Andrea Sonnenberg is Co-Founder and CEO of Wise Readers to Leaders, a non-profit literacy and enrichment program for underserved students. Andrea is an attorney, who has practiced in the corporate, entertainment and nonprofit sectors. She also is the Vice-President of Administration for Latitude Real Estate Holdings where she oversees Human Resources.  She is the Chair of the Board of USC Hillel and serves on the Board of the Jewish Community Foundation. Inspired by her son’s untimely death, she has become a mental health advocate, working to educate, increase awareness, and influence policy and decision makers through public speaking and open conversation. She along with her husband have created the Bradley Sonnenberg Wellness Initiative at USC Hillel which offers individual professional counseling, peer-to-peer support, and wellness programming, along with the creation of a mental health curriculum for replication on college campuses across the country. Andrea produced a podcast entitled, “Getting Thru“ which shares stories of young people’s resilience despite mental health challenges, offering hope and inspiration to those struggling while also demonstrating pathways to success.

Andrea graduated cum laude from the USC Marshall School of Business in Finance and received her J.D. from Loyola Law School.

Laurie Bahar was born and raised in Los Angeles.  After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, she returned to Los Angeles where she worked in advertising media.  Following that, Laurie worked for a retail jewelry chain, developing and running a comprehensive employee training program.  In 2000, Laurie left the retail business to manage her husband’s pediatric gastroenterology practice in Encino and has continued to do so ever since.

Laurie has long been civic minded, starting with her work at Lanai Road Elementary School in Encino where she helped found the Friends of Lanai Booster club; she later served as its Treasurer and then President.  Between her medical office and Treasurer work, Laurie turned herself into an “accidental” freelance bookkeeper, and currently does this work for several private and non-profit clients.

Over the years, Laurie’s passion for social justice has grown, and she now is involved in a range of philanthropic endeavors.  She manages two private foundations and sits on the board of Wise Readers to Leaders, a literacy program dedicated to closing the achievement gap for low-income youth.   Most recently, Laurie’s become an active participant in the SAM initiative, a local group who’ve pooled financial resources and experience to fund and support programs that promote social change and benefit women, children and families.

Laurie lives in Encino with her husband, Ron Bahar, and two dogs who help fill her empty nest while her older son attends law school and her younger son is in college.

Jeremy Rosen is a partner at Horvitz & Levy LLP, where he specializes in civil appeals in state and federal appellate courts.  His cases have involved numerous important issues regarding anti-trust, environmental law, class actions, wage and hour law, employment law, breach of contract, intellectual property, California’s Unfair Competition Law, CEQA, the enforceability of arbitration clauses, hospital peer review, the scope of public employee whistleblower protection, and the application of the primary assumption of risk doctrine. He is also nationally renowned for his proficiency in numerous issues arising under the First Amendment and California’s anti-SLAPP law. Using that knowledge, Jeremy has helped a wide variety of clients – including churches, private businesses, and individuals – defeat lawsuits that seek to impose liability on clients for exercising their rights of petition, free speech, and free exercise of religion.  Mr. Rosen received his J.D. and L.L.M. in International and Comparative Law from the Duke University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif. He received his B.A. from Cornell University where he graduated magna cum laude and was involved in Phi Beta Kappa. Upon graduation from law school, he served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Ferdinand F. Fernandez on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for the Hon. Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr. on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Lauren Campbell was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from U.C. Berkely, Lauren worked in Chicago for several years before pursuing her M.B.A. at Chicago Booth. Lauren returned to L.A. to work for Nestle USA and worked there for 20 years in a variety of roles in Marketing, International Business, Corporate Strategy and Innovation. She is presently CMO of Firefly Recovery, an athletic recovery company.

Lauren has three children and is very active in philanthropic pursuits. She served on the Friends of Lanai Board, the Head of School Leadership Council at Viewpoint School and chaired the Youth Education Committee at Leo Baeck Temple for many years. Currently, Lauren is an advisory board member at the USC Marshall School of Business Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab. Lauren is also an advisory board member of Influential.

Nancy Epstein is a long time Los Angeles resident and recent Stephen Wise Temple member. She is passionate about working with children. She has expertise in early childhood development and has created early childhood programs for churches and synagogues across Los Angeles. Additionally, Nancy sits on the Board of Vista del Mar and has been is an active and dedicated volunteer. She mentors underserved teens and acts as a life coach as well. And shares our dream of creating a Readers to Leaders campus at the Vista del Mar site!

Steven Fishman has lived in Los Angeles his entire life and attended UCLA (’78). He and his wife Jodie have three children all of whom live in Los Angeles, and seven grandchildren. Steve has been very involved in the Jewish Community for a long time and has served as the president of Stephen Wise Temple and Schools where his family has been a member for the past twenty five years. He remains active on the Wise board and also a number of committees. He also serves on the Board of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, is Chair of the executive committee of AIPAC in Los Angeles, and an Aipac National Council member, former co-chair, along with his wife Jodie of the Los Angeles Birthright Council for eight years. Steve is a board member of Wise Readers to Leaders, a member of the National Board of Governors of Hebrew Union College, a member of the Overseers of the Los Angeles Campus of HUC, a board member of the Impact Forum, and a National board member of FELNET, and a supporter of JINSA. He is also a trustee of the Washington Institute. He is the managing partner of the Encino accounting firm of Fishman, Block + Diamond, LLP, and has practiced for 40 years.

Lori Goodman, originally from Toronto, Canada, has been a member of Stephen Wise Temple for 43 years. She joined the Temple Board of Directors in 2017, its Executive Committee in 2020 and is a member of the Development and Tikkun Olam Committees.

She has volunteered with Wise Readers to Leaders, assisting in the classrooms and reading stories to scholars. Lori was instrumental in arranging a field trip for 140 Readers to UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance to participate in a interactive and educational arts experience sponsored by Design for Sharing. Lori also serves on the Anti-Defamation Art Works committee.

She has been on the board of Wise Readers to Leaders since 2020 and is grateful to be a part of such a wonderful organization helping underserved children to succeed and flourish.

Dana Perel Katz was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Tufts University with a degree in Political Science, she returned home to start a career in commercial real estate. After 17 years, primarily involved with landlord and tenant representation at CBRE, Dana retired to focus on family and volunteer work. Throughout her career at CBRE, Dana engaged in service work, primarily at the Westside Family Y, now the Collins & Katz Family Y, where she has served on the board for over 25 years, including two non-consecutive terms as Board Chair for a total of 11 years.

Until just a few years ago, Dana still volunteered one week each summer to direct a YMCA resident camp program in Big Bear, California with her husband Todd, who will be a camp director forever! In addition to still serving on the board of the Collins & Katz Family Y, Dana also sits on the Boards of UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, UCLA Women & Philanthropy, and Fire Family Ladder.

Together, Dana and her husband, Todd, have four grown children, three dogs and a tank full of fish.

Martine Singer is the President and CEO of Children’s Institute, a social impact organization that works in communities impacted by decades of racism and underinvestment.  CII helps children and families achieve educational success and emotional wellbeing through early education, counseling, parenting support and other resources.  She oversees one of LA’s oldest and largest child and family agencies, managing an annual budget of over $90 million and 1,000 staff.  Martine previously served as President and CEO of Para Los Niños, and held executive positions with several global media companies, serving as the founder and publisher of the first foreign-language edition of The New York Times, and launching the Los Angeles Times’ award-winning online service in 1993. A native New Yorker, she holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and a Master’s of Business Administration from the Yale School of Management. Besides Wise Readers to Leaders, she serves on the boards of Eisner Health and, the California Behavioral Health Association.

Glenn Sonnenberg is President and CEO of LaSalle Debt Investors, Inc., a real estate investment firm specializing in debt products. He also is President if Latitude Real Estate Holdings, a real estate equity investment company. Previously, he was CEO of Prudential Carbon Mesa and ING Real Estate Investors.

Glenn serves on the Board Directors of several community non-profits including Bet Tzedek—the House of Justice, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Wayfinder Family Services, the Children’s Institute, the AJC, Wise Readers to Leaders, and the Center Theatre Group.  Glenn is co-chair of the annual USC Law School Forum on Real Estate Law and Business and serves on the Board of Counselors of the USC Law School.  Glenn has been awarded the Bet Tzedek Founder’s Award, the USC Alumni Award, the Los Angeles Jewish Federation Maimonides Torch of Justice, the Claremont McKenna College Debate Award, the USC Libraries Ex Libris Award and the USC Law Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award.

A graduate of the University of Southern California, B.A. 1977, history, magna cum laude, phi beta kappa, Mr. Sonnenberg also received his J.D. in 1980 from USC.  Mr. Sonnenberg began his career as a real estate and finance partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Allen, Matkins, Leck, Gamble and Mallory.

Rabbi Ron Stern has been serving Stephen Wise Temple for 21 years. He is the Co-Founder, along with Andrea Sonnenberg of the original Wise Freedom School which has become the Wise Readers to Leaders independent program. In addition to serving as a pastoral, pulpit, and educational rabbi of Stephen Wise, he also directs the Center for Tikkun Olam—the department that directs all of Wise’s social and community justice work. As such, Rabbi Stern is charged with the task of broadening and deepening the social justice commitment of the congregation. He has expanded the reach of the congregation into several partnership organizations including: Reform CA (Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism); Save the Syrian Children, IsraAid, and the VA’s homelessness initiatives. Wise also works with the Los Angeles Jewish Federation Real Estate Division, the LA Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way to engage the professional real estate community in solutions for homelessness.  Through their involvement in a range of social service organizations Wise seek to leverage Stephen Wise Temple’s relationship with the Mayor, the City Council, the School Board and the LAUSD superintendent serve to supplement its effectiveness in the city. The Wise Readers to Leaders project, now expanded to six campuses, is one more step towards the vision of establishing this congregation as a force for meaningful, progressive change in the city of Los Angeles.