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Get to know our 2024 Board Members! 
 

The CBH Board of Directors is an engaged group of dedicated members. Our interest is to help guide and support our congregation. If you would like to know more about the CBH Board, please contact our president, Peter Isbister.

Peter Isbister, President: I am honored to serve as CBH Board President for two years starting this year. My family and I joined CBH in 2009, shortly after we arrived in Atlanta because we were moved by the CBH mission of inclusivity, social justice and (for us) allyship with the LGBTQ+ community. I was born in Santa Cruz, California. At CBH I have served as a Representative at Large on the Board, a member of the ritual committee, the Envisioning Committee and the Settled Rabbi Search Task Force. I also teach at our CBH Community School. My wife, Robyn Painter, is also a civil rights attorney. We have three children, ages 14 and 10 (twins). We are an interfaith family (Lutheran), deeply interested in modeling the richness of the interfaith path to our kids and exploring all that journey entails with other parents.  I am an attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center where I work on behalf of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I also founded Metro Atlanta TransParent, the GA chapter of TransParent USA. 

Julie Fishman, 1st Vice President   I have been a member of CBH since 2000 and part of the CBH Chorus since 2004.  We are an interfaith family, and our children became B'nai Mitzvah at CBH in 2016 and 2023.  I have been on the CBH Board twice prior to my current Board service.  I have been involved with various CBH projects and volunteer efforts over the years, including most recently co-chairing the 2023 L'Chaim fundraiser, serving on the Music Director Search Task Force, and helping to spearhead CBH's involvement with the Daffodil Project. I am honored to serve as CBH's First Vice President to deepen my involvement with and stewardship of this special community.  My husband and I both work in the field of public health. I have lived in Atlanta since 1993, and our family currently lives in Ormewood Park. 

 Marci Alt, VP Communications: I’m CEO of Gayborhood (30 years strong and growing) and one of the founders of the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. I’ve served as Vice Chair of Lost-n-Found Youth from 2016 to the present. I am honored to serve on the CBH Board as I have been around here for over 25 years! CBH has become my spiritual and religious home. I’m proud and excited to have my children grow up in our synagogue. I am ready for the challenge to help grow our congregation in many ways.

Eric Gilbert, Secretary: I am originally from Berkeley, CA and have lived in Decatur more than 20 years. I am a faculty member in the Department of Biology at Georgia State University, where my laboratory research is focused on applied and environmental microbiology. My wife Cindy and I joined CBH because we wanted a synagogue that shared our progressive values. Most of our first experiences with CBH were with the community school, which our kids Abby and Coby attended from third grade until they had their b’nai mitzvah in 2019. I love the activism, the music, the spirituality, the thoughtfulness, the warmth, the inclusiveness - and the humor! - of the CBH community.

Jessica Brown, Treasurer: Dr. Jessica Brown has been a member of CBH since 2018.  She spent over a decade working in industry and now works in public health biostatistics.  Jessica  served as an asset manager for Real Estate Investment Trust Companies (REITs) from California to Georgia for nearly a decade.  Her primary role was to ensure the fiscal management and profitability of multi-family housing assets with multi-million dollar budgets for publicly traded companies.  She also has experience with non-profit financials.  While living in Bibb County, Georgia, Jessica founded a 501©3 to support children entering foster care in Bibb County, a cause very personal for her family. 


Eventually Jessica realized she could better use her numbers acumen and pursued and gained full grant funding for an MPH in Epidemiology with a focus on health disparities work.  She then pursued a PhD in Public Health focusing on methodology and biostatistics.  Today, she serves as an epidemiologist for CDC.  Her primary role there includes data quality assurance and safety monitoring through constant examination and creation of reports to ensure that the clinical trials she works on maintain data integrity and participant safety.  


Jessica is interested in serving as treasurer because she wishes to bring her experience of financial management and quality assurance to serve CBH.  She knows that her prior training has given her a strong attention to detail and familiarity with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly financial operations.  In addition to her desire to serve CBH in this role as treasurer, she also serves as a teacher and art club leader at CBHCS. 

Valerie Singer, Member at Large: Dr. Valerie Singer has been a member of CBH since 2007.  She is a single mom with two children, Jonah (21) and Rafi (14), both of whom went through the CBH Community School and Brit Mitzvah processes.  Valerie has been a member of the CBH Chorus for most of the years since 2010.

Professionally, Valerie has been a residential Realtor for over 12 years. She has helped many CBH members and their families buy or sell throughout the Atlanta metro area. In her prior career, Valerie taught Anthropology for many years, including 7 years at Oxford College of Emory. She has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology, and did her dissertation research in Brazil. Her research interests centered on the connection between religious values and activism.  Her main research was on an environmental organization run by poor Afro-Brazilians in the Chapada Diamantina region of Bahia, Brazil. Issues of social justice, environmentalism, and spirituality have always been close to her heart.

Valerie is also an ardent animal lover and currently shares her home with four cats and one dog, as well as her two legged children. 

PC Ganger, Member at Large: I am a teacher of the visually impaired for Gwinnett County Public Schools and a parent to an amazing five-year-old, Ada (who tries to dance at every CBH function).  I serve as the faculty sponsor for the pride club at the high school where I teach. I am non-binary and legally blind. I have previously served as president and vice-president of the East Georgia Chapter of the Georgia Council of the Blind. My wife Lauren and I grew up in the Atlanta area, and moved back here after living near DC for four years, where we converted to Judaism in 2019. We began attending CBH events virtually in 2020 and became members the very next year. I cherish the spiritual home we have found here at CBH and I am honored to dedicate my time and energy to serving on the board! 

Marybeth Hayes, Member at Large: I am incredibly grateful to be a part of the CBH community. From the moment I arrived in 2015, I was welcomed with open arms
by my friend, coworker, and neighbor, a CBH member. Attending Shabbat services at the Central Congregational, I instantly felt a sense of belonging and connection. The members of this community generously opened their homes for Shabbat dinners and
holiday celebrations, creating lasting friendships that I cherish to this day.

My work within CBH is a true reflection of my dedication to serving others. Guiding the clinical pastoral education programs at various Atlanta healthcare centers including Grady, Northside, AMC, Pruitt, and Gwinnett, has allowed me to provide spiritual guidance and support to those in need. Currently, at the Atlanta Veterans Medical System, I am running a post-graduate program for clergy, chaplains, residents,
interns, and fellows. It is truly fulfilling to be able to make a difference in the lives of those who have served our country.
The journey towards my conversion to Judaism began 25 years ago when as a UCC clergy, I was invited to study Torah with a rabbinical friend of mine. This experience ignited a spiritual awakening within me, leading me to actively participate in services. I also embarked on personal growth through classes such as mindfulness, Mussar, preparation for conversion, Hebrew, and even chanting Torah. I am truly excited to be a part of the chorus. Last Fall, I officially converted and became a member of CBH, solidifying my connection to this incredible community.

Aside from my work and spiritual journey, I am also a proud mother of four children and two dogs. I believe in finding time to pursue one’s passions. For me, that passion is wood carving and hand drawn mandalas. I love the sense of creativity and self-expression that comes with this art form.

Lauren Levin,  Immediate Past President: Lauren H. Levin is an Atlanta native, dual national of the United States and Australia, and founder of Levin Immigration Law.  With offices in Sydney and Atlanta, the firm specializes in obtaining U.S. and Australian visas.  Lauren previously served for eight years as Regional Civil Rights Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League responsible first for the Southeast and then Northeast regions.  She is a dedicated volunteer for immigrant rights; previously served as a Volunteer Chaplain at both St Joseph’s and Piedmont Hospitals; and is a member of the National Leadership Board of the Carlos Museum at Emory University and the Director’s Circle at the High Museum of Art.   Lauren was a co-founder of CBH’s Hevra Kadish (Jewish burial society), chaired its Second Rabbi Search Committee, and served on two different Ritual Va’ad Committees.  Best of all, she is married to Cynthia Smith.

Tue, March 19 2024 9 Adar II 5784