About
Leadership
Campus Leadership
List of 3 items.
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Jeffrey Davis, Head of School
Dr. Davis graduated from Pepperdine University with a Doctorate in Institutional Management and a M.S. in School Management and Administration. His undergraduate work was completed at California State University, Chico where he earned a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in Social Science. Accentuate the positive, think big dreams, tell me why it can be done. This is the approach that drives his passion for doing what’s right for our children. He strives to inspire, motivate, and lead people toward a common goal.In his free time, Dr. Davis love being an active, visible leader and spending time with students, parents and teachers. His favorite part of any day is visiting the classrooms and seeing the children and faculty in “action”. When he is not at school, you will often find him pursuing his other passion, riding his road bike or his tandem bike with his wife, Mardelle. -
Jill Quigley, Middle & Upper School Principal
Mrs. Quigley received her M.A. in Jewish Studies in 2002 from Emory University where she specialized in modern Jewish history. She received a B.A. in English from Arizona State University in 1996, where she pursued a course of study focusing on literature and religious studies. Before TVT, she was an administrator and English and Jewish Studies teacher at San Diego Jewish Academy. Early in her career, she taught English at Carmel Middle School and Durango High School.
In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, spending time with family, and the New York Times Crossword puzzle. -
Michelle Bernat, Lower School Principal
Dr. Bernat graduated from California State University Fullerton with a Doctorate in Organizational Change. She has an M.Ed. in Cultural Diversity focused on curricular integration. Her undergraduate work was completed at the University of Arizona, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with a minor in Jewish Studies. Dr. Bernat is driven to ensure student success—academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally. She works diligently to create a positive, engaged community of learners.Before TVT, she was an Assistant Superintendent of Education, Senior Director and Director of school districts in California, as well as a Director of Curriculum and Content for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, an educational publishing company. Prior to teaching and administration in the public schools, she was a general studies, Hebrew, and Judaics teacher at Jewish Day Schools in Arizona and California.In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family, going to the theater, cooking, and traveling.
Board of Trustees
The Board's primary role is to define the school's mission and to ensure its long-term viability. We identify several core attributes for our students and graduates and it is the Board's function to ensure that TVT's overall policies and actions remain consistent with those goals:-
Moral and Ethical Adults
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Critical Thinkers and Problem-Solvers
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Effective Communicators and Listeners
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Leaders and Team Players
- Achievers and Life-Long Learners
List of 13 items.
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Richard Arum
Board Member 2017
Dr. Richard Arum is Dean of the School of Education and Professor of Education and Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. He recently served as Senior Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation from 2013-2015 and Director of the Education Research Program at the Social Science Research Council from 2006-2013 where he oversaw the development of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, a research consortium designed to conduct ongoing evaluation of the New York City public schools.
Dr. Arum is also coauthor of Aspiring Adults Adrift: Tentative Transitions of College Graduates and Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses. He also coedited Improving Quality in American Higher Education: Learning Outcomes and Assessment for the 21st Century and a comparative study on expansion, differentiation and access to higher education in fifteen countries, Stratification in Higher Education: A Comparative Study.
Dr. Arum received a Masters of Education in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. -
Mayer Cherem, CFA, CQF
Board Member 2017
Mayer Cherem is a Managing Director and Sector Specialist at PAAMCO, a leading institutional investment firm, where he is responsible for the evaluation and management of opportunistic investments and offensive risk management initiatives. He chairs the firm’s Strategy Allocation Committee, serves on the Investment Oversight Committee and sets the vision for PAAMCO’s Associate Program where he oversees the hiring and development of MBA candidates from top business schools.
Mayer began his career at Procter & Gamble as a financial analyst and forecaster, and he also worked at the Cisneros Group of Companies and Deutsche Bank. Passionate about arts and science from a young age, Mayer won first place in the National Physics Olympiad in Venezuela. As the Director of Macabi Tzair, he organized weekly educational activities, shabatonim and camping events for over 150 children and teenagers. He also participated in the Institute for Advanced Studies for Jewish Leadership, which culminated with a training and assistance trip for the Jewish community of Camagüey, Cuba. Mayer plays the piano, guitar and cuatro and often plays with Tarbut V’Torah's music band. He and his wife Deborah have two children at TVT, Eitan (Class of ’24) and Gilah (Class of ’27).
Mayer earned his MBA from Columbia Business School after graduating from the Universidad Simon Bolivar of Venezuela with a BS in Production Engineering. -
Lori Chozen
Board Member 2019Lori Chozen is an independent Oil & Gas Investor from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Exposed to the O & G exploration, development and production industry at an early age, she currently manages an extensive portfolio of investments in the energy arena.When not working, Lori spends much of her free time assisting in the community. She is an avid supporter of the Susan G. Komen organization as well as the Make A Wish Foundation. Lori actively volunteers at Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School in Irvine, CA. For the past 5 years, she has chaired the TVT Cares Committee for the Parent Association as well as taken on the role of Room Parent.Passionate about education, Lori has been instrumental in the establishment of several scholarships and awards, recognizing outstanding student & teacher achievement throughout the country. The beneficiaries of which include the International Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Close Up Program in Washington DC and Temple Israel in Tulsa, Oklahoma.Lori enjoys international travel, the practice of yoga/meditation, journal writing and event planning.Mom, to daughter Harper (Class of ’28) and son, Hayes (class of '36), Lori resides in Newport Beach.Lori attended the University of Wisconsin Madison's School of Journalism and Mass Communications, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree with a dual major in Advertising and Spanish Language Studies. -
Sue Littman
Board Member
Sue Littman is the proud mother of three TVT boys Matthew Littman (TVT's Class of '12), Russell Littman (TVT Class of '14), and Eli Littman (TVT Class of 2020). Matthew is currently in a master's program in Data Analytics at UCI. Russell is in a PhD program in Bioinformatics at UCLA. Eli is about to begin his freshman year at UC Berkeley.Sue has been privileged to serve on the Board of Trustees at TVT as Board Chair, member of the executive committee, the strategic planning committee, the finance committee and the enrollment managementcommittee. Before joining the Board of Trustees, she was president of the Parent Association. Sue is currently self-employed as a math tutor. She has a particular fondness for helping to change teens' attitudes towards math. She holds a BA in computer science from Cornell University and worked as a software engineer and in project management before changing to math education -
Andrew Lyon
Board Member 2017
Dr. Andrew Lyon began his career at Georgia Tech following postdoctoral work with Professor Michael Natan at Penn State and Ph.D. work at Northwestern University with Professor Joseph Hupp. From 2003 to 2010, he was promoted from Associate Professor to Professor to Associate Chair, and he served as Chair of the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In 2014, Dr. Lyon became Dean of the Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University where he is responsible for guiding the college to a position of leadership in the delivery of innovative education and the production of impactful scholarship.
He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER, Beckman Young Investigator, Research Corporation Research Innovation, and Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, a Blanchard Fellow, and the National Fresenius Award. Dr. Lyon also served as a regional editor for the journal Colloid and Polymer Science for nearly a decade.
Dr. Lyon’s research centers on the use of synthetic polymers in regenerative medicine applications for the development of a number of innovative and potentially translational approaches to wound healing. Dr. Lyon is also the co-founder of Sanguina LLC, a company focused on the development of devices for the point-of-care determination of anemia in remote and low-resource settings. -
Izzi Neufeld
Board Member 2021Izzi Neufeld is the proud mother of three TVT girls, Emily z’’l (Class of 2017), Ally (Class of 2019), and Rachael (Class of 2022). Ally is currently attending American University in Washington, DC studying Environmental Science.Izzi has served on the TVT PA Board as Vice President, Upper School Coordinator and class representative. She served on the Executive Committee at Temple Beth El of South Orange County as treasurer as well as a trustee at large. She has also served as treasurer at her children’s elementary and middle schools before they transferred to TVT.Izzi the CFO for Jillson & Roberts, a family-owned gift wrappings company. In her free time, she enjoys Pilates, reading, crossword puzzles, and traveling. -
Alison Nightingale
Board Chair; Board Member 2017
Alison Nightingale is an attorney at General Atlantic, a global growth private equity firm providing capital and strategic support for companies worldwide. In her role at General Atlantic, she provides legal advice across the firm and has extensive experience negotiating complex contracts and establishing and supporting the global regulatory compliance program.
Alison is actively involved with Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach. Since 2015, she has been a member of the Board of Trustees and President of the Early Childhood Education Committee. She joined the Early Childhood Education Committee in 2013 and participated in the successful search for and transition of a new preschool director as well as helped the preschool maintain its accreditation. Alison and her husband Charlie are the proud parents of two Tarbut V’Torah students, Nathan (Class of ’28) and Ben (Class of ’30).
Alison earned a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley where she was an Alumni Scholar and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law. -
Lauren Plant
Board Member 2019
Lauren has been in education in the Southern California community for nearly 20 years. Before joining Westerly as the Head of School, Lauren served as the Principal at Kadima Day School in West Hills, the Director of Middle School at Mirman School in Los Angeles, and middle and high school teacher and academic advisor at Windward Preparatory School in West Los Angeles. She received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Washington, her M.A. in Education from Pepperdine University, and her Ed.D. from UCLA in Educational Leadership.Lauren is an advocate of both Jewish education and the whole-child approach to educating thoughtful, prepared, and ethical leaders of tomorrow. When not on Westerly’s campus, Lauren can be found reading or at the beach with her two kiddos, Samson and Savannah. -
Elie Spitz
Board Member 2018
Elie Spitz has served as the Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Israel since 1988, after graduating from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Previously, he worked as a lawyer in Boston, completing his JD at Boston University in 1978. He and his wife, Linda, are the parents of three TVT graduates: Joey, Jon, and Anna. Elie’s hobbies are reading, writing, meditation, and a good workout. He is the author of three books and many articles that are primarily dealing with Jewish Law, Ethics, and Spirituality. Elie spent one year teaching a course at TVT on “Torah and its commentaries" to High School juniors. -
Fred Taylor
Board Member 2012
Fred Taylor graduated from Haverford College in 1981 with degree in economics. He is the president of TGS Management Company, a quantitative investment firm founded in 1989.
He has been a proud TVT parent since 1993, and has served on the Board of Trustees for much of that time. He currently serves on the Executive Committee. -
Jeff Toporek
Board Member 2021Jeff Toporek is a co-founder and Principal at FD Stonewater, a fully integrated real estate investment, development and consulting firm. The company was founded in 2003, has 40 professionals and is headquartered in Washington DC with offices in Los Angeles. Jeff is responsible for the firm’s operations, business development and serves as the co-head of the Investment and Asset Management business.If you are looking for Jeff outside of the business world you can likely find him with one of their boys on a field coaching baseball, including at TVT. Teaching student-athletes about life through sports is one of Jeff’s great passions and he is a firm believer that success in life stems from the experiences that can be obtained through team sports.Jeff is married to Staci for 21+ years and they have 3 boys, all of whom attend TVT, and their white golden retriever Bella. They are both originally from New York and permanently relocated to Southern California in 2016. Jeff graduated with a BA in Organizational Behavior from The University of Michigan in 1990. GO BLUE! -
Sepideh “Sepi” Varon
Board Member 2016
Dr. Sepideh Varon has committed her career to advancing the scientific field by conducting research to understand the impact of medical interventions on health-related quality of life and health economics. She currently leads the Global Health Economics and Outcomes Research / Strategy Group at Allergan and serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, School of Pharmacy, where she is a preceptor to PharmD students pursing a Masters in the field of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. Previously, Dr. Varon worked at Amgen Inc. and Mercer Consulting.
Dr. Varon plays an active role in the community. She served as president of the Tarbut V’Torah Parent Association 2015-17 and supports multiple organizations including Camp Ramah in Ojai, California; The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC);and Beit Issie Shapiro in Raanana, Israel. Dr. Varon and her husband, Michael, are the proud parents of Ben (Class of ’24) and Ari (Class of ’26).
Dr. Varon received her bachelors in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Health Services Research from University of California, Los Angeles as well as a Masters in Public Health from Boston University. -
Li Yu
Board Member 2020
Li is an educator by passion. He has always been enthusiastic about teaching and education. Immediately after college, he started teaching at Southeast University in China. After moving to North America, he served as a research or teaching assistant at the University of British Columbia and the University of Southern California when he studied for his masters’ degrees. Later, Li was once offered to teach at the University of California, Irvine. He is now mainly focusing on children’s potentials and brain plasticity and applying innovative approaches to children development.
Li is an entrepreneur by practice. He is an inactive Certified Public Accountant of California who was nicknamed as “an accountant who enjoys coding.” He has been a serial startup practitioner since 2010 with hands-on experiences of managing startups from early to hyper-growth stages, and most recently led as a prior CFO and partner at DTEN Inc., an innovative startup in interactive communication technologies.
Li is also a community contributor by love. He has been an active parent and spearheaded several cultural and educational initiatives in the Southwest Chinese School in Irvine since 2017., and has been actively involved with local Cub Scout and Boy Scout activities in Orange County. He is also a book lover with his son in BOB club at Tarbut V' Torah since 2018 and has been volunteering in the “Friends of the Library” at Newport Beach Public Library since 2019. Li and his wife, Dr. Shuya Yin, are proud parents of Evan (Class of '27) and Alan (Class of '31).
Li earned his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering at Southeast University, Nanjing China, and a master’s degree in Supply Chain Management from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Canada, and also a master’s degree in Accountancy from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles California.
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Founded in Loving Memory of Naomi Gelman Weiss