Temple 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.
2022-2023 Board of Trustees and Officers
| President | Mary Fernandez |
| Vice President | David Fields |
| Vice President | Audrey Forman |
| Vice President | Rick Simon |
| Vice President | Laurie Spiegel |
| Recording Secretary | Melissa Simon |
| Financial Secretary | Nicole Berman |
| Treasurer | Brian Dicker |
| Trustees | Dave Anolick Jeffrey Beyer Jane Conklin Beth Gellert Howard Kotkin Matt Marin Sky Monroe Rob Pedinoff Tanya Simon Rita Stringer Lori Weintraub Jodi Levy-Yissachar |
| 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