decades.
In addition to her work at Temple Beth Am, Chava visits synagogues and communities around the country, and serves on faculty of several national conferences, including Hava Nashira and the Wexner Institute. Chava lives in South Seattle with her beloved family: her partner Brennon and child Judah, plus 2 cats and a hedgehog. Chava Mirel is honored and proud to serve as the Music Director of Temple Beth Am.
206-525-0915, ext. 255 | rabbidebbie@templebetham.org
In addition to providing her Jewish wisdom to the Beth Am community through adult learning classes and from the bima, Rabbi Debbie supports b’nai mitzvah families step-by-step as she partners with the rest of our worship team to ensure young people become confident and excited b’mitzvah and prayer leaders.
Rabbi Debbie seeks to form deep relationships with the people and the communities she serves. She works to help connect people to Torah, Jewish Values, and the Jewish people. She has served as a Regional Educator for the Union for Reform Judaism and she consulted with more than 150 congregations on their educational programming. Debbie earned a Master of Arts in Religious Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2013 and Rabbinic Ordination in 2023 from Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute. Rabbi Debbie has five adult children – Nathaniel and his wife, Nancy, Micah and his wife Katie, and Abby.
206-525-0915, ext. 209 | amber@templebetham.org
Amber joined the Temple Beth Am professional team in 2022. Amber plays a crucial role in ensuring that Beth Am advances our mission by fostering strong relationships within the community, and helping to provide congregants with meaningful opportunities to give. Amber also helps connect congregants with leadership opportunities to develop and empower a strong lay leadership dynamic within our congregation.
Amber has worked in development and advancement since 2014 and brings her vast Jewish and professional experience and warm personality to her work at Temple Beth Am. Reach out to Amber if you are interested in making more connections, getting involved within our Temple community, would live to make a gift, or have ideas you’d like to share. She can’t wait to connect with you!
206-525-0915, ext. 202 | megan@templebetham.org
Megan manages all billing and accounting for Temple Beth Am. Reach out to Megan with any questions about your account, to make a payment, or for any financial inquiries.
Megan has a BA from the University of Washington and has worked in early childhood and non-profit finance for over 10 years. She oversees and process all day to day financial needs of the Beth Am community to ensure Temple Beth Am’s financial health today and the future.
206-525-0915, ext. 218 | amanda@templebetham.org
Amanda is the first point of contact for prospective members, helps introduce them to Temple Beth Am, and walks them through the process of joining. Amanda oversee’s communications to keep the community informed, and is the Project Bina coordinator to help figure out how to use data to be a decision informed congregation.
Amanda has a BA in History & Jewish Studies from Indiana University and since 2006 has worked in reform congregations around the country in Chicago, St. Louis, and the Bay Area. The big surprise is that Amanda’s expertise is hard to find so we are grateful that she joins us remotely much of the year from the Bay Area.
Amanda is always happy to talk about Temple Beth Am and can’t wait to connect with you.
206-525-0915, ext. 205 | sarah@templebetham.org
Sarah is the go-to person on our team for events, rentals, and coordinating the needs of community committees. They also teach in our Youth Learning and Engagement Program. As someone who grew up at Temple Beth Am, Sarah is always excited to give back to this community and make it as straightforward as possible for our community members to convene in our space.
206-525-0915, ext. 222 | sean@templebetham.org
Sean specializes in getting your question or request to the right person at Temple Beth Am. Sean manages the Beth Am calendars, sends yahrzeit emails, and manages member’s personal data including kaddish lists..
Sean brings their many year’s of experience in logistics and non-profit management to Temple Beth Am. Sean is always happy to answer general questions or connect you with clergy and members of our professional team.
As Data Coordinator, Emmet supports the Temple Beth Am community and professional team by ensuring information and digital resources are readily available to accomplish our work and advance Beth Am’s mission. They are in charge of organizing, cleaning, and reporting ShulCloud data, as well as researching and implementing tools and project management systems to create more efficient team processes!
The Facilities Team at Beth Am, led by our Facilities Manager Colby Davis, works hard to provide the best possible experience for congregants, clergy, and our professional team. They ensure the safety, security, function, and beauty of our grounds and building resources. Members of the Facilities Team are the first to come in each day and the last to leave. Their work provides the foundation for everything else that happens at Temple Beth Am and we are proud and grateful for their service to the community.
Mike has been a longtime partner with Temple Beth Am and works hard to ensure that our IT infrastructure is not only able to support our needs today, but able to rapidly adapt and evolve with 21st century technological advancements.
Jaime supports our congregation’s audio visual needs and our multi-access/hybrid events.
Jaime joined the Temple Beth Am professional team in 2021 as a part of our response to the accessibility needs of our congregants during the pandemic. Jaime is working to afford our members a more robust audio-visual experience and is excited serve our community.
Taryn Webber has served Temple Beth Am with her vocal talents since 2000. She has studied classical cello, voice, pipe organ, steel drums (Trinidad), and the cajon (from the Afro-Peruvian tradition). Since she first moved to Seattle from the East Coast in 1997, she has taught orchestra/choir at Washington Middle School, general music at B.F. Day Elementary School, and orchestra at Einstein Middle School. Taryn is currently the Assistant Music Director at Holy Names Academy where she teaches orchestra, chamber music, and music production classes. When she isn’t teaching, singing at Beth Am, or hanging out with her family, Taryn loves being a part of many recording and live music projects, both on cello and voice.
206-525-0915 | tammie@templebetham.org
Tammie supports the youth learning community with supplies, library books, snacks, and educational materials. In addition, as Payroll Manager, Tammie manages time and attendance/payroll for hourly employees, the onboarding process for new hires, and maintains the paperwork and information mandated by law. While most of her duties are performed behind the scenes, Tammie can be seen dashing about on Sundays to ensure faculty have what they need to provide an engaging and memorable learning experience.
Tammie recently retired from the U.S. Navy where she proudly served our nation for over 23 years. She earned a Ph.D. from UCLA, MBA from Webster, and M.A. from the Naval War College. She holds several professional certifications in Human Resources and Project Management. She has worked as a neuroscientist, hospital management professional, and executive leader in recruiting and education. She has served on two Boards for non-profit performing organizations, one in Los Angeles and one in Seattle. Tammie and her family have been members of Temple Beth Am since 2015. Both daughters celebrated their B’not Mitzvah at TBA and are still active members of the community supporting The Gan, one as a madricha and one as a faculty member.
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