Temple Co-President, Rick Simon
Rick and his wife Thu, live in Harding Township, and have been members of Temple B’nai Or since 2015. They have two children, Mia who is currently a senior in college and Aaron who is a senior in high school. They are an inter-faith and multi-cultural family.
Rick initially became active at TBO through membership in the men’s club, grounds committee and the softball team. He was then asked to lead the annual budgeting process at which time he joined the Board of Trustees and assumed the role of VP of Financial Health. Through this role, Rick became intimately involved in all aspects of the Temple operations and had the opportunity to work closely with the Clergy and Senior Staff. As of July 2023, Rick assumed the role of Co-President working alongside with our distinguished leader, Mary Fernandez.
He retired as Managing Director at Accenture in 2019 after a 35-year career, working with senior executive teams to implement bold strategies and operations to enable improved performance. From 1998 to 2003, he was transferred to Paris where he oversaw many European based clients. Rick hopes to use his experience to help TBO fulfill its mission for today and well into the future.
In his spare time, Rick has coached youth soccer and baseball teams and is a supporter of numerous local charities. He also enjoys daily exercise and continues to learn tennis. He and his family are active travelers having visited over 30 countries across 4 continents.
Rick looks forward to working with the Temple leadership in support of the continued advancement of the Temple’s mission and priorities.
Temple Co-President, Mary Fernandez
Mary and her husband, Adam Buchsbaum, live in Madison and have been at Temple B’nai Or since 2000. Their daughters, Elena and Shira, were very active at Temple from kindergarten through ORIM. As a Jew by choice, Mary is especially grateful for TBO’s warmth and inclusivity, which have encouraged her understanding and appreciation of Judaism. Before becoming president, Mary supported our preschool and religious school as VP of Education for four years. You can often find her singing, clapping and praying at Mishpacha T’filah, Family Prayer, during Sunday morning religious school.
Mary is grateful for the mentorship and support of past presidents and current trustees Stacey Schlosser, Michele Murray, and Keith Barbarosh and for the partnership of Rabbi Michael Satz, Cantor Galit Dadoun-Cohen, Barbara Kavadias, and David Iskovitz, all of whom help make serving our community a joyful and meaningful experience.
Mary is also on the national board of 18doors.org, an organization that serves interfaith and multi-cultural couples and families exploring Jewish life. Mary received degrees in computer science from Brown University and the Ph.D. in computer science from Princeton University. Mary has had an exciting 20-year career in technology and when time permits, consults for non-profits on strategy and leadership development.
2023-2024 Board of Trustees and Officers
| Co-Presidents | Mary Fernandez Rick Simon |
| Vice President | Nicole Berman (Secretary) |
| Vice President | Brian Dicker (Treasurer) |
| Vice President | Audrey Forman |
| Vice President | Greg Pine |
| Vice President | Melissa Simon |
| Vice President | Laurie Spiegel |
| Trustees (term ending in 2026) | Katie Albert Lacey Elberg Petra Lieberman Jennifer van Frank |
| Trustees (term ending in 2025) | Jeffrey Beyer Jane Conklin Sky Monroe Rob Pedinoff |
| Trustees (term ending in 2024) | DAve Anolick Jodi Levy-Yissachar Rob Meyer Rita Stringer Lori Weintraub |
| Immediate Past President | Stacey Schlosser |
| Men’s Club Co-Presidents | DAve Anolick Bob Goldstein |
| Sisterhood President | Samantha Pedinoff |
Past Presidents of Temple B’nai Or
Lester Adelson 1954 – 1957
Samuel A. Hollander* 1957 – 1959
Seymour Lewis* 1959 – 1961
Dr. Leonard Szerlip* 1961 – 1963
Eliot Steinberg* 1963 – 1965
Sam Gordon* 1965 – 1967
Dr. Stanley Tannenbaum 1967 – 1969
Michael Israel 1969 – 1971
Armand Kaplan 1971 – 1973
Mitzi Szerlip 1973 – 1975
Alfred Schneier 1975 – 1977
Richard Hess* 1977 – 1979
Judith Helderman 1979 – 1981
Dr. Ronald S. Levy* 1981 – 1983
Dr. Anthony G. Lubowe* 1983 – 1985
Davida Ginsburg 1985 – 1988
B. Marc Allen 1988 – 1991
Irv Gozonsky 1991 – 1993
Vicki Nelson 1993 – 1995
Jack Piermont 1995 – 1997
Phyllis Feinblum 1997 – 1999
Linda Haan 1999 – 2001
Stuart Rayvid 2001 – 2003
Mindy R. Zaziski 2003 – 2006
Herb Sorkin 2006 – 2009
Stuart Rayvid 2009 – 2010
Philip J. Cohen 2010 – 2012
Susan Levinson-Agrusti 2012 – 2014
Keith Barbarosh 2014 – 2016
Michele Murray 2016 – 2019
Stacey Schlosser 2019-2021
* In Memoriam